Rauch Industries.

• Author: MAYER, KATHY
• Position: Brief Article

New Albany organization serves area businesses and people with disabilities.

One-time tasks, odd jobs such as packaging, and even dedicated production lines at its own site-these and more make up the range of contract work New Albany's Rauch Industries provides to southern Indiana businesses.

What makes this job shop different from others is how its contract revenues are used. "Our primary focus is assisting people with disabilities, supporting them and helping them achieve their goals in life," explains Betty Dunham, chief executive officer of Rauch Inc., the non-profit parent organization. "This is a two-way street. We provide human-service needs and we work with businesses to meet their needs."

Rauch's industrial capabilities range from assembly and fabrication to machining, welding, presswork, secondary operations, painting, inspecting, testing and bulk mailing, says plant manager Tony Euler. "We have certain capabilities we sell. And we're also very flexible as companies indicate they have needs." Clients include the U.S. Postal Service, U.S. Department of Defense, Tecumseh Products of Salem, which makes lawn mower transmissions; and Hitachi Cable Indiana, among others.

Rauch runs a couple of lines at its site for Hitachi, which makes vacuum brake lines and fuel-line hoses for the automotive industry. Rauch personnel cut and package hoses for the company, guided by Hitachi employees who work alongside them. "They are an excellent company, doing business with us as well as hiring people with disabilities in their plant," Euler says.

Rauch Industries serves all of southern Indiana and the Louisville metro area. "Some companies we work with now and then, some are constant," Euler says. Frequently, jobs include...