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LABOUR TABER HISTORY: Printer Friendly Version LaBour Tabour has a long, rich history of providing quality products and outstanding service. 1859 Taber Pump Company established in Buffalo, New York specializing in vertical, rotary vane and brewery industrial pumps. 1921 Harry E. LaBour establishes LaBour Company in Michigan City, Indiana, with the purpose of developing and marketing an inherently self-priming centrifugal pump line. His intention was to design a rugged, simple-to-operate-and-maintain pump to handle liquids used in the chemical processing industry. The next year, he patents and introduces the first valve-less, self-priming pump. And, in 1923, the company moves to Chicago Heights, Illinois. 1929 Responding to growing demand for this new product, production facilities are expanded and the company moves to Elkhart, Indiana where an iron foundry is added to the production facility. 1937 LaBour broadens its base by creating LaBour Pump Company, Ltd in the U. K. Over time the U. K. operations sales nearly equal to the U.S. operation's. 1948 In the post war period, LaBour builds a foundry in nearby southern Michigan. This facility is a wholly owned subsidiary producing Nickel-Alloy casting for LaBour. Also during this period, the predecessor to the A.V.S. pump is introduced - the model SZ/SQ line. As the mechanical seal becomes popular, stuffing boxes are modified to readily accept them. A line of globe valves and in-line basket strainers, no longer offered, is also developed for aggressive chemical service. 1964 LaBour Company is acquired by American Gage and Machine Company (which subsequently merges in 1970 with Katy Industries, Inc.) and is renamed to LaBour Pump Company. In another expansion move, the highly successful Taber Pump Company of Buffalo, New York, is purchased. 1966 The triple throat Model TF Pump, manufactured to the American Voluntary Standard (AVS), is introduced. 1967 Taber production and support personnel are merged into the LaBour plant in Elkhart Indiana. The following year, the LV pump line is introduced to complement the TF line. By 1973 the AVS business reaches the level where additional production facilities are necessary if LaBour is to maintain adequate service to customer. A search is started to find a suitable location for the next expansion. 1976 In October a new facility in Selma, Alabama is opened. The new 50,000 sq. ft. facility is furnished with Computer Numerical Control (CNC) equipment. However, unlike the job shop production process used in Elkhart, the Selma plant is a production-for-inventory facility, where finished components are stocked for immediate final assembly. By 1979 a new Taber vertical product line utilizing various parts, interchangeable with the LV pumps allowing "ship from inventory" capability, is in full production at the new plant. 1983 In response to market requirements and interest in reduced emissions, LaBour begins offering a magnetic driven pump line (Texel) in a variety of materials. At the same time the AVS line is enhanced to offer several optional features including larger bore seal chambers to keep pace with the every changing requirement of industry. 1984 With the introduction of the American National Standards (ANSI), a new model of pump, LVA, is introduced to replace the LV line. Shortly thereafter the TFA line adapted the LVA power end design to replace the TF pump line. 1994 LaBour Pump Company is sold to Peerless Pump Company in Indianapolis, Indiana. By the fall of that year all production of LaBour products are moved to the Selma, Alabama and engineering is relocated to Indianapolis. 2000 to Present As LaBour begins work in our third century of building and manufacturing pumps for the Process Industry, our experienced and knowledgeable sales representatives and engineering staff are always ready to respond to single or project pump requirements, as well as service needs to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Proven standard designs along with research and development capabilities enable LaBour to customize existing products or develop one-of-a-kind pumps to handle difficult or special applications. LaBour has long been recognized for its pioneering engineering strength. The company has launched many pump patents that are evidenced by the self-priming, low flow, and entrained air designs; all designs of which have led the industry in these particular challenging applications. The first one ever offered was a revolutionary self-priming pump that used the "HyrdoBalance" principle requiring no valves, springs, floats, hoses, or auxiliary pumps. This was an immediate success because of the state of the art self-priming capability. The same basic "HydroBalance" principle is incorporated in the (Type DPL/DHL, LPLA/LHLA, and Type G) self-priming pumps of today. After the success of the first pump, LaBour progressively introduced a line of horizontal centrifugal pumps with circular casings instead of the volute configuration (Type DZT), horizontal centrifugal pumps with three discharge throats (Type Q & TFA), vertical self priming centrifugals that require no mechanical seals (Type G) and Type MHL/MPL , ANSI multiple throat pump (Type TFA), and a very efficient line of volute horizontal centrifugal pumps that conform to ANSI specifications (Type LVA, LVB). All the above pumps are offered in a choice of 19 different materials of construction. The LaBour proprietary alloys are Alloy 48, Elcomet K, Alloy R-55, Alloy Y-17, and Alloy Y-30. LaBour also produces a line of vertical centrifugal pumps to transfer just about anything liquid...from molten salts and lead to highly corrosive mixed acids (The Taber brand Series 1000, 2000 and 3000). The Taber brand has been in existence since 1859 and is offered in five different designs and eight optional mountings. LaBour also has a vertical cantilever series (Series, 8000-9000) for aggressive services. These pumps have the bearings located above the sump plate. Today's global marketplace demands quiet, smooth-running, long lasting pumps. Reliability is the key, and continued performance efficiency over the life of the pump is most critical. The LaBour mechanical and hydraulic designs minimize the effects of cavitation, corrosion, erosion, and vibration. LaBour pumps have repeatedly demonstrated that the superior performance and longevity of the LaBour process pump provides substantial savings over the long term operation of the pump. LaBour is a world wide organization with district offices staffed with trained application engineers, as well as strategically located distributors that insure prompt, efficient, and reliable sales engineering service assistance for each LaBour user. The quality of product, integrity, and fair dealing for almost 84 years has earned LaBour an outstanding reputation as one of the world's leading pump manufacturers. In spite of the impersonal age of computers and big business, LaBour still offers a unique, small company, with personalized highly technical service designed to meet the ever-expanding pump application in the process industry. >> Home