In the heart of Jasper, Indiana, where the air hangs heavy with the stench of industry, sits Jasper Rubber Products, Inc. – a company that churns out rubber and plastic bits like some forgotten factory from a dystopian novel. On the surface, they’re just another manufacturer peddling gaskets, seals, and thermoplastic crap to keep the wheels of commerce turning. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find a rotten core of corporate bullshit: lawsuits over extortionate demands, safety violations that treat workers like disposable meat, environmental fuck-ups that poison the air, and a workforce ground down by dirt, dust, and disdain. This isn’t some feel-good story about American manufacturing; it’s a closer look at how a mid-sized outfit in the Midwest gets away with screwing over everyone in its path, all while cosying up to bigger polluters like Cummins Inc. And yes, they’re still supplying Cummins with those essential rubber components – gaskets and grommets that keep engines humming – linking two Indiana-based giants in a filthy embrace of environmental negligence.

The Ransom-Style Shakedown: Holding Suppliers Hostage

Picture this: it’s February 2024, and Jasper Rubber drops a bombshell on one of its key clients, Mann+Hummel Filtration Technology US LLC. In a move that reeks of desperation or outright greed, they fire off what the lawsuit calls a “ransom-style letter” demanding a whopping 25% price hike across the board, retroactive to the start of the year. And if Mann+Hummel doesn’t cough up? Jasper threatens to slam the brakes on shipments immediately, effectively holding their supply chain hostage. What the fuck kind of business practice is that? It’s not negotiation; it’s strong-arm tactics straight out of a mob flick.

Mann+Hummel, no pushovers themselves, haul Jasper into court in May 2024, accusing them of breaching contract and using coercive bullshit to squeeze more cash. The case lands in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, where details emerge of how Jasper’s demands could cripple Mann+Hummel’s operations. We’re talking about rubber parts – gaskets, washers, grommets – critical for air filters in vehicles. Disrupt that, and you’re messing with entire industries. The lawsuit paints Jasper as a bully, exploiting their position to force compliance under duress.

By October 2024, the case gets voluntarily dismissed, likely after some backroom deal. But the damage is done: it exposes Jasper’s willingness to play dirty when the dollars don’t add up. This isn’t isolated; back in 2010, Jasper themselves sued Quality First Systems over a contract dispute, demanding a jury trial in Indiana’s Southern District Court. Details are murky, but it screams of a company quick to litigate when it suits them. How many other partners have been burned by these pricks without making headlines?

Workplace Hazards: Playing Russian Roulette with Workers’ Lives

Shift gears to the factory floor, where Jasper Rubber treats safety like an optional extra. In 2019, the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration slaps them with two serious violations after inspecting their Vertical Injection Mold Machines. First off, employees aren’t properly trained to access the mold clamping area safely, leaving them exposed to struck-by hazards that could crush limbs or worse. Second, the machines lack adequate guarding at the point of operation, allowing workers to reach into danger zones like idiots in a horror movie.

Each violation nets a $5,000 penalty – pocket change for a company like this – but the real outrage is the risk to human lives. We’re talking potential death or serious injury from machinery that clamps down with brutal force. Jasper had to fix it by July 2019, implementing training and guards per industry standards, but who knows how many close calls happened before inspectors showed up? This isn’t some minor paperwork glitch; it’s blatant neglect in a place where people sweat for their paycheques.

And let’s not pretend this is ancient history. Employee reviews paint a picture of ongoing hell: departments caked in dust and chemicals, fast-paced drudgery that’s physically punishing, and a work environment where hazards lurk around every corner. One worker calls it “dirty and hazardous,” another gripes about the grind that’s “hard to sustain.” Safety? It’s lip service in a factory that prioritises output over wellbeing.

Polluting the Hoosier Air: A Slap on the Wrist for Repeated Offenses

Now, let’s talk about the air these bastards are fouling. In 2017, Jasper Rubber gets caught red-handed violating Indiana’s air quality rules. Their Grinding Operation EU5 spews particulate matter beyond limits – 0.031 grains per dry standard cubic foot in March, then 0.041 in October. That’s over the 0.03 cap set by their permit, pumping crap into the atmosphere that chokes lungs and dirties the environment.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management hits them with an Agreed Order in 2019: a pitiful $17,768 civil penalty, plus retesting and repairs. They comply, sure, but it’s a band-aid on a gaping wound. No admission of liability, just a waiver of further penalties for those specific fuck-ups. And this in a state where industry already blankets the skies with pollution. Jasper’s operation – molding, extruding, compounding – generates waste that’s regulated for a reason, yet they skate by with minimal consequences.

This environmental apathy isn’t new; it’s baked into their DNA. From permit renewals that barely scratch the surface to ongoing monitoring, Jasper operates in a grey zone where compliance is the bare minimum, and violations are just business costs.

Employee Hell: Dust, Drama, and Dismal Pay

Behind the machinery and mandates are the people – the grunts who keep Jasper Rubber afloat. And from what they say, it’s a shitshow. Aggregated reviews from over 77 on Indeed and 22 on Glassdoor average a dismal 2.9 out of 5. Complaints pile up: dirty departments where dust and chemicals assault your senses, pay that’s insultingly low for the toil, benefits like insurance that barely cover basics, and co-worker drama that turns the floor into a battlefield.

One reviewer warns of “trouble” from interpersonal bullshit, another laments the impossible production rates that leave you exhausted. Sure, some departments are “laid-back” with decent training, but the consensus is clear: this place grinds you down. Inconsistent experiences across shifts highlight a management that’s either clueless or callous. For a company priding itself on “high quality” products, they sure treat their workforce like low-grade rubber – stretch ’em till they snap.

Hand in Hand with Cummins: Indiana’s Polluting Power Couple

Here’s where it gets incestuous. Jasper Rubber, nestled in Jasper, Indiana, has long supplied Cummins Inc. – the engine crooks based just up the road in Columbus. Back in 2014, Cummins hailed Jasper as one of its top U.S. suppliers, recognising their rubber components that keep engines sealed and running. And despite no flashy recent announcements, Jasper’s focus on automotive parts – those same gaskets and grommets – suggests the relationship endures. Why wouldn’t it? Both are Hoosier heavyweights, profiting from the diesel and auto sectors.

But oh, the irony: both have rap sheets for environmental sins. Cummins got nailed in 2024 with a record $1.675 billion penalty – the largest ever under the Clean Air Act – for installing software defeat devices that cheated emissions tests on hundreds of thousands of engines. That’s billions in fines for pumping out excess nitrogen oxides, worsening air quality and public health. Jasper’s own particulate excesses pale in comparison, but together, they embody Indiana’s industrial underbelly: companies hand in hand, polluting the air while raking in profits. It’s a toxic tango, where one supplies the parts that enable the other’s violations, all under the same Midwestern sky. What a pair of hypocritical pricks.

The Rotten Core Exposed

Jasper Rubber Products isn’t some evil empire, but that’s the point – it’s the everyday corporate rot that festers unchecked. From ransom demands and safety lapses to air pollution and worker misery, they’ve built a legacy of cutting corners and cashing in. And their ties to Cummins? Just another layer of grime in Indiana’s manufacturing mire. It’s time to call this shit out: companies like Jasper don’t deserve a pass. They deserve scrutiny, accountability, and a boot up the arse until they clean up their act. Until then, they’re just another stain on the American industrial landscape.

Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project

Supplier Series : Jasper Rubber Products – A Tale of Greed, Neglect, and Environmental Scorn