Auto parts to power take-offs

Lou Conne (far left) started Muncie Power in a small office of the Plank Brothers Building (second from left) and hired Hamer Shafer (center) as the first employee. Shafer expanded the company by purchasing a manufacturing division (second from right) and led the company to join Interpump S.p.A. 

The end of the Great Depression probably doesn’t sound like the best time to start a new business, right? But that’s exactly what Louis Conne did in July 1935. He founded Muncie Parts Manufacturing Company, which later became the Muncie Power Products, Inc. you know today, in a section of the Plank Brothers building in Muncie, Indiana.

In the beginning                                

Conne came to Muncie in 1932, to become manager of Durham Manufacturing—a household furniture and appliance company. Muncie Parts Manufacturing Company began in a single office space (less than 500 square feet) with a desk, chair, telephone, and marketing and inventory catalogs—and one other employee, Hamer Shafer. Ironically, the company did not manufacture anything—it did assemble a few parts—but it really served as a distributor of new and recycled automotive replacement parts.

The automotive parts business was rapidly growing because of the economic situation. New vehicle sales were stagnant in the 1930s, meaning those who owned cars were driving them longer and were replacing parts. Additionally, General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler Corporation had locations in Muncie or nearby Anderson, Indiana, meaning it was easy to access inventory supplies.

In addition to offering automotive parts, Muncie Parts Manufacturing began to get into the niche market of power take-offs (PTOs) and mechanical winches. PTOs are a type of device that uses a power source, such as an engine via its transmission, to perform a variety of mechanical tasks. One thing that made Muncie Parts Manufacturing PTO models stand out was that the shifter control could be operated inside the cab.

From first employee to company president

Shafer, the first employee, was a 19-year-old recent graduate of Muncie Central High School and became Conne’s right-hand man. Together, the two mailed out flyers and letters to potential customers and would go out on the road to various states to promote and market to other distributors.

Later, when Shafer took on a larger role in the company’s operation after the passing of Conne, Muncie Parts Manufacturing shifted its primary product emphasis to PTOs. Shafer saw the opportunity in the development of the work truck. This is because, after World War II, trucks became bigger. After all, people wanted to haul more in fewer trips and the increased attention on building infrastructure meant trucks had more work to do.

Shafer had bought into the company when he entered into a joint partnership with Conne’s daughter in 1952, which would become incorporated again eight years later. In 1965, Shafer purchased the remaining stock and became the company’s president.

Through the late 1960s and into the mid-1970s, Muncie Parts Manufacturing expanded its products with a patent of the polyethylene hydraulic oil reservoir and offered the dump pump. It wasn’t until October 1979 that the company officially changed its name to Muncie Power Products to better represent its role in the truck and mobile equipment industry.

PHOTOS: See a gallery of images through the years

More than a distributor

In 1982, with Shafer leading the company as president, the decision to develop a revolutionary PTO design with Tulsa Winch, a division of Sperry Vickers, guided Muncie Power to become a manufacturer rather than only a distributor. After purchasing the PTO manufacturing equipment and facilities in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in November 1986, then Muncie Power officially became a manufacturer. Since then, Muncie Power now offers a wide breadth of products that can be used on various applications.

Muncie Power eventually went on to join Interpump Group S.p.A. in 1999, becoming part of a multinational operation. Today, Interpump Group is a leader in power take-offs and high pressure piston pumps. Even with the growth of the company and the transfer of ownership to the Interpump Group, Muncie Power continues with the same mission: “…to provide quality products and services that will satisfy the needs and expectations of our customers.”

To maintain that mission, Muncie Power also created a Product and Application School to not only help give employees a better knowledge base of the product offerings, but also to distributors throughout the country. In the early years, part of the school’s areas of focus included a hands-on PTO assembly program for outside distributors throughout the country. The school’s goal was to better assist distributors in getting exactly what they needed.

Moving forward

This commitment to the customer has been what has made Muncie Power successful through the years. Muncie Power continues to focus on a people-first philosophy to motivate their employees to provide the best quality of service to their customers. By continually investing in the customer service team and product development, Muncie Power emphasizes the customer and providing the experience for them.

Today, Muncie Power has seven company-owned locations: headquarters in Muncie, Indiana, assembly centers in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Muncie, Indiana, and distribution centers in Atlanta, Georgia; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Visalia, California. Beyond these manufacturing and distribution facilities across the country, Muncie Power maintains a global distribution network to best meet customer application needs and provide industry-leading customer service.

This year, Muncie Power broke ground on a new manufacturing and distribution facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This new facility will allow for expanded manufacturing capacity, additional machinery, and continued product innovation.

 

 

• The Beginning
• Muncie Power Products was founded by Lou Conne in 1935 under the name Muncie Parts Manufacturing Company. Of course, at the time, the company did manufacture anything. Conne started an automotive parts business due to new vehicle sales being stagnant in the 1930s. Eventually, the company began to get into power take-offs (PTOs) and mechanical winches. During this time, Conne hired Hamer Shafer, the first and only employee. Shafer would later play a very important role in how Muncie Power Products became the company it is today.

 

• Growth and Changes
• In 1966, Shafer officially became the president of Muncie Parts Manufacturing Company. Later, in 1979, he renamed the company to Muncie Power Products, Inc. and introduces our iconic PowerBurst logo that you know today.

 

• Becoming a Manufacturer
• Shafer saw the potential of the PTO market and invested more in it. In 1982, Muncie Power began to sell manufactured PTOs in a joint partnership with Sperry-Vickers in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1986, Muncie Power purchased Sperry-Vickers, to become a manufacturer of PTOs in their own right.

 

• Joining Interpump Group
• In 1999, Muncie Power joined the Interpump Group. Interpump Group is a multinational leader in water jetting and hydraulics components based in Italy. There are more than 100 companies in the Interpump Group umbrella. Learn more about Interpump Group

 

• Partnership with Interpump Hydraulics
• Interpump Hydraulics is the combination of multiple well-known manufacturers with decades of experience in the work truck industry working together. Through this partnership, Muncie Power is able to expand its PTO and hydraulics offerings with the addition of products such as rear- and engine-mount PTOs, piston pumps, and tipper valves to North America while maintaining the high level of quality you trust.

 

• Introduction of Snow & Ice Product Line
• Muncie Power continues to invest in ways to provide better solutions for our customers. One example of that is our Technology Solutions Group who designs our innovative Snow & Ice Control Solutions. This group was formed in 2014 and have created numerous products, such as the Muncie Start®, SPD-2000, the Omni-System line of snow and ice control solutions, and more.

 

• Partnership with Interpump Fluid Solutions
• Muncie Power is the only provider of Interpump Fluid Solutions in North America. Located in Europe, Interpump Fluid Solutions has more than 30 years of manufacturing experience and is made up of multiple manufacturers who form one of the leading providers of hose, fittings, machines, and accessories across the world. Through this partnership, Muncie Power can offer a complete line of high-quality fluid conveyance products to North America.

 

• Expanding to the Yorktown Facility
• In Indiana, we moved our assembly, distribution, fluid conveyance production line, and more to a facility in Yorktown. This facility has enhanced our ability to serve our customers better by increasing our capacity.

 

• Building the Mohawk Facility
• In Tulsa, Oklahoma, we broke ground in 2020 to build a new state-of-the-art facility to expand our manufacturing, assembly, and distribution capabilities. This new facility helps us provide quality products for our customers.