Underground Devices
Underground Devices is a privately held US manufacturer of nonmetallic duct spacers, bore spacers, and cable support systems for underground power and communications infrastructure, serving electric utilities, telecom providers, contractors, and distributors since 1973.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersNorthbrook, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Underground Devices does
Underground Devices, Inc. is a privately held specialty manufacturer founded in 1973 and headquartered in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. The company designs and produces nonmetallic duct spacers, bore spacers, and cable support systems used in underground power and communications infrastructure, including manholes, vaults, and utility tunnels. Its core products are molded from UL Listed Glass Reinforced Polymer and are positioned as non-conductive, corrosion-resistant alternatives to traditional steel cable racks, eliminating the need for grounding and insulators while delivering comparable load capacity. Flagship lines include the one-piece Wunpeece Duct Spacers for concrete-encased duct runs, Bore Spacers for horizontal directional drilling (HDD) under environmentally sensitive areas, and the BNT, Multi-Mount, Saddle Rack, and Heavy Duty Nonmetallic Cable Support Systems.
The company sells via a direct sales motion to electric utilities, telecom providers, contractors, and engineers, supplemented by a distributor network that includes Utility Pipe Supply, Anixter, and Comstar Supply. Pricing is quote-based across all products, with no public price list, and the company emphasizes engineering collaboration, custom configurations, and multi-year project partnerships. Notable deployments include the UPS Hub 2000 project in Louisville, KY, the O'Hare Modernization Program in Chicago, IL, and the Woodbridge Energy Project in New Jersey. Underground Devices has accumulated 11,000+ miles of conduit installed using its duct spacers over the past ten years and holds 35+ patents issued over the same period. The company is privately held, has no disclosed external funding, and is currently led by Chris Greene following ownership by Adrienne McCoy, who purchased the business in 1987.
Underground Devices firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Underground Devices
- Legal name
- Underground Devices, Inc.
- Website
- https://udevices.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Underground Devices is a privately held US manufacturer of nonmetallic duct spacers, bore spacers, and cable support systems for underground power and communications infrastructure, serving electric utilities, telecom providers, contractors, and distributors since 1973.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Underground Devices industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Underground Utility Cable Support Hardware
- NAICS
- Noncurrent-Carrying Wiring Device Manufacturing (335932), Wiring Device Manufacturing (33593)
- SIC
- Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Conduit & Raceway Systems (Metallic/Nonmetallic) (IMADAMAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Utility & Underground Distribution Cable (URD/Substation) (IMADAMAG), Trenchless/Directional Drilling Ducts & Conduit (IMANADAI), Telecommunications & Fiber Duct/Conduit Systems (IMANADAD)
Keywords
Where Underground Devices is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Northbrook
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Underground Devices business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Hardware Product Sales: Manufacturing and selling physical infrastructure products including duct spacers, bore spacers, and nonmetallic cable supports to utilities, contractors, and distributors.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based pricing for all products |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Underground Devices product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Underground Devices manufactures duct spacers, bore spacers, and nonmetallic cable support systems for underground power and communications infrastructure. Its products are used in manholes, vaults, utility tunnels, concrete-encased duct banks, and horizontal directional drilled casings. All products are molded from UL Listed Glass Reinforced Polymer, are non-conductive, and never rust or corrode.
Product overview
Underground Devices is a manufacturer of underground cable support infrastructure products founded in 1973, headquartered in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. The company's product portfolio consists of three main product categories: Duct Spacers (including Wunpeece Duct Spacers in 2"-8" sizes, Fabricated Duct Spacers, Duct Donut Spacers, and accessories), Bore Spacers for horizontal directional drilling applications, and Non-metallic Cable Supports (including Saddle Rack Cable Supports, Multi-Mount Cable Support Arms, BNT Non-metallic Cable Supports, Heavy Duty Non-metallic Cable Racks, and Cable Sling). These products are designed for underground power and communications infrastructure installations in manholes, vaults, and utility tunnels. The company emphasizes that all products are non-metallic, non-conductive, and will not rust or corrode, eliminating the need for grounding and insulators.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wunpeece Duct Spacers One-piece duct spacers for concrete encased duct runs, available in 2" through 8" conduit sizes. Snap-in design halves labor and parts handling, with no vertical shear plane through random positioning along the duct run. Designed for utilities and contractors installing underground power distribution duct banks.
- Bore Spacers Spacers designed for underground encasement of conduit in horizontal directional drilled (HDD) casings. Used for crossing underneath environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands.
- Saddle Rack Cable Supports Versatile cable support system for manhole, tunnel, and vault applications. Available in 2 sizes with 1, 2, or 3 saddles. Bolts directly to vault or manhole wall. Non-conductive, will not rust or corrode, no grounding or insulators required, with same loading capacity as comparable steel cable racks.
- Multi-Mount Cable Support Arms Complete non-metallic cable support system that bolts directly to vault or manhole walls. Ideal for new installations or retrofit jobs. Non-conductive, never rusts or corrodes, with no grounding or insulators required.
- BNT Non-metallic Cable Supports Versatile cable support system with arms installable in non-metallic or certain metallic stanchions. Arms secured with non-metallic pins allowing installation and removal without disturbing cables. Features excellent dielectric properties.
