Great Lakes Rubber
Great Lakes Rubber (operating as Great Lakes Industrial) is a family-owned industrial distributor and custom manufacturer of engineered sealing solutions, including O-rings, gaskets, seals, and custom molded shapes, serving OEM manufacturers across 13 sectors from six U.S. warehouse facilities since 1954.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1954
- HeadquartersMilwaukee, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Great Lakes Rubber does
Great Lakes Rubber (operating as Great Lakes Industrial) is a family-owned industrial distributor and custom manufacturer of sealing solutions, founded in 1954 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company specializes in engineered sealing products including O-rings, gaskets, seals, custom molded shapes, fluid connectors, hydraulic valves, and fasteners, serving OEM manufacturers across 13 business sectors in the United States. It operates six warehouse facilities nationwide, stocking more than 40,000 parts from over 300 suppliers to support rapid delivery and coast-to-coast coverage.
The company's core technology centers on sealing solutions engineering, supported by an in-house engineering lab providing product inspection, leak testing, failure analysis, and custom design services. Notable technical capabilities include NSF certification for life sciences applications and ISO 9001 quality certification, along with proprietary reference resources such as a chemical compatibility tool, AS568 O-ring size chart, and material data sheets.
The business model is B2B industrial distribution combined with custom manufacturing, generating revenue through hardware sales of both custom engineered parts and standard stocked inventory, supplemented by value-added services including kitting, packaging, inventory management, and rapid prototyping. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting OEM manufacturers directly, with pricing determined by specifications, volume, and contract terms on a quote basis. The company is led by President & CEO George Baumann and remains privately held with no disclosed institutional investors or capital raises.
Great Lakes Rubber firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Great Lakes Rubber
- Legal name
- Great Lakes Industrial
- Website
- https://greatlakesrubber.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1954
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Great Lakes Rubber (operating as Great Lakes Industrial) is a family-owned industrial distributor and custom manufacturer of engineered sealing solutions, including O-rings, gaskets, seals, and custom molded shapes, serving OEM manufacturers across 13 sectors from six U.S. warehouse facilities since 1954.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Great Lakes Rubber industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Sealing Solutions
- NAICS
- All Other Rubber Product Manufacturing (326299), Rubber Product Manufacturing for Mechanical Use (326291), Rubber and Plastics Hoses and Belting Manufacturing (326220), Rubber Product Manufacturing (3262)
- SIC
- Fabricated Rubber Products, Nec (3060)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General-Purpose Rubber Compounds (NR/SBR/BR/EPDM) (IMANAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Industrial Hoses & Tubing (Rubber/Elastomer) (IMANALAA)
Keywords
Where Great Lakes Rubber is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milwaukee
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Great Lakes Rubber business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Custom Sealing Solutions: Manufacture and sale of custom molded shapes, O-rings, gaskets, seals, fluid connectors, hydraulic valves, and fasteners for industrial OEM customers. Custom parts are engineered to specification.
- Standard Parts Distribution: Distribution of standard sealing products from inventory. Over 40,000 parts stocked at facilities nationwide, enabling rapid delivery to customers.
- Value-Added Services: Services including kitting, packaging, inventory management, rapid prototyping, and stocking distribution to streamline customer operations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
Great Lakes Rubber product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Great Lakes Rubber (DBA Great Lakes Industrial) is a full-service manufacturer and stocking distributor of industrial sealing solutions for OEM manufacturers. The company designs, manufactures, and distributes custom molded rubber shapes, O-rings, gaskets, seals, fluid connectors, hydraulic valves, and fasteners, maintaining over 40,000 stocked parts across six U.S. warehouse facilities. It also delivers value-added services such as engineering support, kitting, packaging, inventory management, and rapid prototyping.
Product overview
Great Lakes Industrial is a family-owned engineering provider specializing in sealing solutions and value-added services for manufacturers worldwide. The company operates as a full-service manufacturer and distributor offering both custom and standard parts. The core product portfolio centers on custom sealing solutions, supplemented by manufactured components including Custom Molded Shapes, Fluid Connectors, Gaskets, Seals, Hydraulic Valves, Fasteners, and Miscellaneous products. The company provides comprehensive engineering services (product inspection, leak testing, failure analysis, custom design) and value-added services including kitting, packaging, inventory management, stocking distribution, and rapid prototyping. Life Sciences Support is offered as a specialized vertical.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Custom Molded Shapes
Quantifiable outcome
- Custom sealing solutions that streamline operations, save time, and reduce costs for manufacturing businesses
Companies that use Great Lakes Rubber
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Great Lakes Rubber technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Great Lakes Rubber partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Great Lakes Rubber competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Kastas Sealing Technologies: Specialized manufacturer of hydraulic and pneumatic seals, O-rings, and custom molded sealing components for industrial applications. Niche competitor with comparable engineered sealing focus and OEM customer base.
