History of Marpac Sleep Mate 980A

In 1962 Jim Buckwalter solved his sleep problems by inventing the first electro-mechanical sound conditioner to block out unwanted, distracting noises that were keeping him awake at night. At the request of his friends and family he also made several more of these units for their use. Recognizing the need for this type of product, he formed Buck Manufacturing to produce sound conditioners for the consumer market. A year later Buck Manufacturing became incorporated and the name was changed to Tru-Buck. It remained Tru-Buck until 1968. The company was granted a trademark on the name Sleep Mate in 1965 and on the name Sound Screen in 1967. Both of these trademarks are still owned and used today.

In 1968, operations were moved from Elkhart, Indiana to Wilmington, North Carolina and the company was renamed Marpac Corporation. Marpac spent the next several years improving on the electro-mechanical sound conditioners and in 1971 introduced the first electronic sound conditioner; they used the Marsona brand name on their electronic sound machines

Improvements and additional product introductions continued into the 1980s when corporate travel was at an all-time high and business people were spending more sleepless nights in hotel rooms than ever before...until the introduction of the Marsona travel sound conditioner. Travelers found sleep salvation in this slim, lightweight sound conditioner small enough to be tucked away in carry-on luggage to ensure a restful night after a long day.

The introduction of digital sound technology and memory afforded Marpac the opportunity to produce better sound quality and more variation in sound selections than ever before. Prior to this, most of the environmental sounds in Marpac's electronic sound conditioners were synthesized and limited to just a few choices. The invention of digital media gave Marpac the freedom to include new and different sounds in sound conditioners. Continued developments in digital media spurred the introduction of the Marsona 1288, which offers the consumer 8 base sounds, 8 overlay sounds and an option to program sound choices. Lifesounds, with its amazingly genuine sounds like Womb, Heartbeat and Brook was also born from this technology. Some sounds are still best if left to synthesizing; however, the introduction of digital media has opened the doors to limitless sound combinations and capabilities.

Though semi-retired since 1980, the Buckwalter's sold out to Marpac employees in December of 1997. Marpac is fortunate to say they have employees who have been with the company, in some cases, well over 30 years. And unlike the other sound machine companies, Marpac's sound conditioners are made or assembled in the USA.

Construction of the new Marpac facility in nearby Rocky Point, NC started in late 2001 and move in was complete by January 1, 2002 with a near seamless transition. The efficient use of space in our new building has allowed us to streamline production, shipping and receiving activities to better serve our customers.

Marpac has given consumes the choice to buy sound conditioners made in the USA, from the best manufacturer, from the original white noise maker, from the company that started it all.