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Magnum Venus Products (MVP) is the premiere manufacturer of composite application equipment. MVP products consist of pumping systems, spray guns, filament winding systems, and much more. MVP serves a multitude of manufacturers in a variety of industries such as automotive, aerospace, transportation, marine, railway, oil & gas, wind turbine, among many others. Along with our systems designed for composite application, MVP also has equipment that supports the foam and polyurethane industries, along with polyureas, adhesives, and epoxies. Magnum Venus Products has over 60 years of experience serving our customers, delivering highly customized solutions that support their manufacturing needs.
MVP’s mission is to provide the best customer experience in the composites equipment industry by translating our family values into our business relationships. We excel by delivering superior customer service programs and the most innovative products and services that create solutions, and our employees push the boundaries of excellence.
Magnum Venus Products began as three separate companies. Founded in 1938 in Chicago by Jim Hedger, Sr. as a distributor for coating equipment, Graves Spray Supply grew at a rapid pace. Graves, and Mr. Hedger, cemented a reputation for excellence with customers like Ford, Chrysler, GM, GE and many more. As a response to the increased demands for equipment Graves moved to manufacturing of automated paint spray equipment, and were in full production and supply by the early 1950’s. In keeping with the tradition of full service equipment distribution, Graves embarked on the newly developing industry of spray-up fiberglass manufacturing dispensing systems. In doing so, Graves became the largest FRP equipment distributor in North America, and maintained that place until the early 1980’s.
In the early 1970’s, Mr. Hedger saw the potential of the emerging fiberglass industry, and founded Magnum Industries for the design and manufacture of spray-up fiberglass manufacturing equipment. Mr.Hedger focused the company’s efforts to developing the equipment that would begin to shape this promising new industry. Magnum developed many designs, including the patented Airless Air-Assist technology with a focus on reducing emissions and waste, while providing the highest quality equipment. On the other side of the country, Venus Products also embraced the up and coming FRP industry. Founded near Seattle, Washington by Frank Ives in 1954, Venus was the first to design, patent and produce internal mix fiberglass spray technology.
Venus’ Hydraulic Injection System was the first piece of equipment to provide true airless, internal mixing, reducing atomization and material waste. Both Magnum and Venus’ equipment were recognized around the world for engineering excellence. In September, 2000, Graves Spray Supply (Magnum Industries) acquired Venus Products. This merger created a new company; Magnum Venus Products (MVP). As the leader in the FRP industry, Magnum Venus Products was committed to supply the most innovative technology available on the market. Mr. Hedger personally oversaw the integration of the two companies and their technologies. Magnum Venus Products was now the largest FRP equipment manufacturer in the world, serving the needs of the small shop to supplying the demands of large automated and Advanced FRP operations.
In an effort to anticipate the changing emissions control standards, Venus took the first innovative step to reducing styrene emissions in the spray-up process by introducing FloChop technology. FloChop was a definite improvement over other technologies, but the industry was quickly outgrowing it. At the direction of Mr. Hedger, the Advanced Engineering Division at MVP then developed the patented FIT® systems. FIT® (Fluid Impingement Technology) reduced emissions below that of FloChop, with the added benefit of waste reduction and increased transfer efficiencies. Government regulatory bodies were very excited about this new technology as it allowed the fabricator to meet the new regulations without major changes to the way they built their product.
Seeing the steady move of the industry toward more closed mold (LRTM and Infusion) production, MVP turned their attention to providing their customers with the highest level of technology and expertise available for the closed molding process, which led to the purchase of Plastech T.T. Listening to closed mold manufacturers, MVP saw the need for a closed mold process that would work for complicated parts which the rigid Light RTM molds could not accommodate. This led to the development of Flex Molding Process, a comprehensive product line that includes pumping systems, unique accessories and patent-pending seals, as well as expert consultation and training courses that are a true transfer of technology from MVP to the attendees.
Many customers who have attended the various training seminars were able to successfully move their production from open molding or Light RTM to Flex Molding Process in a very short period of time.In April 2010, after many years of making Magnum Venus Products the top manufacturer of Composites application equipment, Jim Hedger, Sr. passed away. His legacy, however, continues through his children who are leading the company, and the industry, into the future of Composites production.
MVP Corporate Headquarters
10535 Hardin Valley Road
Knoxville, TN 37932
Telephone: +1(865) 686-5670
MVP Technology Center
1862 Ives Ave.
Kent, WA 98032
Telephone: +1(253) 854-2660
MVP North American Sales
11692 56th Court
Clearwater, FL 33760
Telephone: +1(727) 235-6832
MVP Satellite Location
320 North Main St.
Goshen, IN 46528
Telephone: +1(574) 534-1434
MVP Website