MADE IN CHINA — look over most tool boxes and you’ll find those words etched into the bottom. Turning overseas for manufacturing needs can be fast and cheap, but the quality of those products is sometimes sacrificed in the process.
Woodstock’s Innovative Products of America (IPA), and original equipment manufacturer, isn’t swayed by that tradeoff. When it comes to crafting the tools technicians use to ensure car brakes, elevators, and aircrafts all work properly, quality trumps all.
IPA offers over 200 products that simplify a technician’s job, or make it possible in the first place. From needle-nose pliers and bore brushes to circuit testers and tractor trailer harness checkers — IPA manufactures each one onsite and distributes them to various brands and sellers around the world. They can be bought directly from retailers like Amazon and Walmart, or you can find them rebranded by brands like John Deere, Snap-on, and Matco tools. Eventually, these products end up serving military, agricultural, industrial, and automotive industries, among others.
Their newest tool is the electric brake force meter — a diagnostic machine that collects data on a truck’s electrical and airbrake system using a tablet loaded with an application also developed by IPA. That data is then uploaded on a server than can be accessed by a fleet manager, saving time and issues arising from human error.
“It’s really important for these fleets to make sure that they’re properly testing their equipment so that when it’s going 74 mph behind your family down the highway with 60,000 pounds in it, it stops right,” said Ian Vinci, second generation CEO and president of IPA.
Ian was only 16 when his father founded IPA, but even from that age he knew he would eventually inherit the company.
Peter Vinci, Ian’s father and original CEO/president of IPA, founded the company in 1996. Growing up in Woodstock, he spent his whole electro-mechanical engineering career working his way back home.
“We love the area,” Ian said. “We love the mountains and the people—there’s really no place like it. It’s not easy to have a business in New York, but it’s worth it to us.”
He expressed that being a part of the local community, knowing that the IPA brand is synonymous with quality products, is the biggest reason that IPA is so committed to making sure every little detail is right.
IPA has grown quickly since its humble beginnings even 10 years ago. Within the past 6 months, its workforce has grown 30 percent. By next year, Ian expects to have over 100 employees.
“We have so many exciting opportunities right now,” he said. “The future only tells, but it looks very positive.”
