What Oilgear does

Oilgear is a 100+ year-old American manufacturer of high-performance hydraulic components, founded in 1921 and headquartered in Traverse City, Michigan, with regional offices in Nebraska (USA), France (Europe HQ), the United Kingdom, and Korea. The company designs and builds axial piston pumps (variable and fixed displacement series including XD5, PVWJ, PVG, PVV, PFBA, PFBK, PFCM, PFCS), industrial and motion compensation valves, subsea products (SPM valves, pressure regulators, seal plates, BARS boosting systems, TFS passive filtration), helical hydraulic rotary actuators (SM Series), electronic controls (EPC3 amplifier cards), and custom hydraulic test stands. Its underlying technology is anchored by a proprietary hard-on-hard hydrobearing platform that eliminates soft metals to resist heat, contamination, and shock loads, supported by additional patented designs including hard-seated SPM valves, piston-cam pressure regulators, and intensifier-based boosting systems.

Oilgear serves six primary end-markets: industrial manufacturing (forging, extrusion, forming, die casting, injection molding), oil & gas (subsea BOP control, motion compensation, offshore cranes, riser tensioning), mobile equipment (construction, agriculture, forestry, mining, material handling), aerospace and defense (deck machinery, weapons handling, launch and submarine systems), energy generation (nuclear, hydroelectric, thermal), and automotive safety testing (roof crush, seat belt anchorage, headrest, side intrusion). The business model is a hybrid of engineered hardware sales and aftermarket services: bespoke pumps and valves are specified and sold via direct enterprise field sales backed by global distribution, supplemented by certified repair, field commissioning, training, spare parts, system retrofits, and Power-on-Demand analysis services. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, consistent with the enterprise sales motion. Recent strategic activity includes active product expansion into LNG/cryogenic (TRANSFER BARRIER), deepwater subsea (BARS, TFS), and helical rotary actuation, alongside digital GTM investments (product configurator and customer portal). Oilgear was part of TH Holdings, sold by Wynnchurch Capital in December 2024 to new ownership.

Name

Oilgear

Legal name

Oilgear

Website

https://oilgear.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1921

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Oilgear is a 100+ year-old US manufacturer of high-performance hydraulic pumps, valves, rotary actuators, and subsea components, serving industrial, oil & gas, mobile, aerospace & defense, energy, and automotive testing customers globally through direct enterprise sales, distribution, and aftermarket services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Hydraulics

NAICS

Fluid Power Pump and Motor Manufacturing (333996), Fluid Power Cylinder and Actuator Manufacturing (333995), Fluid Power Valve and Hose Fitting Manufacturing (332912), Oil and Gas Field Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333132)

SIC

Pumps & Pumping Equipment (3561)

akta.pro primary industry

Hydraulic Components (Pumps, Motors, Cylinders) (IMAHAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Proportional & Servo Hydraulics (Electrohydraulic Valves, Servo Systems) (IMAHAGAF), Hydraulic Power Units & Systems (HPUs, Manifolds, Integrated Circuits) (IMAHAGAB), Production Services & Artificial Lift (ESP, Rod Lift, Gas Lift, Chemicals) (EUALABAH), Pump & Compressor Packages (Skids, Booster Sets) (IMAHANAG)

