Continental Disc Corporation

What Continental Disc Corporation does

Continental Disc Corporation is a manufacturer of overpressure safety solutions, specializing in rupture disc devices (also called burst discs), pressure and vacuum relief valves, and associated alarm and monitoring systems. Founded in 1965 in Kansas City, Missouri by Hans Unger, John Radhal, and Frank Hansen, the company has grown from 12 employees to more than 300, operating from a 96,000 square foot headquarters in Liberty, Missouri. Its product portfolio spans more than 30 rupture disc designs including the flagship HPX reverse-acting line, SANITRX sanitary discs for pharmaceutical and food applications, APX discs for corrosive environments, and specialized discs for aerospace, transportation, and well activation; pressure range spans 0.25 to 80,000 psi across sizes from a fraction of an inch to 5 feet in diameter. The company holds extensive certifications including ISO 9001:2015-AS9100D, ASME UD, NADCAP, 3A Sanitary, ATEX, IECEx, PED, and UL, enabling sales into 40+ industries (oil and gas, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical processing, aerospace and defense, food and beverage, industrial gases, medical) across 140 countries.

CDC operates a make-to-order, custom-manufactured business model with no stocked inventory; each lot is produced to customer specifications and tagged with a manufacturing number for traceability and reordering. Go-to-market combines direct factory sales (including 24/7 emergency services) with a global authorized sales representative network and direct offices in the Netherlands, China, India, and Singapore. Subsidiaries include Groth Corporation (pressure/vacuum relief valves and flame arrestors, acquired 1999), LaMOT Corporation (rupture discs, acquired 1990), LaMOT Valve & Arrestor (2017), DonadonSDD (Italian rupture disc manufacturer, acquired 2025), and Groth Continental Mfg. Pvt. Ltd. (India manufacturing entity). Revenue derives primarily from one-time sales of custom-engineered rupture discs and holders, supplemented by flow testing services in its ASME-accepted laboratory and professional services for emergency rupture disc replacement. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; quotes are obtained via phone or regional sales representatives. In August 2025, Baker Hughes acquired CDC for approximately $540 million from Tinicum Incorporated's investment partnerships, integrating the company into its flow control business.

Name

Continental Disc Corporation

Legal name

Continental Disc Corporation, LLC

Website

https://contdisc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Continental Disc Corporation manufactures custom-engineered rupture discs, pressure relief valves, and safety alarm systems for overpressure protection across 40+ industries in 140 countries, serving oil and gas, pharmaceutical, chemical, aerospace, and food and beverage customers with ASME- and PED-certified products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Liberty

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Rupture Disc Products: Manufacture and sale of rupture discs and related pressure relief products. Custom-manufactured to customer specifications with no stock inventory maintained.
2. Rupture Disc Holders and Accessories: Supporting products including holders, BDI alarm systems, heat shields, pipe end covers, and other accessories for rupture disc installations.
3. Custom Engineering Solutions: Custom product engineering and manufacturing for specialized OEM applications. Special Products Group provides custom solutions for unique requirements.
4. Emergency Services: Same-day, 24-hour, 48-hour and extended working day emergency rupture disc service options for urgent customer needs.
5. Flow Testing Services: ASME-accepted Flow Test Laboratory providing flow resistance testing in both air and liquid for customer rupture disc applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Continental Disc Corporation manufactures custom-engineered rupture discs (burst discs), pressure relief holders, burst disc indicators, alarm monitors, and accessories for overpressure protection of industrial process equipment. Products are custom-manufactured to customer specifications with no stock inventory, covering pressures from 0.25 to 80,000 psi across sizes from fractions of an inch to five feet in diameter for chemical, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, oil and gas, aerospace, food and beverage, and industrial gas applications.

