Kappers Fabricating, Inc. Celebrates 40 Years in Business

In 1986, Larry Kappers sold his construction business and almost immediately started a welding business. Forty years later, Kappers Fabricating, Incorporated, also known as KFI Products is still going strong. Larry passed away in December 2025, but his sons Jeff and Dan Kappers are now the owners of Kappers Fabricating.

In 1986, when Larry first opened the business, he did mostly walk-in welding projects, but that grew as he started taking on manufacturing jobs for businesses such as Featherlite Trailers, Terex Cranes, Oshkosh Trucks, McNeilus, Mayo Clinic, and more. Jeff and Dan, who have worked with their dad since he began the business in 1986, have seen all the changes over the years. In 2002, Kappers Fabricating shifted its focus to manufacturing after-market parts for ATVs and UTVs. At first, they mostly made winches and winch mounts, but in 2011, they added snowplows. They now sell winches, winch mounts, snowplows, snowplow mounts, bumpers, hitches, and accessories for those items, with over 6,000 products in their catalog. Some things are manufactured elsewhere, such as the winches, but everything else is made at Kappers Fabrication. “Ninety-eight percent of what we produce now is our own product,” Dan explained.

Kappers Fabrication was begun in a 3,000-square-foot shop just a short way down the street from where the current buildings sit. The manufacturing building was constructed in 1993 with additions being made later, bringing it to 95,000 square feet. Next to that sits a 40,000 square foot warehouse.

Kappers Fabricating sells its products mainly through distributors, who are located in the United States and Canada with a few more overseas. Each distributor then supplies dealers who sell the products to consumers. Over the 40 years that Kappers Fabricating has been in business, it has dealt with some difficulties, such as obtaining materials and high prices, but each time, it has managed to come through the challenges. Dan noted that raw materials are expensive and difficult to find right now due to tariffs and the high number of data centers being built. This raises the cost to produce their products, but those costs don’t necessarily get passed along to the customer, meaning that Kappers Fabricating has to reduce its profit margin. Jeff noted that it would be difficult to raise prices as it would also mean reprinting their catalogs, which can be an inch and a half thick, and then sending those catalogs out to all of their distributors and dealers. “We got to continue to grow,” said Jeff. “The high market hurts for a little while and then it goes away.”

Since Kappers Fabrication began in 1986, there have been a lot of changes to the business, especially regarding technology and equipment. Originally, parts had to be punched by hand, but with the current laser cutting machines, they can now be cut within seconds. “They’ll run all night long, when we’re not even here,” Dan said. Robotic welders have to have parts loaded by hand but then can do the welding with better quality than a person would be able to. “We get the same weld every time,” Dan explained. “It’s a lot easier to control quality.” The engineers use 3D modeling to create parts for production and are even able to scan machines and make designs based on that.

Kappers Fabrication truly is a family business. Jeff’s son works there as does Dan’s two sons and daughter. They currently employ 52 full-time employees and 8-10 temps, running just one shift with 40-hour weeks. “We’ve got a pretty good crew,” Jeff said. “A lot of people have been with us a long time.” Just like Jeff and Dan, there are a few employees who have been working for Kappers Fabrication since its beginning in 1986 and others who have been there 20 or 30 years. “You got to take care of your employees,” Jeff said. “If you don’t have good employees, you don’t have nothing.” Dan echoed that, adding that they are thankful for their employees for making Kappers Fabrication successful.

Kappers Fabrication’s products can be found at just about every powersports dealer. “You’d be hard pressed to find a place that doesn’t carry our product,” Dan said. You can learn more and find a dealer at kfiproducts.com.