Kent Elastomer Products

What Kent Elastomer Products does

Kent Elastomer Products, Inc. (KEP) is a privately held US contract manufacturer of elastomer tubing and dip-molded components, operating as a subsidiary of Meridian Industries, Inc. from three Ohio facilities in Kent, Mogadore, and Winesburg. Founded in 1960 as Kent Latex Products, the company is the only remaining US manufacturer of dipped natural rubber latex tubing and produces thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), PVC, latex, thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and surgical tubing alongside proprietary compounds (K-100, K-600, K-912, K-911, K-3000, K440 synthetic polyisoprene), Free-Band non-latex tourniquets, and value-added assembly services.

KEP's underlying technology centers on extrusion for tubing products and a five-step dip-molding process (coagulant dipping, rubber dipping, leach dipping, vulcanization/cure, and finishing) for hollow dip-molded parts, with capabilities expanded in 2018-2019 to include Class 1000 cleanroom extrusion, co-extrusion, in-line lot/raw-material traceability printing, and cleanroom assembly. Quality and regulatory infrastructure (ISO 13485:2016 across all sites, FDA registration, SQF Code Edition 7.1 Level 1 'Superior Performance,' IMS listing, HACCP participation, Lean/Six Sigma practices since 2006) underpins qualification into medical, dental, food and beverage, laboratory, biopharmaceutical, sports/leisure, and industrial end-markets.

KEP runs a B2B enterprise go-to-market with no published pricing; revenue is generated from quote-based, custom-manufactured orders for OEM customers, plus value-added assembly, custom labeling, packaging, and Kanban just-in-time inventory programs (over 1 million feet of tubing available for same-day shipment). Customer concentration sits in named enterprise accounts such as Medtronic (25+ year relationship for thoracic-drainage and surgical tubing), an unnamed multi-billion-dollar medical-device company (100,000 K440 polyisoprene diaphragms per month), and an orthodontic OEM, with additional reach across global medical, dental, food/beverage, and industrial channels via direct sales (800-331-4762), trade shows (MD&M West), white papers, and a content/blog presence.

Name

Kent Elastomer Products

Legal name

Kent Elastomer Products, Inc.

Website

https://kentelastomer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Kent Elastomer Products is a privately held US contract manufacturer of elastomer tubing (TPE, PVC, latex, TPU) and dip-molded components for medical, dental, food/beverage, laboratory, biopharmaceutical, and industrial OEMs, operating from three Ohio facilities as a subsidiary of Meridian Industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Elastomer Tubing and Dip-Molded Products

NAICS

Other Rubber Product Manufacturing (32629), All Other Rubber Product Manufacturing (326299), Plastics Product Manufacturing (3261)

SIC

Fabricated Rubber Products, Nec (3060), Miscellaneous Plastics Products (3080)

akta.pro primary industry

Molded & Extruded Industrial Rubber Parts (Custom Components) (IMANALAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial Hoses & Tubing (Rubber/Elastomer) (IMANALAA)

Keywords

• Elastomer tubing manufacturing
• Dip molding services
• Medical device tubing
• Latex rubber products
• Custom elastomer compounding

Headquarters

HQ city

Kent

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Tubing Products: Manufacture and sale of elastomer tubing products including thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), PVC, latex, and surgical tubing. Products are sold directly to customers with custom sizing, compounds, and colors to customer specifications.
2. Dip Molded Products: Custom dip molding services for medical devices, device covers, and specialty products. Includes prototyping through full production with assembly and packaging services.
3. Free-Band Tourniquets: Proprietary non-latex tourniquet products sold as finished goods to medical and healthcare customers.
4. Assembly Services: Value-added assembly services including product assembly, custom labeling, packaging, and Kanban inventory management for customers wanting consolidated supply chain.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kent Elastomer Products manufactures custom thermoplastic elastomer, PVC, latex, and surgical tubing along with dip-molded parts using extrusion and dip molding processes. The company offers proprietary material compounds (natural rubber latex, neoprene, synthetic polyisoprene, Santoprene TPV, TPU) and value-added services including assembly, custom labeling, packaging, and Kanban inventory management for medical, dental, food & beverage, and industrial customers.

