Our History

1919 – The Mechanical Rubber Company is Founded

• It all started with T. Kirk Hill who made the first pair of rubber heels for himself as a matter of necessity. He started the Mechanical Rubber Company and hired two high school boys to manufacture rubber heels using two old, hand-operated presses and sold them for 25 cents.

1920s – Kirkhill Takes Shape

• The Mechanical Rubber Company changed its name to Kirkhill Rubber Company and started selling plumbing supplies.

1930s – Great Depression and Business Expansion

• With the Great Depression came great demand for repair and replacement parts. The existing product lines expanded into custom lines and specialty items.
• Kirkhill entered the aircraft business with the largest aircraft manufacturer at the time, Douglas Aircraft.

1940s – The Second World War and a Second Kirkhill

• During WWII there was a drastic curtailment of the supply of natural rubber. Fortunately, Kirkhill had a synthetic rubber program in place and synthetics surpassed natural rubber in many applications.
• Manufacturers turned to Kirkhill for engineering services and production of rubber parts for military aircraft.
• Kirkhill separated into Kirkhill, Inc. for its proprietary lines and Kirkhill Rubber Co. for its manufacturing custom products.

1950s – New Location and Independent Corporations

• Kirkhill Rubber Company, in the new Brea location, took over the custom manufacturing goods and Kirkhill Inc., at the Downey location, became the leading producer of plumbing supplies and other proprietary products.
• Kirkhill pioneered many synthetic rubber applications and after the war, venturing into the non-aviation commercial field while also gaining a widespread product line in the aircraft industry with commitments from Lockheed, Consolidated, Republic, and Boeing.

1960s – The Business Thrives

• Kirkhill continued the Brea and Downey plant expansions and increased production capacity.

1970s – Kirkhill Enters the Space Age

• Kirkhill purchased LA Standard Rubber Co. and created Kapco (Kirkhill Aircraft Parts Co.)
• Kirkhill manufactured many components for the Apollo program including the door hatch seal on the spaceship “Eagle” which took astronauts to the moon.
• Kirkhill manufactured the ablative liners for the Titan and Polaris Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) and Aerojet missiles.

1980s – Transfer to Employee Ownership

• The Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) was formed to transfer majority ownership of the company to its employees after the death of T. Kirk Hill.

1990s – Continued Growth Leads to New Ownership

• Esterline Technologies purchased 100% of employee-owned shares and Kirkhill became a public company after a decade of employee ownership.

1996 – Kirkhill Manufacturing Company is Founded

• Edward Reker and Derek Kozacko, both employees of Kirkhill, Inc., purchased the manufacturing assets of Kirkhill, Inc. and founded the Kirkhill Manufacturing Company (KMC).

2000s – New Millennium and New Developments

• KMC’s manufacturing capacity was greatly increased under the new owners, with four Banbury Mixers installed in 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2009.
• In 2007, KMC added a new location with the purchase of the Oliver Rubber Company in Athens, Georgia from Cooper Tire.

2010s – Further Growth and Company Sale

• The Downey, California building was expanded over the course of 2014 through 2015, and a fifth Banbury Mixer was installed.
• The Silicone Mixing Division was started in 2016, further expanding KMC’s product capabilities and elastomer expertise.
• The K5 Mixer was installed in 2018, bringing the performance of intermesh rotors to the KMC toolset.
• In 2018, KMC added a third manufacturing site with the purchase of Bridgestone’s Bandag facility in Long Beach, California.
• Kirkhill Manufacturing Company sold the custom mix business to Hexpol Compounding in 2018 while retaining the molded parts business. 

2020s – The Tradition Continues Under a New Name

• KMC Rubber was created in 2021, reintegrating molding with custom mixing, to continue in the tradition of providing customers with the highest service as well as innovative solutions.
• Later in 2021, KMC Rubber purchased Y&D Rubber company, a custom mixing roller and calendering specialist, adding calendering to its many capabilities.