In 1877, after a number of failures, Mr. Tucker’s hydraulic press worked.  Tucker was enthused and in order to develop widespread interest in this new application of hydraulics, he traveled as extensively as horse and buggy would permit carrying a working model of his press with him.  For a demonstration he used a number of pine sticks where were thoroughly soaked in water.  These waterlogged sticks were then placed in the press which would crush them and squeeze them dry.

The combination of Mr. Tucker’s personal enthusiasm and dramatic demonstration of this fine working model of the hydraulic cider press was so successful wherever it was shown, that within that same year Mr. Tucker organized the Hydraulic Press Manufacturing Co. to begin building presses to sell.

The new company became established quickly and from 1877 through the early 1900’s presses built by HPM were designed to meet the needs of the fruit juice industry.  Through “work of mouth” and alteration by users, these presses soon found their way into other industries with similar requirements such as tankage presses in meat packing plants, curb presses in grease rendering plants, and laminating presses in veneer factories.

By the early 1920’s, the application of HPM hydraulic presses had been expanded into a wide variety of fields:  in railroad shops as wheel and bushing presses; in rayon mills as steeping presses; as machines for the production o block salt, and in the manufacturing of abrasive wheels.

Although the hydraulic press of the twenties had many improvements over the original press, hydraulic presses were still slow and ponderous.  They just weren’t adaptable in industries where speed or mass production was essential.  HPM set about finding  a solution for this problem.  A highly specialized hydraulic pump was developed by HPM engineers that increased the speed of HPM’s press operation.

In 1926, HPM offered to industry the first high speed hydraulic press line of machines.  This revolutionary press combined the long recognized power advantages of the hydraulic press with the speed to meet the volume production requirements in many industries.  This revolutionary hydraulic press opened the door to HPM for all types of pressure processing applications.

Continued growth of the company required extensive expansion of the plants and in 1940, Plant 2 was completed, more than doubling the manufacturing facilities.  During World War II and the Korean War, the great percentage of HPM’s production consisted of press equipment for defense.  May presses were built for the manufacture of ammunition, tanks and other ordinance products.  Giant presses with capacities up to 10,000 tons were made for use in the aircraft industry.

Today, the largest segment of HPM’s business is plastic injection molding machinery.  HPM has the distinction of building the first American made plastic injection molding machine in the early 1930’s.  Ever since plastic materials were considered a feasible commercial material, HPM has designed and built quality presses for the plastics industry.

In 1956, the company was merged with the Koehring Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  In 1959, the Koehring Company purchased the Cast-Master die casting machine and placed this product at HPM.  Die casting machines are used with dies to cast molten aluminum and zinc into component parts.  The addition of this line of equipment aided in diversifying the company’s operations and markets.

Continued growth of the company required additional plant expansions in 1965 and again in 1969.  These expansions provided more floor space for the assembly department and a 69,000 volt electrical substation to power new machinery.

In 1971, the Prodex Division was moved from New Jersey to Mt. Gilead.  The Prodex line of plastic extruders and mixers, and the plastic sheet line and sheet line dies further expanded HPM in the plastic machinery field.  Also, another building expansion was made providing a new research and development laboratory and additional storage facilities.

In 1975, the Koehring Company decided to divest itself of all of its plants and products in the plastic industry.  Through the efforts of the HPM Division President and a group of other division employees, arrangements were made for HPM employees and local investors to purchase HPM from the Koehring Company.  This purchase became a reality effective June 1, 1976 and the HPM Division became the HPM Corporation.  Thus almost one hundred years after being founded as the Hydraulic Press Manufacturing Company by local investors, the company returned to local control with its purchase by HPM employees and local investors.

In 1996,Stadco out of Los Angles, California purchased HPM Corporation.  HPM-Stadco was formed from the unification of HPM Corporation and STADCO, Inc.  HPM, a manufacturer of world-class machinery and STADCO, which serves the design and manufacturing needs of industries including aerospace, high-tech research, specially designed industrial machinery and tooling merged.  Together, they have produced a dynamic organization that reinforces each company’s capabilities.

In 2001 Taylor’s Industrial Services purchased the assets of HPM Corporation and bean a new era. In what seems like a blink of an eye in HPM’s rich 126-year history, Taylor’s Industrial Services has successfully transformed the new division from a company that many were counting out in July 2001, to one that is quickly regaining its place among the leaders in plastics and metalworking OEMs.

When Taylor’s Industrial Services purchased HPM in July 2001, President and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Filos started with eight employees for servicing the maintenance and parts needs of current customers. From there, the company has steadily grown to more than 160 full-time employees with full lines of injection molding, extrusion and die casting machines.

“At HPM Division, we’ve created a service mentality in a manufacturing environment,” Filos explained. “My brother, Joe (Filos, vice president of Taylor’s Industrial Services) and I have taken those after-hours calls and have driven parts to customers. From the new hire on the floor to my office, every member of Taylor’s HPM has one purpose: To be everything our customers need us to be.

 “It’s what sets us apart from our competitors,” Filos added. “Taylor’s HPM is focused on servicing our customers, whether it’s being at a customer’s plant within 24 hours of a call; developing new products like the Freedom Rotator to improve customers’ productivity; or working with a company like Siemens to ensure our customers have the most innovative technology available.”
Filos said that a company’s reputation is based as much on service and how employees interact with customers as much as it is on the products produced.

“Our machines are rugged. They are heavier and sturdier than you’ll get from other machine manufacturers. An operator can tell our machines are top-quality simply from a demonstration or mold trial,” Filos explained. “But, the true perception of a company comes from the service side . . . the personal contact during the sale, responding to engineering questions, and being reachable after hours. The fact that the same person who tests and qualifies the machine on our flooris the same person who installs it at the customer’s plant is proof of our commitment to customers.

“That’s where Taylor’s HPM is different, and why we’ve been able to grow in such a short amount of time. Companies in automotive, appliance, packaging and other industries have seen that we are true to our core values. We do what we say we’re going to do. Our customers can depend on us, today, tomorrow and in the future.”