United Equipment Accessories

What United Equipment Accessories does

United Equipment Accessories (UEA), founded in 1952 and headquartered in Waverly, Iowa, is a private US manufacturer that designs and builds custom rotating electrical and fluid transfer components — primarily slip rings, rotary unions and hydraulic swivels, cable and hose reels, and Flex-Guard hose protection products. Its technical platform combines proprietary wire brush technology, in-house SLS 3D printing of glass-fiber nylon components, RF contactless slip ring architectures, and a 2,000 sq. ft. HEPA clean room for hydraulic swivel assembly, supported by ISO 9001:2015, ISO/IEC 80079-34, and ISO 14001 certifications. UEA generates revenue primarily through one-time sales of custom-engineered components priced via quote against each customer's electrical, mechanical, and environmental specifications, with smaller contributions from replacement parts and repair/refurbishment services. The company sells direct to OEM engineers across diverse verticals — wind energy, forestry equipment, rough-terrain cranes, agriculture/irrigation, oil & gas/downhole, hazardous-location grain handling, and emerging medical/robotics applications — and counts GE Renewable Energy, Link-Belt, Reinke, Southstar Equipment, Jarraff Industries, and Signum Instruments among its named customers, with sales reach into over 25 countries. Recent corporate activity is oriented toward portfolio expansion and ecosystem integration, including the 2023 acquisition of Fabricast, Inc., the 2024 acquisition of American Reels, the 2024 SlewPro partnership for integrated rotation systems, and a cluster of 2024 product launches covering RF slip rings, standardized rotary unions, and CAN-bus enabled cable reels.

Name

United Equipment Accessories

Legal name

United Equipment Accessories, Inc.

Website

https://uea-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

United Equipment Accessories is a US custom manufacturer of slip rings, rotary unions, hydraulic swivels, and cable/hose reels, supplying OEM engineers in wind, forestry, cranes, agriculture, and oil & gas across more than 25 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Rotary Components

NAICS

Mechanical Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing (333613), Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing (3336), Fluid Power Cylinder and Actuator Manufacturing (333995)

SIC

Electronic Components & Accessories (3670), Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

Linear Motion & Mechanical Power Transmission (Ball/roller screws, linear guides, bearings, couplings) (IMAHAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Seals, Gaskets & Fluid Connectors (O-rings, packings, rotary seals, quick couplers) (IMAHAGAI), Hoses, Tubing & Fittings (Hydraulic/Pneumatic Lines & Connectors) (IMAHAGAH)

Keywords

• Custom slip rings
• Rotary unions
• Hydraulic swivels
• Industrial cable reels
• Precision rotary components

Headquarters

HQ city

Waverly

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Slip Ring Sales: UEA engineers and manufactures custom slip ring assemblies for OEM customers. Virtually every slip ring assembly is unique to a specific customer and proprietary. Revenue is generated through design fees and manufacturing of custom components.
2. Rotary Union and Hydraulic Swivel Sales: Precision rotary unions and hydraulic swivels for fluid transfer in rotating machinery. Sold as custom-engineered components to industrial equipment manufacturers.
3. Industrial Cable Reel Sales: Cable reels available in various sizes and styles, including models with length counter and sensor capabilities.
4. Flex-Guard Product Sales: Hydraulic hose joints and swivels designed to prevent bending, breaking, and downtime in hydraulic systems.
5. Replacement Parts and Repair Services: Supply of replacement parts including brush assemblies, rings, insulators, and complete core assemblies. Also offers repair and refurbishment services at their facility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

United Equipment Accessories (UEA) engineers and manufactures custom slip rings, rotary unions, hydraulic rotary swivels, hose and cable reels, and Flex-Guard hydraulic hose protection components. The company designs and builds bespoke rotating electrical and fluid transfer components for OEM customers across wind energy, forestry, construction, agriculture, oil and gas, marine, medical, robotics, and industrial manufacturing applications.

Product overview

United Equipment Accessories (UEA) is a manufacturer specializing in custom rotary motion components including slip rings, rotary unions/hydraulic swivels, hose & cable reels, and precision components. The core product line centers on Slip Rings (electrical) and Rotary Unions (fluid transfer), which can be integrated together as combination assemblies. Supporting brands include American Reels (acquired hose/cable reels) and Fabricast (acquired slip ring subsidiary). UEA offers engineering tools including calculators for pressure drop, bolted joints, rotary manifold torque, and seal life estimation. Products serve industries including renewable energy, medical equipment, robotics, forestry, construction, crane, wind turbine, and marine/oil & gas applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• American Reels: Heavy-Duty Professional Grade Hose Reels and Cable Reels. A brand of United Equipment Accessories, Inc.
• Fabricast

