Draft:Madison Kipp Corporation
Die-casting company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Madison-Kipp Corporation (MKC) is an American manufacturer of lightweight, high-pressure aluminum die castings, precision machined components, and system subassemblies.[1] Founded in 1898 and headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, the company is one of the longest continuously operating industrial manufacturers in the state.[2] It serves customers in the transportation, industrial, lawn and garden, and recreational product markets.[1]
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Comment: Fix the 'access-date' in the citations. The full date must be included, not just the year. Minnastronomer (talk) 22:23, 17 April 2026 (UTC)
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aluminum die casting; Industrial manufacturing |
| Founded | 1898 |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Brian Sampson (CEO) |
| Products | Aluminum die castings, precision machined components, system subassemblies |
Number of employees | ~254 (est.) |
| Website | madison-kipp |
History
Founding and early years (1898–1913)
Madison-Kipp traces its origins to 1898, when O.G. Kipp and a partner named Mason established the Kipp Lubricator Company in Rochelle, Illinois — also referred to as Mason & Kipp.[3] The company's primary invention was a device providing automatic lubrication for steam cylinders in farm tractors and power units.[3] In 1902, this company merged with a Madison-based lubricator firm and relocated to a 6,000-square-foot plant on Waubesa Street in Madison, Wisconsin, where production of mechanical devices to lubricate large engines began in earnest.[2][3]
Coleman family era and early growth (1914–1930s)
Thomas A. Coleman, a company employee, became President in 1908.[4] In 1914, Coleman and his family assumed ownership of the company, renaming it Madison-Kipp Corporation in 1919.[4] Under T.A. Coleman's leadership, the company became the world's largest manufacturer of machine lubricators, commanding approximately 60 percent of the U.S. market.[4] By 1917, two-thirds of all steam and gasoline farm tractors manufactured in the United States were equipped with Kipp parts.[4]
During World War I, Madison-Kipp contributed to the Allied war effort by producing parts for battlefield tractors.[4] Employees purchased war bonds at among the highest rates of any organization in Wisconsin, and dozens of workers left the company for military service.[4]
The company began producing zinc and aluminum die castings during the 1920s, broadening its product base significantly.[2] During the Great Depression, Madison-Kipp continued to innovate: in 1930, the company unveiled the first high-speed pneumatic air grinder.[4] Beginning in 1932, it forged a partnership with Ford Motor Company to supply carburetor castings for Ford's new eight-cylinder automobiles.[4] By 1936, several processes and machines originally developed by Madison-Kipp were featured in a landmark book on die casting standards published by The Industrial Press.[4]
World War II and postwar period (1940s–1960s)
Madison-Kipp made significant contributions to the U.S. war effort during World War II, earning recognition as a top producer of mortar fin castings.[4] In March 1944, the company received the Army-Navy "E" Award, given to the top five percent of companies involved in wartime production.[4] The company's workforce reached a historic peak of approximately 1,500 workers during the 1940s, with women playing a vital role on the factory floor while many male employees served overseas.[5] Madison-Kipp also made notable efforts to offer employment to individuals with hearing impairments during this era.[5]
By 1953, the company had expanded its product range to include parts for tape recorders, washing machines, and space heaters, and employed approximately 500 workers.[5] During the Korean War, MKC continued military production, supplying tail fins for 81 mm trench mortar bombs.[5] In 1967, the company reincorporated from Wisconsin to Delaware.[5]
Modern expansion (1979–present)
By 1979, years of sustained growth had placed Madison-Kipp among the top two percent of U.S. die-casting firms by size.[3] In 1980, the company acquired United Systems, Inc., a manufacturer of electronic testing and measuring equipment.[3] In March 1987, the Kippcast division dedicated a new precision machining facility on Madison's east side, converting a former city bus barn at a cost of approximately $1 million.[3] By this time the company employed about 750 workers in total — 600 at Kippcast and 150 in the products division.[3]
In 1988, Madison-Kipp acquired Houston-based Mega Industries, which produced approximately 50 percent of the high-pressure, force-feed lubricators used by the petrochemical industry.[3] The following year, the KLS International lubrication systems division — which had annual revenues of $10 million and employed 110 workers — was sold to IDEX Corporation of Northbrook, Illinois, allowing MKC to focus exclusively on its die-casting business.[3]
By 1991, the company employed around 500 workers and recorded roughly $50 million in annual sales, with approximately 60 percent of output supplied to General Motors and its suppliers.[3] Sales reached approximately $75 million by 2002, with notable customers including Harley-Davidson, for whom Madison-Kipp produced 100,000 inner primary components annually.[3]
In 2006, the company announced expansion into Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, investing $3.5 million to develop a 90,000-square-foot facility at 1655 Corporate Center Drive.[4] In 2016, the company received American Axle & Manufacturing's Supplier Excellence Award.[4] Madison-Kipp subsequently received investment from Wanxiang America and PineBridge, and opened a fourth facility in Richmond, Indiana in 2021.[4]
Products and operations
