Rieke History
Theodore H. Rieke founded the company in 1921 with an amazing idea – he wanted to revolutionize the steel drum industry with a completely new type of closure. The challenge was to create a drum closure that could be inserted without brazing, was easily replaced, and would not cause excessive scrap. He developed a flange closure that required no fusion of metals, and once manufacturers were convinced of its drastic improvement over the previous process, Rieke was rewarded with an order for 10,000 flanges.
Two years later, Rieke moved the operation from Chicago, Illinois to Auburn, in his home state of Indiana. Along with his brother, Edmund, Theodore acquired a building, which became the Rieke Metal Products Corporation manufacturing facility from 1923 to 1931. They then moved the operation to its present site on 7th Street in Auburn. During this time, continuous improvements were being made to the flanges used in steel drums. Eventually through innovative thinking and design, they produced the complete unit of a drum closure, including the flange, plug seal and gasket.
The company continued to set the standards in the industry through the 1940s. Rieke was a critical supplier to the war effort, and received the Army-Navy “E” Award for Excellence in 1942. The company supplied the closure known even today as VISEGRIP® to be installed into fuel drums. This can be directly linked to Patton’s victory in the North African desert when his stalled tanks were refueled and were then able to drive Rommel’s army out of Africa.
Rieke developed the first retractable spout for pails, the FLEXSPOUT®, which became the first commercial product made from polyethylene. In the 1950s, Rieke developed the POLYGRIP® plastic crimp-on closure which became the standard for the fiber drum industry. Rieke also led the way in the development of tamper-evident closures including SAFESEAL® and POLY-VISEGRIP®. Through the years, Rieke added more new products including nylon drum closures, screw cap closures, pumps, sprayers, dispensers, closures for steel drums, and more.
The original founder’s spirit of entrepreneurialism is still strong today. Rieke Packaging Systems continues to actively seek and develop new, innovative solutions to customer needs, with the goal of helping them grow their business. The company sets the standards, and then raises them, time and again.
Two years later, Rieke moved the operation from Chicago, Illinois to Auburn, in his home state of Indiana. Along with his brother, Edmund, Theodore acquired a building, which became the Rieke Metal Products Corporation manufacturing facility from 1923 to 1931. They then moved the operation to its present site on 7th Street in Auburn. During this time, continuous improvements were being made to the flanges used in steel drums. Eventually through innovative thinking and design, they produced the complete unit of a drum closure, including the flange, plug seal and gasket.
The company continued to set the standards in the industry through the 1940s. Rieke was a critical supplier to the war effort, and received the Army-Navy “E” Award for Excellence in 1942. The company supplied the closure known even today as VISEGRIP® to be installed into fuel drums. This can be directly linked to Patton’s victory in the North African desert when his stalled tanks were refueled and were then able to drive Rommel’s army out of Africa.
Rieke developed the first retractable spout for pails, the FLEXSPOUT®, which became the first commercial product made from polyethylene. In the 1950s, Rieke developed the POLYGRIP® plastic crimp-on closure which became the standard for the fiber drum industry. Rieke also led the way in the development of tamper-evident closures including SAFESEAL® and POLY-VISEGRIP®. Through the years, Rieke added more new products including nylon drum closures, screw cap closures, pumps, sprayers, dispensers, closures for steel drums, and more.
The original founder’s spirit of entrepreneurialism is still strong today. Rieke Packaging Systems continues to actively seek and develop new, innovative solutions to customer needs, with the goal of helping them grow their business. The company sets the standards, and then raises them, time and again.
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