Keywords

• Hydraulic piston pumps
• Industrial hydraulic valves
• Subsea motion compensation
• Hydraulic rotary actuators
• High-pressure hydraulic systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Traverse City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hydraulic Pumps: Sale of axial piston pumps including variable displacement (XD5, PVWJ, PVG, PVV series) and fixed displacement (PFBA, PFBK, PFCM, PFCS series) pumps for industrial, mobile, oil & gas, and defense applications.
2. Hydraulic Valves: Sale of industrial valves (screw-in cartridge, check, directional control, relief, servo amplifier, amplifier, prefill & exhaust, proportional throttle) and motion compensation valves (anti-recoil, flow shutoff, isolation, pressure compensated air flow shutoff).
3. Rotary Actuators: SM Series helical hydraulic rotary actuators providing rotational movement for applications requiring exact torque control and positioning.
4. Subsea Products: Subsea-specific products including SPM valves, pressure regulators, seal plates, and BARS systems for deepwater and offshore operations.
5. Services & Support: Comprehensive services including product training, field commissioning & troubleshooting, certified pump and valve repair, maintenance, spare parts, system upgrades & retrofits, and power on demand analysis.
6. Custom Test Stands: Design, manufacturing, and supply of custom hydraulic test stands for automotive, industrial, and aerospace testing including Skydrol test stands and high-pressure test stands up to 1000 bar.
7. Electrical Controls & Automation: EPC3 amplifier controller cards and electronic control systems for variable displacement pumps and valves.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Oilgear designs and manufactures hydraulic components and systems, including axial piston pumps (variable and fixed displacement), industrial and motion-compensation hydraulic valves, helical hydraulic rotary actuators, subsea pressure regulators and seal plates, and custom-engineered hydraulic test stands. Its products serve heavy industrial, oil & gas (including offshore/subsea), mobile equipment, aerospace & defense, energy generation, and automotive testing customers.

Product overview

Oilgear is a high-performance hydraulic components manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of piston pumps (variable and fixed displacement axial-piston pumps in XD5, PVWJ, PVG, PVV, PFBA, PFBK, PFCM, PFCS series), valves (industrial valves including screw-in cartridge, check, directional control, relief, servo amplifier, amplifier, prefill & exhaust, and proportional throttle valves; plus motion compensation valves for offshore applications including anti-recoil, flow shutoff, isolation, and pressure compensated air flow shutoff valves), subsea products (SPM valves, pressure regulators, seal plates, BARS boosting & regulating system, TFS passive filtration system), helical hydraulic rotary actuators (SM Series), electrical controls and automation (EPC3 amplifier controller card), air dry filters, custom test stands, and specialty systems (TRANSFER BARRIER pump for LNG and cryogenic service). The company also supports legacy pump models. Oilgear serves industrial, oil & gas, mobile, aerospace & defense, energy, and automotive test stand markets with engineering services, training, field service, and certified repair capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Olmsted: Olmsted product line containing motion compensation valves including Anti-Recoil Valves (ARV), Prefill valves, and SVX Series Proportional Throttle Valves known for fast-acting large relief valves
• Towler

