Introduction

LaBarge Products, Inc. was founded by Charles L. LaBarge and was originally based in St. Louis, Missouri. LaBarge Products, Inc. began as an industrial rubber products distributor in 1973 and was incorporated in 1979.

In the 1980s, LaBarge Products, Inc. was a contract manufacturer of component parts for automotive, healthcare, industrial, process and food industries and began government contracting as a simple supply-type contractor.

Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm - 1990
In just under 160 days LaBarge Products, Inc. started and completed over 66 prime contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense. During this effort LaBarge shipped over 508,000 lbs. of material in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Over 315,000 lbs. were shipped via airlift directly to Saudi Arabia.

By 2003, LaBarge Products, Inc. evolved into a prime contractor for military systems, such as:

Currently, our shop carries AWS Certificates for D1.1, D1.2, and ABS.  We are also certified by the DOT.

LaBarge Products is a multifaceted company consisting of two marketing arms:
First, a prime contractor to the United States military for components for fuel and water systems; second, a contract manufacturer with a diversity ranging from wood crates to electrical component subassemblies.

LaBarge Products manufactures the Hose Reel System used by the United States Marine Corps to transport, store, lay and retrieve 6-inch lightweight lay flat, collapsible hose. A HRS consists of 5 miles of lightweight fuel hose. The HRS is capable of laying hose at variable speeds. The HRS was instrumental in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The Assault Hoseline System (AHS) is a cross-country, bulk fuel distribution system consisting of 2.5 miles of 4-inch collapsible hose with 350 (GPM) multi-fuel engine driven, trailer mounted, pressure regulated, pumping assembly used to move fuel through the system. The system includes a mechanical means of deploying and recovering the hose and has the capability to traverse all types of terrain.

In February of 2013 W.H. Smith Company, a manufacturer and supplier of high quality hose assemblies and systems as well as load securing and material handling products for the US Department of Defense and the commercial marketplace, completed the acquisition of certain intellectual property from LaBarge Products, Inc. Under the terms of the acquisition W.H. Smith is acquired certain proprietary drawings, tooling and related fixtures required for manufacturing the critical systems and components.

Some of the systems acquired include:

Additionally, W.H. Smith acquired the use of the LaBarge Products trade name, phone and fax numbers and domain site www.labargepro.com. LaBarge Products has been established as a division under W.H. Smith.