It started 50 years ago with two people chasing a dream. In 1975, Max Comes and his wife Doris boarded a plane to Ohio. Their destination: the headquarters of Clippard Instrument Laboratory in Cincinnati. Their mission: to prove that Europe is ready for this modest yet highly specialized American company. They received a warm welcome from founder Leonard Clippard, who was deeply impressed. About six months later, on April 1, 1976 – yes, April Fools' Day – Clippard's European branch opens its doors in a rented space in Wavre.
Fifty years later, Clippard Europe is celebrating its anniversary from its office and logistics center in the UCL Science Park in Louvain-la-Neuve, where the company has been based since its Wavre location became too small in 1987. At the same time, the American parent company is blowing out eighty candles this year. Two anniversaries - a great opportunity to highlight Clippard's fascinating family history and core values.
A Belgian Adventure with American Roots
Clippard Instrument Laboratory was founded in 1946 by W. Leonard Clippard Jr. in Cincinnati, Ohio. But the story actually begins a few years earlier: during the Second World War, Leonard, who had been rejected for military service due to blindness in one eye, spent his evenings at the table winding small coils for war walkie-talkies for the American army. From these humble beginnings, a fully-fledged company gradually emerged.
Initially, Clippard remained active as a manufacturer of electronic components, but in the 1950s, the company spotted a niche market that no one else had yet noticed: miniature pneumatics. That idea proved visionary: by the 1960s, Clippard had grown into an exclusive pneumatics manufacturer, while coil production became unprofitable due to competition and new technologies. Clippard purchased new machinery and expanded to a new location to meet rising demand. In the mid-1970s, Clippard also began organizing training schools so that Clippard distributors could become better acquainted with the products and their applications.
It was against this backdrop that Max Comes entered the picture. Max became acquainted with Clippard through Rocke International, an American export company acting as a Clippard distributor at the time. Max organized trade shows, conducted training sessions, and built up a network step by step. When the contract between Rocke International and Clippard expired, Max saw his chance. His enthusiasm was contagious, and it ultimately convinced Leonard Clippard. With Clippard Europe, Clippard gained the opportunity to better manage and expand its European sales and distribution.
It was against this backdrop that Max Comes entered the picture. Max became acquainted with Clippard through Rocke International, an American export company acting as a Clippard distributor at the time. Max organized trade shows, conducted training sessions, and built up a network step by step. When the contract between Rocke International and Clippard expired, Max saw his chance. His enthusiasm was contagious, and it ultimately convinced Leonard Clippard. With Clippard Europe, Clippard gained the opportunity to better manage and expand its European sales and distribution.
From 1976 to 2026: Different, yet with the Same DNA
The rented building in Wavre where Clippard Europe was started soon became too small. In 1985, Bob Clippard – by now the second generation of Clippards is at the helm of the parent company – flew to Belgium to look at potential building sites with Max. In 1987, the milestone is reached: the brand-new building opens its doors in Louvain-la-Neuve. Located in the Science Park, where the emphasis is on innovation: a location that perfectly matched Clippards innovative spirit.
Today, Clippard Europe serves more than thirty countries, from industrial heartlands such as Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, to Eastern Europe, Turkey, and parts of North Africa. More than 60% of European turnover consists of custom solutions: products developed, adapted, and refined together with the customer.
The product range has also evolved with the times: today, Clippard specializes in precision flow and pressure control solutions for the medical, analytical, and niche industrial markets, and boasts more than 7,000 standard products in its portfolio. The company remains entirely in the hands of the third generation of the Clippard family, with Bill Clippard as President.
Small but Indispensable
In a market where large players compete on volume and price, the Clippards systematically chose precision, quality, and customer proximity. The company is not a mass producer – that would not fit Clippard's DNA as a family business. According to Dirk Thomas, Managing Director of Clippard Europe, this is precisely where the firm's strength lies: 'After fifty years, we are still the same company: small enough to be truly personal, large enough to serve all of Europe. Maintaining that balance is our greatest challenge and our greatest asset.'
Clippard emphasizes close collaboration with customers and long-term partner companies, as well as delivering top-tier quality. 100% of products are tested before shipment. This philosophy resnonates deeply in sectors where accuracy can literally be a matter of life and death. Blood pressure monitors, analytical equipment, medical instruments, laboratory systems – all of these applications rely daily on miniature valves working seamlessly behind the scenes.
The Next Fifty Years
Fifty years after Clippard Europe's start in Wavre, the future of its products centers on reducing complexity. With intelligent Cordis pressure and flow controllers and plug-and-play modules, Clippard Europe helps customers innovate faster and flawlessly, providing solutions engineerd to last for billions of cycles.
While the technology has become more advanced, the company's core values have remained unchanged. Whether it involves a standard valve or a unique custom project, everything revolves around the bond of trust with the customer, the partner companies, and the headquarters in Cincinnati – bonds that Max Comes first forged in 1976. Over the next fifty years, Clippard aims to continue serving Europe with innovative solutions, driven by the same family values and personal touch that have defined the company from the start.
This article was published in Dutch and French in Automation Magazine. Read it here in Dutch and here in French.