Saunders
Saunders is a 1959-founded custom converting services company (division of R.S. Hughes) that die-cuts, laminates, and slits adhesive tapes, foams, and films into custom components for aerospace, automotive, EV battery, electronics, HVAC, medical, and industrial manufacturers across two U.S. facilities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1959
- HeadquartersPasadena, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Saunders does
Saunders, a division of R.S. Hughes Co., Inc., is a U.S.-based custom product and material conversion services company founded in 1959 and headquartered in Pasadena, California. The company converts adhesive tapes, foams, films, and specialty materials sourced from suppliers such as 3M, Laird, Avery Dennison, Tesa, and Nitto into custom-cut components, gaskets, seals, and bonded assemblies through die-cutting, laser cutting, digital (die-less) cutting, complex laminating, precision slitting, flexographic printing, and kit assembly. Saunders operates two manufacturing facilities — Irwindale, California and Cypress (Houston), Texas, the latter opened June 2, 2025 after relocating from Lombard, Illinois — including an ISO 7 Class 10,000 cleanroom and Zund digital cutting equipment, with both facilities ISO 9001 certified.
The business operates on a project-based, quote-driven B2B model with no published pricing tiers, reaching customers through direct sales consultation, RFQ forms, and content/inbound marketing. Saunders is a 3M Preferred Converter and 2024 Laird Performance Materials Preferred Partner, leveraging certifications and material-supplier relationships as core commercial assets. Target verticals are diversified across aerospace, automotive and EV battery, electronics, HVAC, industrial, medical, graphics, energy, and safety/security — with EV battery and thermal management positioned as growth verticals.
Revenue is generated through professional services fees on custom-engineered converting projects, with documented operational outcomes for customers including 30% cost reductions, assembly time compression (30 seconds to 10 seconds per part), and lead-time reductions from 3-4 weeks to 24-hour ship on stocking programs. Headcount is in the 51-100 range; revenue is not publicly disclosed. Saunders has no AI/ML capability, no API offering, and no subsidiary or acquisition activity in the input record.
Saunders firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Saunders
- Legal name
- Saunders, A Division of R.S. Hughes Co., Inc.
- Website
- https://saunderscorp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1959
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Saunders is a 1959-founded custom converting services company (division of R.S. Hughes) that die-cuts, laminates, and slits adhesive tapes, foams, and films into custom components for aerospace, automotive, EV battery, electronics, HVAC, medical, and industrial manufacturers across two U.S. facilities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Saunders industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Material Converting Services
- NAICS
- Converted Paper Product Manufacturing (3222), All Other Converted Paper Product Manufacturing (322299)
- SIC
- Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) (2670), Fabricated Rubber Products, Nec (3060)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Paper Converting Services (slitting, sheeting, coating, laminating, rewinding) (IMAMAHAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Finishing, Converting & Die-Cutting Services (IMALAKAN)
Keywords
Where Saunders is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pasadena
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Saunders business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Custom Converting Services: Saunders generates revenue through custom converting and manufacturing services including die-cutting, laminating, slitting, packaging, and assembly. Revenue is project-based and derived from custom-engineered solutions tailored to customer specifications. The company operates on a quote-based pricing model for custom orders.
- Material Conversion: Conversion of adhesive tapes, foams, films, and specialty materials (from supplier partners like 3M, Laird, Avery Dennison, etc.) into custom-cut components, gaskets, seals, and bonded assemblies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Quote-Based Pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Saunders product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Saunders provides custom converting and manufacturing services including die-cutting, kiss cutting, complex laminating, gasket manufacturing, laser cutting, digital die-less cutting, flexographic printing, precision slitting, kit assembly, prototyping, rewinding, and sheeting. The company converts adhesive tapes, foams, films, and specialty materials sourced from suppliers like 3M, Laird, and Avery Dennison into custom-engineered components for industrial manufacturers across aerospace, automotive, medical, electronics, HVAC, battery/EV, transportation, and industrial sectors.
Product overview
Saunders is a custom product and material conversion services company providing engineered converting solutions since 1959. The company operates as a division of R.S. Hughes Co., Inc. and offers a comprehensive suite of converting services including die-cutting/kiss cutting, adhesive bonding, complex laminating, custom gasket manufacturing, digital die-less cutting, flexographic printing, kit assembly, laser cutting, precision slitting, roll slitting, prototyping, rewinding, and sheeting. These services work together as an integrated manufacturing solution where materials are received, converted to custom specifications using various techniques (die-cutting, laser cutting, digital cutting), processed (laminating, bonding, assembly), and delivered as finished components. Saunders leverages partnerships with major materials suppliers including 3M (as a 3M Preferred Converter), Laird, Avery Dennison, Tesa, and others to source tapes, foams, films, rubber, and specialty adhesive materials. The company serves diverse industries including aerospace, automotive, battery/EV, electronics, energy, HVAC, industrial, medical, military, transportation, and graphics, providing both prototyping and high-volume production capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Die Cutting/Kiss Cutting Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduced customer costs by 30%
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Saunders
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Saunders technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Saunders partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- Laird Performance MaterialscoreLaird, a Dupont Business, develops thermal management solutions including thermoelectric modules and liquid cooling systems. Saunders is a 2024 Preferred Partner for thermal management applications.
