Great Lakes Industrial

What Great Lakes Industrial does

Great Lakes Industrial (GLI) is a third-generation family-owned manufacturer and distributor of engineered sealing solutions, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1954 as Great Lakes Rubber and Supply by George Henry Baumann in a 500-square-foot storefront, the company was rebranded under its current name in 2018 by the founder's grandson, George Baumann, to reflect an expanded mandate combining custom rubber and plastic manufacturing, hydraulic valve engineering, and multi-site distribution. GLI operates seven facilities across the United States (Milwaukee, Portland, Wake Forest, Buffalo Grove, Akron, Addison, plus the original Great Lakes Rubber & Supply entity) and stocks over 40,000 parts drawn from 300+ suppliers, serving OEMs and MRO customers in 13 business sectors including aerospace, military, food and beverage, life sciences, mining, oil and gas, and industrial hydraulics.

The company's product portfolio spans seals (O-rings, quad rings, D-rings, grommets, boots), gaskets in rubber, foam, paper, and felt, custom molded rubber and polymer shapes, fluid connectors (hydraulic and industrial hose, tubing, fittings), hydraulic valves under the Fluid Logic Valve brand (including zero-leak poppet technology and drop-in replacements for obsolete legacy valves), and fasteners. Manufacturing relies on rubber, plastic, and composite materials including elastomers, fluoropolymers, and specialty compounds, with compounds formulated to meet FDA, USP Class VI, NSF, UL, AMS aerospace, MIL-DTL-25988, MIL-G-21569, KTW, DVGW, BAM, and WRAS certifications. Value-added services including vendor managed inventory, kitting, custom packaging, rapid prototyping, part enhancements (RFID embedding, EMI shielding, coatings), in-house failure analysis, and engineering seminars are bundled with product sales.

GLI generates revenue primarily through one-time product sales of custom and standard parts to OEM and MRO customers, supplemented by professional services revenue from value-added offerings. Pricing is quote-based with minimum domestic stock orders of $25 ($5 minimum per line) and minimum international/manufacturing orders of $100 ($25 minimum per line). The go-to-market motion is sales-led, anchored by Sales Engineers under VP Sales Brad Hiller and Sales Manager Lew Weich, supported by an RFQ submission process on the company website, on-site engineering seminars, and a content marketing presence across LinkedIn, Instagram, X, YouTube, and a corporate blog. Distribution is direct, with same-day small package shipping for orders placed before 1:30 PM CST and LTL shipping within 24 hours, and the company ships internationally as well as into Mexico.

Name

Great Lakes Industrial

Legal name

Great Lakes Industrial, Inc

Website

https://greatlakesindustrial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Great Lakes Industrial is a third-generation family-owned manufacturer and distributor of engineered sealing solutions, including O-rings, gaskets, custom molded rubber, and hydraulic valves, serving OEMs across 13 industrial sectors from seven U.S. facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milwaukee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (Custom and Standard Parts): Full-service manufacturer and distributor offering both custom and standard parts including O-rings, seals, gaskets, hydraulic valves, fluid connectors, and fasteners. Revenue generated from product sales to OEMs and MROs. Over 40,000 parts stocked at facilities nationwide.
2. Value-Added Services: Manufacturing services, kitting, packaging, inventory management (Vendor Managed Inventory), and rapid prototyping services bundled with product sales to provide comprehensive solutions to customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Great Lakes Industrial is a third-generation family-owned engineering, manufacturing and distribution company that designs, compounds and produces custom and standard industrial sealing solutions—including O-rings, gaskets, custom molded rubber and plastic shapes, fluid connectors, hydraulic valves, and fasteners—for OEM and MRO customers. The company pairs these physical products with value-added services such as in-house engineering and lab testing, kitting, packaging, vendor-managed inventory, rapid prototyping, and part enhancements (coatings, RFID embedding, EMI shielding), supported by 40,000+ stocked parts across six nationwide facilities serving 13 business sectors.

Product overview

Great Lakes Industrial is a family-owned engineering and manufacturing company offering a comprehensive portfolio of sealing solutions and industrial products. The core product portfolio includes Seals (O-rings, quad rings, D-rings, oil seals, piston seals, rod seals, U-cups, T-seals, and more), Gaskets (rubber, foam, paper, felt, plastics), Custom Molded Shapes (rubber, plastic, overmolding, extrusion), Fluid Connectors (hydraulic/industrial/braided hose, tubing, fittings, clamps), Hydraulic Valves under the Fluid Logic Valve brand (drop-in replacement valves, zero leak poppet technology), and Fasteners. Value-added services include Part Enhancements (coatings, treatments, RFID embedding, EMI shielding), Kitting & Packaging, Inventory Management, Rapid Prototyping, Engineering Services, and specialized Life Sciences sealing solutions. The company stocks over 40,000 parts at six facilities nationwide and serves OEMs across 13 business sectors including automotive, aerospace, medical, industrial, and life sciences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fluid Logic Valve: Specializes in hydraulic valves, drop-in replacement valves, and hydraulic systems with zero leak poppet technology for steel mills, subsea, mining, oil and gas, aerospace, and military industries