Product overview

Kent Elastomer Products (KEP) is a manufacturer of elastomer tubing and dip-molded products organized around two core manufacturing processes: extrusion (producing Thermoplastic Elastomer Tubing, PVC Tubing, and TPU Tubing) and dip molding (producing Latex Tubing, Surgical Tubing, Dip-Molded Parts, and Free-Band® Tourniquets). These are supported by material compound offerings including Natural Rubber Latex, Neoprene, Synthetic Polyisoprene, Santoprene™ TPV, and TPE compounds. Value-added services include Assembly Services, Spooled Tubing, custom labeling, packaging, and Kanban inventory management. The company emphasizes American-made manufacturing with three Ohio facilities and positions itself as the only remaining manufacturer of dipped natural rubber latex tubing in the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPE) Tubing Flexible tubing made from thermoplastic elastomer compounds serving as an alternative for many latex and silicone tubing applications; available in FDA, NSF, and USP Class VI material compounds.
• Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Tubing Tubing produced to exact specifications for stability-driven applications; PVC compounds are resistant, non-toxic, and available in medical-grade options.
• Latex Tubing Natural rubber latex tubing from the only manufacturer in the United States, trusted for 60+ years; available in K-100 (versatile eco-friendly), K-600 (X-ray absorbing), and K-912 (neoprene-coated for weather resistance) compounds.
• Surgical Tubing Medical and surgical tubing meeting FDA requirements, manufactured in a Lean-certified facility, for medical device OEMs and surgical applications.
• Dip-Molded Parts Custom dip-molded parts and prototypes using natural rubber latex, neoprene, and synthetic polyisoprene compounds; shortens product-development cycles and minimizes start-up costs.
• Free-Band Tourniquets Proprietary blend of materials chosen to closely resemble latex while remaining non-latex, providing a latex-free alternative for latex-sensitive users in medical and healthcare settings.
• Spooled Tubing Tubing adapted to spooled format for efficiency and convenience in storage and dispensing.
• Assembly Services Value-added assembly services including design, assembly, packaging, and inventory management performed at KEP's Winesburg, Ohio operations.
• Blood Pressure Cuff Tubing Latex-free PVC tubing for medical blood pressure cuffs, manufactured in an FDA-registered facility with seven configurations including Luer-Lok thread connections.
• Radiation Attenuation Gloves Dip-molded gloves made from K-140 compound (natural rubber latex with tungsten) providing protection from X-ray beam and scattered radiation during medical procedures.
• Resistance Tubing Resistance tubing and accessories for resistance training and rehabilitation, made from natural rubber latex with elastic memory, thermal resistance, and UV resistance.
• K911 Natural Rubber Tubing Natural rubber tubing with an encapsulated neoprene protective coating for high resistance to oils, ozone, and UV light, designed for sporting and outdoor applications.
• Synthetic Polyisoprene Dip-Molded Diaphragm Custom non-latex medical device component using K440 synthetic polyisoprene compound meeting strict biocompatibility standards; example production of 100,000 parts per month within 60 days for customer qualification.
• Dip Molded Prototypes Rapid prototype dip-molded parts to shorten customer product-development cycles and minimize start-up costs.
• Ultrasound Probe Covers Dip-molded ultrasound probe covers produced for medical imaging applications.
• Biopharmaceutical Tubing TPE biopharmaceutical tubing for fluid transfer, drug discovery, and sterile processing in biopharmaceutical and life sciences applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25-year partnership with Medtronic, a major medical device company
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Meridian Industries, Inc.parent companyOthersMeridian Industries, Inc. is the parent company of Kent Elastomer Products (KEP). KEP operates as a subsidiary, with headquarters and operations in Kent, Ohio.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tekni-Plex: Producer of medical-grade tubing, dip-molded products, and polymer compounds for medical devices and pharmaceutical applications. Closely overlaps with KEP's medical dip molding and tubing product lines.
• Raumedic: Specializes in polymer tubing and molded components for medical technology and pharmaceutical processing. Directly comparable in custom medical extrusion and molded elastomer parts.
• NewAge Industries (AdvantaPure): Manufacturer of flexible tubing and fluid transfer solutions for pharmaceutical, medical, food, and laboratory applications. Highly comparable as a US-based producer of TPE, silicone, and other elastomer tubing serving the same regulated end markets as KEP.
• Spectrum Plastics Group: Custom extruder and converter of polymer tubing for medical, food, and industrial applications. Comparable in custom elastomer extrusion and value-added converting/assembly services.
• Saint-Gobain Life Sciences: Manufacturer of high-purity tubing and fluid handling products for biopharmaceutical, medical, and laboratory markets. Comparable in regulated elastomer/TPE tubing, especially for biopharma applications.
• Trelleborg Healthcare & Medical: Global engineered polymer specialist producing tubing, seals, and dip-molded components for medical device OEMs. Directly comparable in dip-molded elastomer parts and medical-grade tubing.

Broad incumbents

• Freudenberg Medical: Global manufacturer of elastomer and silicone components, tubing, and dip-molded products for medical and pharmaceutical customers. Comparable in medical dip molding but at significantly larger scale.
• Parker Hannifin (Hose Products Division): Diversified motion and control technologies giant with industrial hose, tubing, and elastomer products. Overlaps with KEP in industrial hose/tubing but operates at vastly broader scale across many end markets.
• Teleflex Medical OEM: Manufactures medical tubing, catheters, and device components for OEM customers. Comparable in medical tubing and dip molding but operates as a much larger, publicly traded OEM supplier.

Emerging players

• Qosina: Distributor and assembler of medical device components including tubing and fluid handling parts. Tangentially comparable as a downstream channel that also serves medical device OEMs needing tubing components.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kent-elastomer-products

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kent Elastomer Products