Press-Seal Corporation acquires Jasper Rubber Products

Third-generation rubber family plans to reopen the Jasper plant this summer and restore the operation that customers and the community relied on for decades

The Skinner family, owners of Fort Wayne-based specialty rubber manufacturer Press-Seal Corporation, has acquired the assets of Jasper Rubber Products, Inc., following approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. The family intends to restart operations at the Jasper, Indiana facility this summer and to rehire former Jasper Rubber employees — returning the 77-year-old company to local, hands-on, family ownership and keeping rubber manufacturing, and the jobs that go with it, in Indiana.

The acquisition was completed through the court-supervised sale process in the bankruptcy of Jasper Rubber’s former parent, First Brands Group, LLC. Structured as an asset purchase, the transaction transfers the Jasper operation’s real estate, equipment, inventory, contracts, permits and intellectual property — including the Jasper Rubber brand name and its manufacturing know-how — to Jasper Acquisition Co., LLC, with Press-Seal Corporation serving as guarantor. First Brands ceased day-to-day operations at the Jasper facilities in March 2026, and the business had been slated to wind down entirely before the Skinner family stepped in. Operations will continue under the Jasper Rubber name.

“We’re a family business, and we’re going to return Jasper Rubber to operating as it did when it was a family business,” said Pete Skinner, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Press-Seal Corporation. “I started working in rubber factories when I was 15 years old — I understand this industry from the floor up. Jasper is going back to local, hands-on ownership, and we couldn’t be more excited to get to work.”

“For three generations, our family has owned and operated rubber manufacturing in Indiana — rubber is what we do,” said Jim Skinner, Chairman Emeritus of Press-Seal Corporation. “Jasper Rubber built a 77-year reputation on quality and on its people. That reputation and that skill didn’t go anywhere, and the talent in Jasper is one of the reasons we wanted to be here.”

The new ownership is based just up the road in Fort Wayne.

“The Skinner family is hands-on and present in the facilities we own, and Jasper will be no different,” Pete Skinner said. “We’re a couple of hours away, not a couple of time zones away. Our plan is simple — quality parts, delivered on time, made by people who take pride in the work. We’re not reinventing Jasper; we’re restoring it.”

The Skinner family intends to begin bringing the plant back to life this summer, scaling up as production lines come back online.

“As we bring lines back online, we’ll be hiring people with rubber experience, and Jasper’s previous workforce is the first place we’ll look,” said Daniel Skinner, President of Press-Seal Corporation. “This is a new start, and we’re hopeful that many experienced hands will want to come back and be part of the new team. The people who built this company’s reputation are exactly the people we want building its future.”

The company also signaled its intent to rebuild customer relationships disrupted during the bankruptcy.

“Jasper’s customers built their supply chains around this plant for decades,” said Todd Krapf, Vice President of Sales at Jasper Rubber Products. “Our goal is to be a reliable partner to them again — and to earn back the business that walked out the door during the bankruptcy.”

Jasper Rubber’s manufacturing leadership will help carry the operation into its next chapter.

“We are excited to begin this new chapter and remain committed to providing exceptional service to our customers,” said Bill Melvin, Vice President of Manufacturing at Jasper Rubber Products. “We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with Press-Seal Corporation and look forward to building a strong relationship that enhances our capabilities, supports future growth, and benefits both organizations.”

“We’re excited to keep making rubber in Indiana, with Indiana workers,” Daniel Skinner said. “This is American manufacturing staying right where it belongs.”

Jasper Rubber Products manufactures precision-molded rubber, thermoplastic and elastomer components — including vibration control, structural, sealing and isolation parts — for passenger cars, light trucks, powersports equipment and small engines. Its capabilities include custom compounding, molding, extrusion, and lathe-cut / mandrel-forming, and its products are sold across the United States and exported to Canada, Mexico and other markets.