- Heavy Duty Non-metallic Cable Racks Heavy-duty cable support system consisting of rack stanchions, rack arms, and rack hardware. Designed for manhole, vault, and utility tunnel installations.
- Cable Sling Temporary support for power and communication cables at jobsites. Low-cost, one-piece molded UL listed high-performance non-corrosive, non-flammable polymer. Holds up to 3" diameter cable.
- Fabricated Duct Spacers Fabricated duct spacers for custom duct bank configurations, including 3-way and 4-way configurations at no additional cost. Used for underground power transmission applications.
- Duct Donut Spacers Donut-shaped duct spacers for specific spacing configurations in duct bank installations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 11,000 miles of conduit installed with Underground Devices Duct Spacers over the past ten years
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Underground Devices
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Underground Devices technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Underground Devices partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major project.
- Utility Pipe Supply, Inc.coreLong-term distributor partnership spanning many years. Utility Pipe Supply distributes Underground Devices products and has worked on countless large and detailed projects with the company.
- Anixter, Inc.coreAnixter distributes Underground Devices products in the electrical field and is recognized as one of the best vendors they deal with for service and product quality.
- Comstar SupplycoreDistributor partner that worked with Underground Devices on the high-profile J. Fletcher Creamer directional drill project in the Northeast US.
- J. Fletcher Creamermajor projectConstruction firm partnered with Underground Devices on a high-profile directional drill project. The engineering and sales teams at Underground Devices assisted from design phase through delivery and installation.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Underground Devices competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Legrand: Legrand is a global wiring device and cable management incumbent whose products are commonly specified alongside utility and commercial electrical installations, addressing adjacent rather than directly competing SKUs.
- Hubbell: Hubbell is a broad electrical products manufacturer with utility-grade cable support, anchoring, and connector products (including Burndy and Polycast) serving the same utility T&D customers as Underground Devices, but across a much wider portfolio.
- Eaton: Eaton is a global power management incumbent offering electrical distribution, wiring devices, and infrastructure products relevant to utility undergrounding and substation builds, overlapping with Underground Devices' customer base but as part of a much broader portfolio.
- ABB: ABB is a global electrical equipment leader serving utilities with substation, T&D, and cable management solutions; while not a focused cable-rack specialist, it competes for the same utility underground infrastructure specifications.
- Schneider Electric: Schneider Electric provides utility-grade electrical distribution and infrastructure products, including cable management and wiring devices, serving overlapping utility and telecom end-markets with Underground Devices at much greater scale.
Direct peers
- Atkore: Atkore is a leading manufacturer of electrical raceway products including PVC conduit, cable management systems, and underground infrastructure components serving the same utility and construction end-markets as Underground Devices. Highly comparable product adjacency in conduit and cable support.
- nVent Electric (ERICO brand): nVent's ERICO line is a long-established supplier of cable support, grounding, and electrical connection products including those used in underground utility and substation applications, directly competing with Underground Devices' nonmetallic cable rack portfolio.
Emerging players
- MacLean Power Systems: MacLean Power Systems manufactures utility infrastructure hardware including cable supports, pole-line hardware, and substation products, competing for similar utility underground and overhead specifications though with a broader hardware mix.
- Preformed Line Products: Preformed Line Products supplies utility hardware including cable protection, substation components, and overhead/underground accessories, with overlap in duct and cable support use cases relevant to Underground Devices.
Regional players
- Allied Bolt Products: Allied Bolt is a niche manufacturer of utility fasteners, anchors, and hardware sold into similar utility and telecom channels as Underground Devices, with overlapping but more limited cable-support capabilities.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Underground Devices social profiles
Digital presenceUnderground Devices financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Underground Devices leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Underground Devices funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Underground Devices 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 Underground Devices
What does Underground Devices do?
Underground Devices manufactures duct spacers, bore spacers, and nonmetallic cable support systems for underground power and communications infrastructure. Its products are used in manholes, vaults, utility tunnels, concrete-encased duct banks, and horizontal directional drilled casings. All products are molded from UL Listed Glass Reinforced Polymer, are non-conductive, and never rust or corrode.
Is Underground Devices a public or private company?
Underground Devices is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Underground Devices founded?
Underground Devices was founded in 1973. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Underground Devices based?
Underground Devices is headquartered in Northbrook, United States, in the North America region.
How does Underground Devices make money?
One revenue line is on record: hardware Product Sales.
Who are Underground Devices's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Legrand, Hubbell, Eaton, ABB and Schneider Electric. Direct peers are Atkore and nVent Electric (ERICO brand). Emerging players are MacLean Power Systems and Preformed Line Products. Allied Bolt Products is listed as a regional player.
Does Underground Devices have an API?
No public API is recorded for Underground Devices.
What industry is Underground Devices in?
Underground Devices's product category is Underground Utility Cable Support Hardware. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMADAMAJ, Conduit & Raceway Systems (Metallic/Nonmetallic), with a secondary code of IMADAMAG, Utility & Underground Distribution Cable (URD/Substation). Its NAICS code is 335932 and its SIC code is 3640.