Madison-Kipp specializes in the production of lightweight, high-pressure aluminum die castings, precision machined components, and system subassemblies.[1] The company's lean production systems are highly automated with robotic technology and integrated operations, and MKC manages the supply chain from raw metal blending through to final product assembly, positioning itself as a single-source, integrated solution provider.[1] Key markets served include transportation (automotive), industrial equipment, lawn and garden products, and recreational products.[1]
The company holds ISO/IATF 16949:2016 and ISO 14001 certifications across all of its facilities.[1] MKC states a goal of zero parts per million (PPM) defects alongside 100% on-time delivery performance.[1]
Facilities
Madison-Kipp operates four manufacturing facilities:[1][6]
| Location | Address | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Madison, Wisconsin (North Plant) | 201 Waubesa Street | Original company site; main headquarters |
| Madison, Wisconsin (South Plant) | 166 S. Fair Oaks Ave | Opened 1987; converted from a former city bus barn |
| Sun Prairie, Wisconsin | 1655 Corporate Center Drive | Opened 2006; expanded by 90,000 sq ft |
| Richmond, Indiana | 1600 Rich Road | Opened 2021 |
Key milestones
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1898 | Kipp Lubricator Co. founded in Rochelle, Illinois[3] |
| 1902 | Merger with Madison lubricator company; relocation to Waubesa Street, Madison, WI[2] |
| 1908 | Thomas A. Coleman becomes President[4] |
| 1914 | Coleman family assumes ownership[4] |
| 1919 | Renamed Madison-Kipp Corporation[4] |
| 1930 | First high-speed pneumatic air grinder unveiled[4] |
| 1932 | Partnership with Ford Motor Company for carburetor castings begins[4] |
| 1944 | Awarded Army-Navy "E" Award for wartime production excellence[4] |
| 1967 | Reincorporated from Wisconsin to Delaware[3] |
| 1979 | Ranked in top 2% of U.S. die-casting firms by size[3] |
| 1988 | Primary funder of Barrymore Performing Arts Center restoration; acquired Mega Industries[4][3] |
| 1989 | KLS International sold to IDEX Corporation[3] |
| 2002 | Annual sales reach approximately $75 million[3] |
| 2006 | Sun Prairie, WI plant opened[4] |
| 2016 | Received American Axle & Manufacturing Supplier Excellence Award[4] |
| 2021 | Richmond, Indiana facility opened[4] |
Community involvement
Madison-Kipp has maintained a record of civic engagement in Madison. In 1988, the company was the primary funding source for the restoration of the Atwood Cinema into the Barrymore Performing Arts Center.[4] The company supports local organizations including the Goodman Community Center (adjacent to one of its Madison factories), the Sid Boyum Art Restoration Project, and engineering programs at UW-Platteville and UW-Madison.[1] MKC also participates in the Feline Iron Pour community event and partners annually with UW-Madison's Industrial Engineering Department on student projects.[1]
Environmental concerns
Madison-Kipp's manufacturing operations on Madison's east side have been the subject of environmental and public health scrutiny for several decades. The company has been described as Madison's oldest continuously operating industrial polluter.[6] Its two Madison factories are closely surrounded by residential homes, low-income apartments, businesses, parks, a bike path, an elementary school, and the Goodman Community Center.[6]
Over the course of its history, MKC used various toxic substances in its manufacturing processes, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as perchloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethylene (TCE), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and dioxins.[6][7] An international hydrogeology expert retained to assess the site described it as "one of the most contaminated sites that I've ever worked with."[7] These substances have been detected in soil, groundwater, and an underground contamination plume extending thousands of feet from the factory site, and vapor intrusion from contaminated soil into surrounding residential properties has also been documented.[6]
In 1991, without prior Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) approval, Madison-Kipp modified one of its aluminum-melting furnaces to add chlorine gas — listed on the EPA Extremely Hazardous Substances list and a precursor to dioxin — to its furnace to remove impurities.[8] In 1995, the company received a Notice of Violation from the WDNR for this and other violations, as well as several Letters of Noncompliance in 1994 and 1995.[8]
In 2012, the WDNR sent a formal demand letter requiring Madison-Kipp to take immediate steps to clean up PCB contamination detected in soil testing at its 201 Waubesa Street facility.[9] The EPA classifies PCBs as a probable human carcinogen, and Congress banned their use in 1979.[9] That same year, the EPA conducted a compliance inspection and found numerous violations at both the Atwood and Fair Oaks facilities, including violations that had been missed by WDNR staff.[10]
In September 2012, the Wisconsin Department of Justice initiated civil action against Madison-Kipp regarding decades of discharges of toxic chemicals including PCBs, PCE, TCE, and others.[11] In 2015, an EPA Notice of Violation was issued to Madison-Kipp for Clean Air Act violations, which community groups noted dated back many years.[12] PCBs were subsequently identified in a city-constructed raingarden built to manage stormwater runoff from the facility, adjacent to a public bike path.[6]
In November 2017, the state settled its pollution lawsuit with Madison-Kipp for $350,000 — most of which covered WDNR, Department of Justice, and court costs — along with a requirement that the company establish financial assurances of up to $1.65 million within five years for future cleanup of soil under the plant.[13] The settlement allowed the company to indefinitely postpone removal of high concentrations of PCBs beneath its Waubesa Street plant.[13]
In the 1990s, the company implemented energy-conserving molten metal delivery systems and incorporated recycling into its production process as part of stated environmental sustainability commitments.[4]