Direct peers
- Apple Rubber Products: Custom molded rubber and sealing products manufacturer serving OEMs across industrial applications. Directly comparable to GLI in product portfolio (O-rings, gaskets, custom molded seals) and customer base of industrial OEMs.
- Global O-Ring and Seal: Online-focused distributor of O-rings, seals, gaskets, and custom molded rubber parts. Directly overlaps with GLI's standard parts distribution business and engineering support model.
- Sealing Equipment Products (SEP): Industrial distributor of seals, O-rings, gaskets, and fluid sealing products serving OEMs. Comparable product mix and customer profile to GLI's stocking distribution and custom sealing streams.
- Marco Rubber & Plastic Products: Distributor and fabricator of O-rings, custom molded seals, gaskets, and rubber products serving industrial OEM customers. Highly comparable as a competing stocking distributor with engineered sealing solutions.
- ERIKS North America: Industrial distributor and manufacturer of sealing products, gaskets, hoses, and fluid handling components. Comparable business model combining engineered sealing solutions with value-added services for OEMs.
Broad incumbents
- SKF Seals: Industrial sealing products manufacturer offering radial shaft seals, O-rings, and engineered sealing solutions. Comparable product overlap with GLI, particularly for industrial OEM customers.
- Parker Hannifin: Global diversified manufacturer with a leading Industrial Sealing Technologies segment covering O-rings, gaskets, and custom engineered seals. A broad incumbent that competes with GLI across many of its OEM end markets.
- Freudenberg Sealing Technologies: Major global supplier of sealing solutions, O-rings, gaskets, and engineered components for automotive and industrial OEMs. Comparable in core product family, with substantially broader scale.
- Trelleborg Sealing Solutions: Global manufacturer of precision seals, O-rings, and engineered polymer solutions serving industrial OEMs. Overlaps with GLI's sealing product portfolio as a much larger incumbent competitor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Great Lakes Rubber social profiles
Digital presenceGreat Lakes Rubber compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Great Lakes Rubber financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Great Lakes Rubber leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Great Lakes Rubber funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Great Lakes Rubber 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 Great Lakes Rubber
What does Great Lakes Rubber do?
Great Lakes Rubber (DBA Great Lakes Industrial) is a full-service manufacturer and stocking distributor of industrial sealing solutions for OEM manufacturers. The company designs, manufactures, and distributes custom molded rubber shapes, O-rings, gaskets, seals, fluid connectors, hydraulic valves, and fasteners, maintaining over 40,000 stocked parts across six U.S. warehouse facilities. It also delivers value-added services such as engineering support, kitting, packaging, inventory management, and rapid prototyping.
Is Great Lakes Rubber a public or private company?
Great Lakes Rubber is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Great Lakes Rubber founded?
Great Lakes Rubber was founded in 1954. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Great Lakes Rubber based?
Great Lakes Rubber is headquartered in Milwaukee, United States, in the North America region.
How does Great Lakes Rubber make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Custom Sealing Solutions are the primary driver. The others are standard Parts Distribution and value-Added Services.
Who are Great Lakes Rubber's main competitors?
Kastas Sealing Technologies is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Apple Rubber Products, Global O-Ring and Seal, Sealing Equipment Products (SEP), Marco Rubber & Plastic Products and ERIKS North America. Broad incumbents are SKF Seals, Parker Hannifin, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies and Trelleborg Sealing Solutions.
Does Great Lakes Rubber have an API?
No public API is recorded for Great Lakes Rubber.
What industry is Great Lakes Rubber in?
Great Lakes Rubber's product category is Industrial Sealing Solutions. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMANAJAA, General-Purpose Rubber Compounds (NR/SBR/BR/EPDM), with a secondary code of IMANALAA, Industrial Hoses & Tubing (Rubber/Elastomer). Its NAICS code is 326299 and its SIC code is 3060.