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Our History
Refusing To QuiT
Ken Wagner, founder of Wagner Industries, in Ashland, and started to acquire the equip-
embodies the entrepreneurial spirit and ment needed to get back into production.
tenacity of the Schuylkill County business He continued to operate from the Ashland
community. Simply put, he refuses to accept location until the new, state-of-the-art and
defeat. expanded facility was built at the location of
the previous plant. Early in 2003, a little over
On Tuesday evening, June 26, 2001 he a year after the fire left this company in ashes,
watched the fruit of three decades of effort Wagner Industries returned to its Frackville
go up in smoke. A fire destroyed the Wagner location. It was bigger, better, nicer and
Industries plant in Frackville Industrial Park. poised to continue its strategy of innovation.
The building and contents literally disap-
peared. To that end, the company spawned a line
of products that have been the toast of the
The company concentrates on making nASCAr industry. In addition, the Soft Jaws,
replacement parts for machines that manu- vice jaw protector, has been changing the
facture corrugated cartons and packaging gun smithing, motorcycle repair and other
materials. industries where a vice is used on delicate
parts.
At the turn of the new century, the Wag-
ner plant was producing its distinctive red Today Ken and Dee are proud that Wagner
urethane rollers, feed wheels, scores, crushers Industries is a second generation company.
and other replacement parts for box makers Tina is the General Manager of the firm and a
throughout the united States and across the knowledgeable voice familiar to most cus-
globe. Wagner parts were in prominent use in tomers. Steve is Vice President and produc-
Australia, Japan, Europe and South America. tion manager in charge of engineering.
Ken developed and acquired a patent for a This nimble company developed the spring
box-making machine part that he named the steel corrugator brushes with a polyurethane
TM
TM
Key-Lok anvil cover. Key-Lok saved time spine that has been replacing old carbon fi-
in replacing worn anvil covers. It took the in- ber brushes. Less expensive and much longer
dustry by storm. A plant expansion in the late lasting, this product is another example of
1990s to keep up with demand, created more innovation in the evolving history
jobs for machinists, tool makers and other of Wagner Industries.
skilled workers.
Fast forward to 2002: the June fire wiped out
the plant, machinery, supplies and inventory.
Yet in a matter of weeks Ken had a building
2 Starter Drive • Industrial Park, Frackville, PA 17931 • 570-874-4400 • Fax 570-874-0592
