California Gasket, Alliance Hose treble manufacturing space

By Mike McNulty, Rubber & Plastics News Staff, A Crain Publication

Orange, California - California Gasket and Rubber Corp. and Alliance Hose & Extrusions Inc. have almost trebled the size of their manufacturing operations after years of working in cramped quarters.

The two companies recently moved from a 1500-m2 factory, with a 375-m2 warehouse, in Gardena, California, to a 5000-m2 plant in Orange partially “because business has been good and exports in our hose division are up,” and partially “because we were on top of each other, had no room to move and we didn't own the building,” president Scott Franklin said.

“We've been adding new customers across the board,” he said. “A lot of customers are consolidating their supplier bases and want suppliers that can fill all their needs, and we've been picking up customers because they're not satisfied with their present suppliers.”

California Gasket and wholly owned subsidiary Alliance Hose, with a combined work force of about 35, plan to add personnel to help handle the increased work load, according to Franklin. The number of new employees hasn't been determined, and the companies didn't give financial details relating to the move.

A plastic moulding machine has been added at the new plant because a large customer wanted a one-stop manufacturer to supply products, which require both rubber and plastic moulding. “We're also upgrading other machinery, and we are looking at other new equipment for the future,” Franklin said.

A custom maker of industrial sealing devices, California Gasket manufactures gaskets, washers, shims, O-rings and precision moulded rubber goods. Alliance Hose primarily makes braided silicone heater hose, vacuum hose, custom-extruded silicone profiles as well as mandrel belts and wrapped silicone-reinforced hose.

California Gasket has a computerised rubber-testing laboratory that ensures all materials meet or exceed specifications. It also performs a wide variety of manufacturing services, including custom formulating and compounding of rubber. It can modify the characteristics of rubber in a variety of ways, the firm said, and has created thousands of formulas for numerous applications.