Q&A with Elkhart Brass on more than a century of firefighting innovation
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Approaching its 125th anniversary in 2027, Elkhart Brass manufactures firefighting and fire protection equipment and is known for designing and producing innovative water delivery systems. The company’s product line includes nozzles, monitors (also known as water cannons), valves, firefighting accessories and integrated electronic controls.
The company will showcase its latest products at the upcoming FDIC International, one of the largest trade shows in Indianapolis, along with 800 other exhibitors. Elkhart Brass will also be represented on an IDEA Week panel featuring other Michiana-are businesses that are over 100 years old.
Inside INdiana Business spoke with Divisional Vice President of Marketing Chris Martin on the legacy and innovation behind Elkhart Brass, technological advancements to supply chain challenges and the evolving role of AI. This article has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Could you talk to me about Elkhart Brass and Safe Fleet?
Elkhart Brass was founded in 1902 and we were family-owned up until 2015 when we were acquired by Safe Fleet private equity group. Last year, Safe Fleet was acquired by Clarience Technologies out of Michigan, but we still remain under the Safe Fleet brand’s Fire, EMS and Industrial group made of four major brands in the fire industry, including Elkhart Brass.
What are some of the biggest factors that have contributed to Elkhart Brass’ long term success?
The fire industry is very unique in that we sell to a lot of different markets, customers and end users, so innovation is always key to longevity. Constantly coming out with new products and products that last and make a difference. If you look back at our 123 year history, there’ve been a lot of industry firsts in the firefighting world that we were the first to bring to market, whether it’s a shut-off or nozzle…to integrating electronics into that where now some of these nozzles are remotely operated. Coming up with innovations like that over the years have definitely contributed to being able to stick around. If you don’t innovate, you’re not going to last for a long time.
Martin speaks about some of the innovation that has come from Elkhart Brass.
What is one of the most innovative products in the past decade?
Integrating a lot of the sophisticated electronics and components into technology that we came up with in the 90s like our nozzles, water cannons and deck guns. Water and electronics typically don’t mix very well, but through the last 10 years we’ve been able to integrate components into our products that make them a lot more reliable and durable.
How involved is Elkhart Brass in helping fight the wildfires that have been cropping up in recent times?
One of our biggest markets is selling to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) of fire apparatus. There’s a huge backlog right now in the fire apparatus industry, and one of the challenges of some of the LA fires as an example, was the inability to have vehicles ready and manned. The importance we have is supporting our OEM partners and dealer partners by making sure that the components we’re providing are reliable and can be delivered in a timely manner to help keep fire trucks on the road.
You mentioned backlogs; how do you see the recent tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada affecting your industry?
It’s definitely going to have an impact, but it’s too early to tell the extent. We just recently implemented a small surcharge to our customers related to tariffs for sourcing aluminum and stainless steel. It still seems to be a moving target. The biggest challenge of the tariffs is making sure your customers understand how they’re being impacted by it but also really monitoring the situation and adjusting. It’s not ideal to constantly be changing your surcharges; that also gets very frustrating to your customers and your end users, but we also need to account for un-forecasted charges that are going to hit our budget too.
A lot of fire departments are budgeting for or buying new fire trucks, but right now it can take anywhere from three to five years to get a fire truck made. There’s a huge backlog.
Is the fire industry very import reliant or exports reliant?
Both, actually. We sell a tremendous amount of products overseas. Saudi Arabia, China and the Middle East are very big markets for us, particularly more oil and gas facility products, not necessarily fire trucks. We manufacture a ton that goes into oil processing in refineries. Our industry, like all industries now, we’re reliant on the global economy.
We’re still manufacturing everything right here in Elkhart. But supply chain is always a factor to consider.
How has firefighter safety evolved over the years?
We could talk about that for another hour, but I would say technology has played a huge part. There’s improvement in fabrics and protection levels for the turnout gear that firefighters wear. There’s been a lot more focus and research on cancer prevention. Firefighters are very prone to cancer based upon exposure to carcinogens while on shift. In addition to understanding how equipment works, the UL Research Institutes has done a tremendous amount of research through helmet cams and thermal imaging in the last 10 years through its Fire Safety Research Institute. They’ve done a tremendous amount of education for firefighters on different firefighting tactics.
What’s the work force of Elkhart Brass and how have you been able to find talent for the work that needs to be done?
We employ around 200 people here and skilled labor is always a challenge. No matter what industry you’re in, whether it’s CNC machinists or an assembler. We have our own foundry on site, so that’s clearly some very skilled labor.
In attracting talent, we really just try to emphasize that the products being manufactured here under our roof are life saving equipment, really important stuff that firefighters are relying on. And that it’s important to produce high quality equipment that works accurately because it could be used in their neighborhood.
How does Elkhart Brass relate with the community?
We have a decent relationship with the community. We’re going to do an IDEA Week panel that we’re really excited about. You can always be better at doing community stuff, and we’re trying to do more community engagement and integration. IDEA Week is a great way to re-energize our brand. Everybody knows us; we’ve been on the same city block on the west side of Elkhart for over 100 years, and I feel like we’re good community partners.
We have a great relationship with the fire departments in Elkhart, South Bend, Mishawaka and Clay. We do a lot of support work with them, whether it’s training or supplying a product. We’re really tied in with our local first responders too.
How is the fire industry integrating artificial intelligence?
We’re really slow to change in our industry, good or bad. There’s a famous saying in the fire department, “150 years of tradition, unimpeded by progress.” Tradition is huge in our industry, so when it comes to AI, it’s still too early to see how it’s really going to integrate. For daily work tasks, without question it brings us some value and efficiency. But as far as firefighting, at least the products we manufacture, which are a little more mechanical, I haven’t seen a huge impact yet, but I know it’s going to be coming.
What does it take to remain relevant in your industry?
There’s a certain level of authenticity that is really important, you really want to show people what you do and why you do it. We’re making a difference with our products, first responders all over the world are using these products. You’ve really got to know who you are after 125 years, you’ve got to innovate but you also have to remain loyal to the core of who you are.