07/24/2024
Du-Co Ceramics began 75 years ago on February 2, 1949. Igniting a kiln they had built in a re-purposed Stuebgen slaughterhouse on East Main Street (the Stuebgen family that made the popular ’Saxonburg Bologna’), John J. Duke, President, and Reldon W. Cooper, Vice President and General Manager, started the company that continues today. The Du-Co website states: “… [they] started the pursuit of their vision to grow their new business based on personal commitment to integrity, reliability, quality and superior customer service. The company, currently owned and operated by the Cooper family, attributes the company’s continued success to adherence to these same time-honored principles. Continuous improvement and facility investment programs form the basis upon which dedicated Du-Co personnel, comprised of experienced and skilled ceramists, aspire to continue the legacy of providing superior customer service … .” Du-Co Ceramics is known worldwide for making precision ceramic components important in electronics and other industries including household appliances and industrial heating applications. In the 1970’s Du-Co Ceramics Company added the office building, tunnel and tool & die shop to the manufacturing facility. Du-Co Ceramics continued its expansion in 2001 by adding additional space, again increasing the manufacturing area’s square footage. (Credit: Du-Co Ceramics Company, Saxonburg Museum video display, Ralph Goldinger ‘Historic Saxonburg and Its Neighbors’)