- R.S. Hughes Co., Inc.coreR.S. Hughes is the parent company of Saunders, providing strategic ownership and enabling access to a vast distribution network, purchasing power, and 350,000+ premium products. Saunders has partnered with R.S. Hughes to better serve customers with more options for custom-cut materials.
- 3MflagshipSaunders is a 3M Preferred Converter, providing priority access to 3M's comprehensive portfolio of tapes, adhesives, foams, and specialty materials. This partnership enables Saunders to offer industry-leading materials with established engineering expertise.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Saunders competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Custom Converting, Inc. Independent custom converter offering slitting, rewinding, sheeting, and die-cutting of pressure-sensitive materials. Comparable in core service offering and customer base of industrial tape and adhesive users.
- Marian Inc. Milwaukee-based precision die-cutting, laminating, and converting of flexible materials including foams, tapes, and films. Comparable in equipment set, customer mix (automotive, medical, electronics, industrial), and project-based service model.
- Fabrico: Custom converting and material fabrication specialist offering die-cutting, laminating, and assembly of flexible materials for industrial OEMs. Comparable in scope of converting services and breadth of industrial end markets.
- Strouse Corp: Westminster, MD-based custom die-cutting and material converter offering precision converting, laminating, and rapid prototyping for medical, automotive, and electronics. Directly comparable as a non-OEM custom converter serving similar industrial end markets with similar converting capabilities.
- JBC Technologies: Custom die-cutting, slitting, laminating, and flexible material converter serving automotive, medical, HVAC, electronics, and industrial customers. Closely matched service set, customer verticals, and project-based revenue model.
- Elcom: Custom converter of adhesives, foams, films, and specialty materials with die-cutting, slitting, and laminating capabilities. Comparable service portfolio and focus on industrial OEM customers.
- Tapecon: Rochester, NY custom converter specializing in adhesive tapes, foams, films, and medical-grade materials with printing, die-cutting, and laminating capabilities. Comparable in adhesive/foam converting focus and medical/industrial customer overlap.
Broad incumbents
- Boyd Corporation: Larger diversified manufacturer of thermal management, sealing, and engineered material solutions serving EV, aerospace, medical, and electronics. Overlaps with Saunders in thermal interface and gasket components but operates at much larger scale across broader geographies.
- Technetics Group: Engineered sealing and converting solutions for aerospace, semiconductor, medical, and industrial OEMs. Overlaps with Saunders in gasket and precision die-cut components but at greater scale and broader product scope.
Others
- R.S. Hughes Company, Inc. Parent company and industrial distribution platform of which Saunders is a division. Not a direct competitor but the enabling channel and capital structure that supports Saunders' growth and customer reach.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Saunders social profiles
Digital presenceSaunders compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Saunders financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Saunders leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Saunders funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Saunders M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Saunders
What does Saunders do?
Saunders provides custom converting and manufacturing services including die-cutting, kiss cutting, complex laminating, gasket manufacturing, laser cutting, digital die-less cutting, flexographic printing, precision slitting, kit assembly, prototyping, rewinding, and sheeting. The company converts adhesive tapes, foams, films, and specialty materials sourced from suppliers like 3M, Laird, and Avery Dennison into custom-engineered components for industrial manufacturers across aerospace, automotive, medical, electronics, HVAC, battery/EV, transportation, and industrial sectors.
Is Saunders a public or private company?
Saunders is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Saunders founded?
Saunders was founded in 1959. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Saunders based?
Saunders is headquartered in Pasadena, United States, in the North America region.
How does Saunders make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Custom Converting Services are the primary driver. The others are material Conversion.
Who are Saunders's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Custom Converting, Inc., Marian Inc., Fabrico, Strouse Corp, JBC Technologies, Elcom and Tapecon. Broad incumbents are Boyd Corporation and Technetics Group. R.S. Hughes Company, Inc. is listed as an others.
Does Saunders have an API?
No public API is recorded for Saunders.
What industry is Saunders in?
Saunders's product category is Custom Material Converting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAMAHAJ, Paper Converting Services (slitting, sheeting, coating, laminating, rewinding), with a secondary code of IMALAKAN, Finishing, Converting & Die-Cutting Services. Its NAICS code is 3222 and its SIC code is 2670.