Neapco Celebrates 100 Years with key product & service milestones

Neapco – a leading U.S.-based supplier of drivelines and driveline components to original equipment manufacturers and the related aftermarkets around the globe – celebrated its centennial anniversary on March 19th. Neapco has been Manufacturing Driveline Solutions® in the U.S.A. since 1921.

Originally known as New England Auto Products Corporation (N.E.A.P.Co), the company has ties stretching back to the democratization of the automobile in the United States. Since then, the company has grown to over 3,200 team members at 11 locations around the world, marking its position of leadership in the global automotive supply industry.

Continuing with a commitment to ongoing innovation to provide world-class products and services, this year, Neapco launched under the Neapco Performance Series brand the next generation of universal joints which have been tested and proven to outperform the leading competitor consistently in every test performed and in every driveline series tested; expanded product coverage for Jeep applications including JL and JT models; unveiled new Neapco Performance Series carbon fiber driveshafts and components that are available with proprietary TrakHook® technology; debuted a one-of-a-kind Mobile Driveshaft Shop where Neapco experts train customers how to build Neapco carbon fiber driveshafts using an all new patent-pending bonding process; and, strategically extended the company’s distribution footprint, adding a new distribution center location in Greer, SC. to provide increased local distribution which supplies customers with improved inventory turns, lower shipping costs, shorter ship times, and more.

“As the Neapco team reflects on 100 years of innovation, we celebrate our team members, past and current, that have helped blaze the trails to success. Our team members share our values of Partnership, Passion, Agility, Teamwork, Integrity, and Diversity. It is equally fitting to rollout and celebrate multiple, significant product and service innovations,” said Ken Hopkins -President and Chief Executive Officer of Neapco. “We are very proud of our heritage – Neapco has been a driving force of innovation throughout the driveline industry, enhancing design and production capabilities, adding new product lines, and expanding into new markets for 10 decades and we are laser-focused on continued growth in the months and years ahead. Our motto: One Team. One Mission. Since 1921, will continue to guide us into the next 100 years.”

Today, Neapco designs, manufactures and distributes high quality, cost-effective OEM and aftermarket driveline products for the automotive, light truck, heavy truck, off-road, enthusiast, off-highway, agriculture, performance and industrial markets.

Neapco has earned industry accolades for a culture of innovation, advanced process and production technologies and a commitment to maintaining the highest standards for quality and consistency. All Neapco products are precision-engineered and manufactured to exacting tolerances in state-of-the-art facilities around the globe to deliver optimal performance that meets the application-specific demands of each vehicle.

“Neapco’s rich history of excellence, diverse product lines, engineering expertise, and integrated manufacturing capabilities define the company’s competitive advantage,” explained Tim Goode – Vice President Sales and Marketing. “While we celebrate our century-long automotive legacy this year, it’s a wonderful time to honor our past successes, celebrate our rapid growth, and highlight what’s new, while continuing our focus on future opportunities.”

This 100th year, significant product and service highlights include:

*       The recent launch of next generation of universal joints under the Neapco Performance Series brand. This innovative u-joint design has been tested and proven to outperform the leading competitor in ultimate strength, low-cycle fatigue, and high-cycle fatigue. These three tests were done on all popular driveline series and the results were consistent. Neapco wins in every test on every series by as much as 3X the leading competitor. Additionally, seal and bearing durability tests are also being performed and the results are also showing Neapco as the clear winner. The improved attributes of these include an optimized thrust washer design to reduce resistance under load, a needle spacer for better stress distribution, grease that is superior to competitors in high temperature durability and water resistance, an improved “quad-lip” seal that eliminates the need for dust caps, and a trunnion with a larger diameter and smooth transitions for maximum strength and load distribution.

*       Expansion of Neapco’s industry-leading product coverage for Jeep applications to now include JL and JT models. Genuine Neapco Series and OE Series products are built to provide the same level of quality that our OEM customers have grown to trust, and all pinion yokes for the Jeep JL application are produced using premium forged steel. The new 1310 series of products allow for higher operational angles and provides increased slip for greater suspension articulation. The new 1350 series of products allows for higher operational angles, provides increased slip for greater suspension articulation, and offers significantly higher torque capacity.

*       Debuted the industry’s first fully matched aftermarket carbon fiber driveshaft system, which is manufactured as a matched system using OEM design disciplines. The new system facilitates the exact matching of all driveshaft components to yield the most capable system and user confidence. The Neapco Performance Series carbon fiber driveshafts and components are available with the company’s proprietary TrakHook® technology, which allows for selectable rates of absorption of torque spikes, a common cause of drivetrain damage and ultimately failure.

Applying advanced fiber winding engineering, matching component technology, and the industry’s most advanced equipment, Neapco offers carbon fiber driveshafts with industry-first, builder-selectable compliance rates to fine-tune chassis dynamics for enhanced vehicle performance. The new system is designed to optimize performance in the street rod, track, diesel, tuner, off-road enthusiast, performance ATV/UTV, and commercial markets by offering an almost infinite range of composite driveshaft variations to be fabricated.

*       As a part of Neapco’s new carbon fiber driveshaft system launch, the organization also developed a one-of-a-kind Mobile Driveshaft Shop where Neapco experts train customers how to build Neapco carbon fiber driveshafts using an all-new patent-pending bonding process.

About Neapco

Founded in 1921 as the New England Auto Product Corporation, Neapco is the leading supplier of innovative driveline solutions to original equipment manufacturers and the global automotive industry. Neapco designs, manufactures and distributes high quality, cost-effective OEM and aftermarket driveline products for automotive, light truck, heavy truck, off-road, off-highway, agriculture and industrial applications. The company’s global network facilitates optimal sourcing for competitive pricing, provides worldwide service and sales support, and enables streamlined production and distribution of high-value products, solutions and services to customers throughout North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit https://neapco.com/