Manufacturing in Girard, Kansas since 1982
Specialty fittings built for the utilities industry
ETCO Specialty Products manufactures expandable plugs, duct caps and the patented E-Loc® coupling family — cast, molded and formed in-house for the telecommunications, electrical, cable TV and plumbing trades.
The ETCO Approach
Solving customer problems, one fitting at a time
ETCO Specialty Products, Inc. was founded in 1982 as the E. Thompson Company, a manufacturer of specialty fittings for primarily the utilities industry.
ETCO’s first products were expandable pipe stoppers and clean out plugs for the plumbing and sewer industry. As ETCO grew, so did the markets for the plugs. The telephone and electrical utility industries began using the plugs for plugging vacant ducts. ETCO received its first patent in 1985 on their “T” Cone expandable plug.
In 1986, ETCO began compounding our own urethanes in order to meet the physical properties and environmental requirements needed for our products. At about the same time, ETCO developed a process to bond our urethanes to PVC, steel, stainless steel, and aluminum. This process enabled ETCO to expand the applications for our urethanes and develop new products.
Urethane Casting
One-shot polyurethane elastomer compounded in-house, 50A to 70A Shore durometer, from a fraction of an ounce to twenty pounds.
Injection Molding
Nine molding machines in a range of sizes, ideal for short to medium production runs from your mold or ours.
Thermoforming
Three thermoformers plus a 5-axis CNC router, handling sheets from 7″×7″ up to 84″×103″.
Laser Engraving
A 25W ULS CO2 engraver marks and cuts wood, acrylic, rubber, vinyl and leather.
Applications
Four industries, one product family
Every ETCO fitting is catalogued by the trades that specify it.
Signature Product
The E-Loc® and Double E-Loc® couplings
The “E-Loc” Coupling joins conduit without solvent, adhesive bonding, fusion welding, or special installation equipment. It is ideal for joining dissimilar materials and can be designed to join different sizes of conduit, in diameters from 1/2″ to 8″. ETCO received a patent on the E-Loc Coupling in January of 1993.
When fiber optics brought cable-blowing to the duct, the requirements changed — the system had to resist 150 psi without leaking or blowing out. ETCO answered with the Double “E-Loc” Coupling, which withstands 200 psi and 3,000 pounds of pull-out on the 2″ coupling, with no metal parts and no tools required for installation.
Product milestones
First patent — the “T” Cone expandable plug.
Patent granted on the E-Loc® Coupling.
Production begins on cast urethane manhole adapters for 24″–36″ corrugated pipe.
Patent granted on the Double E-Loc® Coupling.
Need a fitting that doesn’t exist yet?
ETCO’s growth has come from solving customer problems. Bring us a drawing, a sample, or just an idea.