Products and services

• Seals (O-rings, Quad Rings, D-rings, oil seals, piston seals, rod seals, U-cups, T-seals, grommets, boots) A core product line offering O-rings, seals, grommets, boots, and molded shapes for diverse industrial applications; compounds meet FDA, USP, KTW, DVGW, BAM, WRAS, NSF, UL, and AMS (aerospace) standards. Sold to OEM and MRO buyers across 13 business sectors.
• Gaskets Reliable seal solutions for specific compression levels and demanding applications, offered in rubber, plastic, foam, paper and felt materials; targeted at OEMs requiring custom die-cut and molded gaskets for production equipment.
• Custom Molded Shapes Rubber and polymer compounds precisely customized for specific OEM applications in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and material hardness — including PIP seals, grommets, boots, bellows and balls. Capabilities include overmolding and extrusion for OEM customers across aerospace, electrical, food & beverage, military, and life-science industries.
• Fluid Connectors (Hoses, Tubing, Fittings, Clamps) Full menu of hoses and tubing for industrial, hydraulic, and food & beverage applications, plus heat-shrink tubing, custom extrusion, and fittings in brass, plastic, stainless steel, and steel for OEM and MRO customers.
• Hydraulic Valves (Fluid Logic Valve brand) Drop-in replacement valves and advanced hydraulic systems using proprietary zero-leak poppet technology, including obsolete-valve replacements for legacy Vickers, Hunt and Salem systems. Sold into steel mills, subsea, mining, oil & gas, aerospace, and military hydraulic applications.
• Fasteners Standard and metric fasteners including screws, nuts, bolts, pins, rings, clamps, clips, hooks, plastic fasteners, and specialty fastener seals designed for ideal compression performance in OEM assemblies.
• Part Enhancements (coatings, treatments, RFID, EMI shielding) Standalone service line applying surface coatings to O-rings and seals, rubber treatments, color-coded dotting for identification, RFID embedding for batch/cure/lot tracking, and EMI shielding via conductive metal-embedded rubber components. Sold to OEMs that need enhanced part performance beyond off-the-shelf elastomers.
• Engineering Services Engineer-led support service offering innovative solutions, quality control, in-house product inspection, leak testing, failure analysis, and custom design. Also includes engineering seminars covering sealing design, material selection, and related topics. Sold to OEM customers needing co-engineering support.
• Inventory Management & Stocking Distribution Value-added supply-chain service offering Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), stocking distribution, and inventory management programs to optimize customer supply chains and minimize cost fluctuations.
• Kitting & Packaging Services Custom kitting, packaging, and product enhancement services — including custom reusable packaging with foam inserts — designed to streamline customer operations, reduce error rates, and lower total cost.
• Rapid Prototyping Accelerated product development service using rapid prototyping to shorten customer development cycles for custom sealing components and assemblies.
• Life Sciences Sealing Solutions Precision sealing solutions for the medical device industry meeting FDA, USP Class VI, and other stringent regulatory standards for surgical instruments and diagnostic equipment. Sold to OEM customers in the medical/life-sciences vertical.
• Chemical Compatibility Tool Interactive online tool that lets customers select chemicals and view material compatibility ratings for common O-ring compounds including NBR, EPDM, and Viton — supporting seal material selection during the engineering phase.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduce downtime through reliable sealing solutions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Marco Rubber & Plastics: Marco Rubber & Plastics is a US-based custom manufacturer and distributor of O-rings, seals, gaskets, and molded rubber components serving OEM customers. It is one of the closest direct competitors to Great Lakes Industrial in size, customer base, and product breadth.
• Daemar Inc. Daemar is a Canadian-headquartered distributor and manufacturer of industrial seals, O-rings, gaskets, and related components serving North American OEM customers. It is a comparable North American sealing distributor/manufacturer of similar scale to GLI.
• Greene Tweed: Greene Tweed is a US-based manufacturer of high-performance seals, gaskets, and engineered polymer components for aerospace, defense, oil & gas, and semiconductor customers. It overlaps with GLI's higher-end sealing and engineered components business.
• Apple Rubber Products: Apple Rubber Products is a US-based designer and manufacturer of standard and custom O-rings and sealing devices, including specialty compounds and engineered solutions. It competes directly with GLI in the OEM sealing market, particularly in custom-molded elastomers.
• Minnesota Rubber and Plastics: Minnesota Rubber and Plastics manufactures custom-molded rubber and thermoplastic components, including seals and gaskets, for medical, industrial, and automotive OEMs. It overlaps with GLI on custom molded shapes and engineered sealing solutions for OEM applications.

Broad incumbents

• Parker Hannifin: Parker Hannifin is a global Fortune 500 manufacturer of motion and control technologies, including a broad sealing solutions portfolio (O-Rings, gaskets, hydraulic valves) and a major hydraulic valve business. It is the dominant broad incumbent in GLI's core markets.
• Trelleborg Sealing Solutions: Trelleborg is a Swedish-engineered polymer specialist with one of the largest global sealing product portfolios, serving aerospace, automotive, and industrial OEMs. It is a major broad incumbent competing across most of GLI's end markets.
• Freudenberg Sealing Technologies: Freudenberg Sealing Technologies is a German-headquartered global manufacturer of seals and sealing solutions for automotive, aerospace, food & beverage, and medical customers. It overlaps heavily with GLI's engineered and medical-grade sealing business.
• Eaton (Hydraulics): Eaton is a major global manufacturer of hydraulic valves, pumps, and motion control products serving industrial, mobile, and aerospace customers. It is the broadest incumbent in GLI's Fluid Logic Valve end markets (steel, mining, oil & gas, aerospace, military).
• Saint-Gobain (Seals & Bearings): Saint-Gobain's sealing products division manufactures engineered seals, polymer components, and fluid handling products for industrial OEMs. It is a broad incumbent competing in many of the same OEM verticals as GLI.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GLIndustrial
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@GreatLakesIndustrial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gl-industrial
• Instagraminstagram.com/greatlakesindustrial

Compliance15 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Great Lakes Industrial