Products and services

• Slip Rings Custom electrical slip rings that transmit power and electrical signals from stationary to rotating structures through continuous 360-degree rotation, available in various bore sizes with options for power, signal, and communication circuits including Ethernet and CANBUS.
• Rotary Unions / Hydraulic Swivels Precision rotary unions and hydraulic swivels designed for superior fluid transfer between stationary and rotating machinery components, transferring hydraulic fluids, coolant, and other media while enabling continuous rotation.
• Industrial Cable Reels Cable reels available in various sizes and styles for managing cables in industrial applications, with options for integrated slip rings to maintain electrical connectivity during continuous rotation.
• Hose Reels (American Reels) Heavy-duty professional grade hose reels for managing hydraulic and other industrial hoses, available through the American Reels brand of UEA.
• Flex-Guard Hydraulic Hose Protection Hydraulic hose joints and swivels designed to prevent bending, cracking, and breaking of hydraulic hoses, reducing downtime and maintenance costs in hydraulic systems.
• Cable Reel with Length Counter and Sensor Suite Cable reel with integrated length measuring capability providing real-time cable length telemetry over CAN protocol for heavy equipment and service fleet applications.
• Fabricast Electrical Slip Rings Electrical slip rings with unobstructed through bores for instrumentation and power applications, offered through the Fabricast subsidiary brand.
• Alpha Series Slip Rings Compact slip ring series combining power and communication into simplified packages, available with fiber optic rotary joints (FORJ) for demanding applications including marine, oil and gas, and downhole environments.
• Radio Frequency (RF) Slip Rings Contactless signal transfer slip rings using RF transceivers for transferring CAN and Ethernet protocols at up to 2 Gbps, rated up to IP69 with operating temperatures from -40°F to 320°F (-40°C to 160°C).
• Explosion-Proof Slip Rings Custom-engineered explosion-proof slip rings designed to meet safety standards required in hazardous locations with explosive dust environments, certified for use in grain bin storage and similar applications.
• Combination Slip Ring and Rotary Union Assemblies Integrated assemblies combining electrical slip ring components inside hydraulic swivel steel housings, providing plug-and-play electro-hydraulic power flow solutions in a single combination unit.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ million revolutions before brush replacement
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• SlewProcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership announced to deliver fully integrated rotation systems. SlewPro is a U.S. provider of slewing ring bearings. The partnership combines UEA's slip rings and rotary unions with SlewPro's slewing ring bearings for integrated rotation system solutions.
• Fabricast, Inc.coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerFabricast is a subsidiary of United Equipment Accessories, Inc. Specializes in electrical slip rings with unobstructed through bores for instrumentation and power applications. Fabricast products are available through fabricast.com.
• American ReelscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerAmerican Reels is a brand of United Equipment Accessories, Inc. Offers Heavy-Duty Professional Grade Hose Reels and Cable Reels. Available through americanreels.com.
• GE Renewable EnergyflagshipTechnology or IntegrationTens of thousands of slip rings supplied for wind turbine applications including pitch control and generator systems. Received award for excellence in fulfillment from GE Renewable Energy Onshore Division.
• Southstar EquipmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on 360-degree hydraulic swivel and slip ring combination assembly for multi-tree processor. UEA designed robust combination assembly with integral electrical slip ring components incased inside steel housing of hydraulic swivel.
• ReinkecoreTechnology or IntegrationCustom slip ring design for center pivot irrigation systems addressing outdoor environmental challenges including bug and condensation infiltration.
• Link-BeltcoreTechnology or IntegrationLightweight rotary union design partnership for rough terrain cranes in the 81-110.9mt class.
• Signum InstrumentscoreTechnology or IntegrationCustom Alpha slip ring design for downhole swivel tool in slim logging tools for oil and gas service providers.
• Jarraff IndustriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering, customer service, and sales partnership for innovative rotary union for right-of-way maintenance, land clearing, and tree cutting equipment since 1979.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Moog Inc. Large motion-control and slip ring manufacturer with a broad industrial and aerospace portfolio. UEA competes with Moog's slip ring and rotary union offerings on heavy equipment and wind applications, though Moog serves a much wider customer base.
• Stemmann-Technik (Wabtec): Slip ring manufacturer within Wabtec serving rail, energy, and industrial applications. Competes with UEA on wind turbine slip rings and large custom rotational systems as part of a broader transit-anchored portfolio.
• Mersen (Slip Rings & Power Transfer): French industrial group with a slip ring and power transfer business for wind, aerospace, and process industries. Overlaps with UEA's wind pitch control slip rings and large custom slipring assemblies.
• Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions: Slip ring and rotary joint supplier focused on defense, aerospace, and industrial markets. Comparable to UEA's RF slip ring and high-performance compact designs in demanding environments.

Direct peers

• Schleifring (Schleifring und Apparatebau GmbH): German specialist slip ring and rotary union manufacturer serving medical, defense, and industrial customers. Closest direct competitor to UEA in custom-engineered slip rings, with overlapping presence in medical imaging and wind/energy markets.
• Conductix-Wampfler: Manufacturer of cable reels, festoons, and slip rings for cranes, mining, and industrial material handling. Directly competes with UEA's cable reels and industrial slip rings in ports, cranes, and heavy equipment.
• Deublin Company: World's largest manufacturer of rotary unions and steam joints, serving machine tools, oil & gas, and industrial equipment. Direct competitor to UEA's rotary unions and hydraulic swivel product lines across multiple verticals.
• RotoTechno (Kadant): Specialty rotary union and siphon manufacturer within Kadant, focused on paper and industrial applications. Comparable to UEA's rotary union business in custom-engineered fluid transfer for rotating machinery.

Emerging players

• Power Group USA (formerly Mercotac): Specialty brushless slip ring and electrical connector manufacturer for robotics and instrumentation. Competes with UEA in low-signal / small-bore instrumentation slip rings and rotary electrical contacts.

Others

• Hangzhou Ruixiang (or similar Asian slip ring peer): Asian regional/emerging slip ring manufacturers (e.g., RotarX/Jinpat) offering cost-competitive standard slip rings. Less relevant on heavy-duty custom assemblies but compete for price-sensitive OEM slip ring bids.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=gNxEAeq8CrM
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-equipment-accessories
• Xx.com/UnitedEquipAcc

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about United Equipment Accessories