Product overview

Continental Disc Corporation is a manufacturer of overpressure safety solutions — not a single platform product but a broad portfolio of complementary physical products. The core offering centers on rupture disc devices (also called burst discs), which are non-reclosing pressure relief components that burst at a predetermined pressure to protect vessels, piping, and equipment from overpressure damage. The product portfolio is organized into product families: the flagship HPX® reverse-acting rupture disc line (including HPX, HPX-Ta, HPX-PT holder, HPX-CTG welded cartridge, SANITRX HPX/SANITRX HPX II/3/4" SANITRX HPX for sanitary uses, INTEGRX-HPX, and APX); the TRX/RX line of reverse-acting discs (LOTRX, MINTRX, RCS, STAR X, ULTRX); forward-acting discs (Standard 30°, Composite Flat Seat, ENVIRO-SEAL, GRAFSERT, Composite 30°, MICRO X, ICON, TANKSERT, and the CDC-DM/CDCV-DM direct-mount composite discs); specialized discs (CAL-VAC, POS-A-SET, SANITRX LP, Well Activation, WMP Welded Muffled Plug, Explosion Vent Panels); Burst Disc Indicators and monitoring systems (B.D.I. Alarm System, BDI-FLX, MTB-700 Alarm Monitor); rupture disc holders (Screw-Type, Tite-Seal, Union, Sanitary Fitting, CLEAN-SWEEP, UNISERT, Double-Disc); and accessories (ENVIRO GUARD Pipe End Covers, Heat Shields, MBC Sanitary Closure). The company also acquired DonadonSDD (rupture discs, explosion vent panels, safety valves) and partner companies Groth Corporation (pressure/vacuum relief valves, flame arrestors, regulators) and LaMOT (rupture discs, valves, arrestors). Products are made-to-order per customer specifications, not stocked.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HPX: Flagship reverse-acting rupture disc product line known for high-precision pressure relief and reliability.
• SANITRX
• APX
• BDI
• LOTRX
• Groth Corporation
• LaMOT
• DonadonSDD

Products and services

• HPX® Rupture Disc

Quantifiable outcome

• HPX rupture discs tested to over 5 million cycles at 95% burst pressure
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Baker Hughes CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 August 2025Baker Hughes acquired Continental Disc Corporation for approximately $540 million in an all-cash transaction completed August 7, 2025. CDC is now part of Baker Hughes' flow control business, bringing a complementary portfolio of products to Baker Hughes' existing valves product line and expanding the company's addressable market in flow control.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pentair plc: Pentair is a large diversified flow control and water treatment company with overlapping industrial valves, pressure relief, and process safety offerings. Broader portfolio than CDC but competes in the same industrial process safety equipment category across overlapping customer segments.
• Crane Co. Crane Co. is a diversified industrial manufacturer whose Crane ChemPharma & Energy segment supplies process valves, fittings, and pressure relief equipment to chemical, pharmaceutical, and oil & gas customers — overlapping with CDC's served verticals though from a broader portfolio perspective.
• CIRCOR International: CIRCOR International designs and manufactures flow control products including pressure relief valves and engineered components for industrial markets — a broader flow control incumbent with overlapping industrial process safety offerings versus CDC's specialized rupture disc focus.
• IMI plc: IMI plc's Critical Engineering division (which acquired Elfab) manufactures pressure relief valves, rupture discs, and flow control products for power, oil & gas, and process industries — a broad incumbent competitor with rupture disc capability now embedded in its portfolio.

Direct peers

• ZOOK Enterprises: ZOOK is a US manufacturer of rupture discs, burst panels, and pressure relief devices serving chemical, petrochemical, oil & gas, and aerospace markets — directly overlapping with Continental Disc's HPX, SANITRX, and forward-acting disc product families.
• Fike Corporation: Fike Corporation is a US-based manufacturer of rupture discs, explosion protection systems, and pressure relief products serving oil & gas, chemical, pharmaceutical, and aerospace customers — directly competing with Continental Disc Corporation across nearly all of CDC's core product lines and end markets.
• BS&B Safety Systems: BS&B (Blackburn) is a US/UK-headquartered manufacturer of rupture discs and explosion protection devices with comparable product breadth (reverse-acting, forward-acting, sanitary) and similar certifications (ASME, ATEX, PED). One of CDC's closest direct competitors globally.
• Elfab: Elfab is a UK-based rupture disc manufacturer (now part of IMI Critical Engineering) offering reverse-acting and forward-acting discs with ATEX, PED, and ASME certifications — a head-to-head competitor in European and global markets serving the same pharmaceutical, chemical, and oil & gas customer base as CDC.
• SGS S.r.l. SGS is an Italian manufacturer of rupture discs and pressure relief devices for chemical, petrochemical, and oil & gas applications across European and Mediterranean markets — a direct head-to-head competitor of Continental Disc in the rupture disc category.
• REMBE GmbH: REMBE is a Germany-based manufacturer of explosion protection and rupture disc products serving chemical, pharmaceutical, food, and oil & gas industries worldwide — a direct peer competing with CDC's full rupture disc and explosion vent panel portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/continental-disc-corporation
• Xx.com/continentaldisc
• Facebookfacebook.com/contdisc

Compliance19 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 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 Continental Disc Corporation