Products and services

• XD5 Series Variable Displacement Piston Pumps Variable displacement axial piston pumps operating at 350 bar with Hard-on-Hard bearing design eliminating swash-plate wear, targeted at heavy industrial hydraulic systems.
• PVWJ Series Variable Displacement Piston Pumps Variable displacement axial piston pumps for industrial hydraulic systems requiring configurable flow and pressure.
• PVG Series Variable Displacement Piston Pumps Variable displacement axial piston pumps for industrial hydraulic applications.
• PVV Series Variable Displacement Piston Pumps Variable displacement axial piston pumps for industrial hydraulic systems.
• PFBA Series Fixed Displacement Piston Pumps Fixed displacement axial piston pumps for industrial hydraulic applications.
• PFBK Series Fixed Displacement Piston Pumps Fixed displacement axial piston pumps for industrial hydraulic applications.
• PFCM Series Fixed Displacement Piston Pumps Fixed displacement axial piston pumps used across multiple Oilgear applications including customer deployments like S&M Systems.
• PFCS Series Fixed Displacement Piston Pumps Fixed displacement axial piston pumps for industrial hydraulic applications.
• TRANSFER BARRIER Pump and System Integrated pump and barrier system for fluid transfer applications requiring separation or isolation of hydraulic circuits.
• Industrial Valves A comprehensive range of hydraulic valves for industrial applications, including flow control, pressure control, and directional functions.
• Anti-Recoil Valves (ARV) Motion-compensation hydraulic valves that manage recoil in drilling and offshore applications.
• Flow Shutoff Valves (FSV) Hydraulic flow shutoff valves used in motion compensation and offshore oil & gas systems.
• Isolation Valves Hydraulic isolation valves for subsea and offshore motion-compensation systems.
• Pressure Compensated Air Flow Shutoff Valves Pressure-compensated air flow shutoff valves used in motion-compensation and offshore applications.
• SVX Series Proportional Throttle Valves Proportional throttle valves for proportional hydraulic flow control in industrial and mobile applications.
• Multifunction SPM Valves Special Performance Multifunction (SPM) hydraulic valves combining multiple control functions in a single integrated valve package.
• Subsea Pressure Regulators Subsea-rated hydraulic pressure regulators designed for offshore oil & gas motion compensation and control systems.
• Seal Plates Hydraulic seal plates used in subsea equipment, including deployments with partners such as Olmsted.
• BARS (Boosting & Regulating System) Integrated hydraulic boosting and regulating system for subsea and other high-pressure applications.
• TFS Passive Filtration System Passive hydraulic filtration system for industrial hydraulic circuits.
• SM Series Helical Hydraulic Rotary Actuators Helical hydraulic rotary actuators providing rotary motion output for industrial hydraulic systems.
• EPC3 Amplifier Controller Card Amplifier controller card used to control Oilgear proportional valves and hydraulic systems.
• Air Dry Filter Air dry filter for pneumatic/hydraulic systems to remove moisture and particulates from supplied air.
• Custom Test Stands Custom-engineered hydraulic test stands designed and built to customer specifications for automotive and industrial testing programs.
• Legacy Pump Series Legacy Oilgear hydraulic pump models retained for aftermarket and installed-base support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% lower energy consumption with POWER ON DEMAND systems
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Eaton: Industrial conglomerate with a significant hydraulics business (now part of Danfoss Power Solutions post-2021 deal, but legacy Eaton Hydraulics remains highly comparable). Competes directly in piston pumps, valves, and mobile equipment hydraulics.
• Bosch Rexroth: Global fluid power leader offering axial piston pumps, valves, and hydraulic systems across industrial and mobile markets. Closest broad incumbent to Oilgear with overlapping product portfolio in variable displacement pumps, proportional valves, and motion control.
• Parker Hannifin: Diversified motion and control technologies manufacturer with a major hydraulic pump, valve, and actuator division serving industrial, mobile, and aerospace markets. Directly overlaps Oilgear's pump, valve, and aerospace test stand offerings.
• Danfoss Power Solutions: Major fluid power supplier post-acquisition of Eaton Hydraulics, offering axial piston pumps, valves, motors, and electronic controls for mobile and industrial markets. Closely comparable to Oilgear's mobile and industrial product portfolio.

Direct peers

• Atos (now part of Bosch Rexroth): Italian hydraulic valve specialist offering proportional, directional, and cartridge valves for industrial and mobile applications. Directly comparable to Oilgear's industrial valve product line (screw-in cartridge, directional control, proportional throttle).
• HYDAC: German hydraulic components manufacturer with broad portfolio including pumps, valves, filters, and accumulators for industrial and mobile markets. Comparable to Oilgear across hydraulic components with particular overlap in filtration and system integration.
• Kawasaki Precision Machinery: Manufacturer of hydraulic pumps, motors, and valves for construction, agricultural, and industrial machinery. Direct competitor in axial piston pumps and hydraulic motors targeting mobile and industrial applications similar to Oilgear's portfolio.
• Linde Hydraulics (Weichai Power): Manufacturer of high-pressure axial piston pumps and motors for mobile machinery, now owned by Weichai. Direct competitor in heavy-duty variable displacement pumps comparable to Oilgear's XD5 and PVV series.
• Dynex/Rivett (Parker Hannifin): Specialist in high-pressure piston pumps and motors (now part of Parker) serving industrial presses, plastics, and oil & gas applications. Closely comparable niche overlap with Oilgear's high-pressure fixed displacement pumps for presses and oilfield service.
• Moog Inc. Specialist in high-performance motion control products including servo valves, proportional valves, and precision hydraulic actuators. Comparable to Oilgear's SVX proportional throttle valves and motion compensation valves in high-precision, high-dynamic-response applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC3KI6EOrEx1BaXtaqrSnlAg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-oilgear-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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 Oilgear