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Ralph Christian, and Italian immigrant with little formal education, goes to work in Chicago as a plater, sprayer and metal worker for F.H. Hill Co., a major casket manufacturer. |
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 Ralph,
two brother and five other employees of F.H. Hill start their own casket
hardware company, which they call Merit. A few years later, Ralph and
one of his brothers buy Merit from the other owners. |
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 With
Ralph as president and CEO, Merit becomes one of the largest casket
hardware manufacturers in the country and, later, one the largest
manufacturers of steel, copper and bronze caskets prior to World War
II. During this time, Ralph establishes himself as an innovator. He
creates many new, highly unique designs, finishes and colors for caskets
and casket hardware. His most notable casket designs are the Italian
Renaissance and the solid German Silver. Ralph also buys the first
Verson mechanical press ever manufactured and is the first in the
industry to use it making casket top panels. |
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 Because
of the strict rationing of meterials during World War II, no metal caskets
can be manufactured in the U.S. Ralph starts up Merit Ordinace Co. and
makes artillery shells for the military. Merit Ordinance Co. is awarded
the Certificate of Excellence from the Department of Defense. |
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After the war, Ralph and his son, Frank, start another hardware company called Modern Metallics, Inc. |
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Frank, with help from his father, Ralph, buys out the Crawfordsville Casket Co. in Crawfordsville, Indiana, and produces a full line of metal and hardwood caskets. |
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 The
AMPCOR identity is born: Crawfordsville Casket Co. ceases to exist.
American Metal Products Corporation (AMPCOR) opens in its place. |
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 AMPCOR's business flourishes; the company sees steady growth. By the end of the decade, it's clear that AMPCOR will soon outgrow its present facilities, a pre-Civil War building located in a residential neighborhood |
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Seeking to expand and modernize its operations, AMPCOR moves to LaPorte, Indiana. Its new facility is a single-story building of 24,000 square feet. |
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AMPCOR introduces what has become one of its biggest selling stationary hardware items: a trademarked reproduction of Michelangelo's famous Pieta. The company also expands its roll-forming and lockseam tubing capabilities. |
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AMPCOR starts up its first pressroom with the acquisition of a 300-ton Verson hydraulic press and a 150-ton Verson mechanical press with a tool-and-die shop to complement these new presses. |
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David Christian joins AMPCOR to become the third generation of Christians to service the casket industry. |
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A second 300-ton Verson hydraulic press and a second 150-ton Verson mechanical press are added to the pressroom. |
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A fire destroys the plant, but over the next year, it is rebuilt and expanded. |
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AMPCOR continues to grow, adding plastic injection molding, vacuum metalizing and hot stamping to its production capabilities. |
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AMPCOR adds two new Komatsu presses to its pressroom, bringing the total number of presses up to 12. |
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Frank and his wife, Ann, sell AMPCOR to the Sudbury Holding Co. of Cleveland. Under Sudbury's ownership, David Christian becomes president of AMPCOR and Frank Christian stays on as a consultant. |
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AMPCOR breaks gound on a new electroplating and in-house waste treatment plant, which effectively triples the company's plating capabilites. |
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David Christian acquires AMPCOR's assets and renames the company AMPCOR II when Sudbury goes bankrupt as a result of the 1987 stock market crash. |
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To further facilitate production, the company adds an automated paint line. |
AMPCOR II is the largest independent manufacturer of quality hardware
for the casket industry and serves customers worldwide. Its headquaters
are still in LaPorte, but the facility has grown to approximately 100,000
square feet, including an in-house design department and a tool-and-die
shop. A staff of 130 dedicated people continues to build on AMPCOR's reputation
for superior craftsmanship and customer satisfaction.
From the late 1800s to today... from zinc casting to plastic injection-molding... from electro-plating to vacuum-plating... from steel stamping to spray finishing, you can count on AMPCOR II to continue leading the way in the casket hardware industry.
