Portage Electric Products

What Portage Electric Products does

Portage Electric Products, Inc. (PEPI) is a privately held, family-controlled manufacturer of bimetallic thermal control devices founded in 1963 in North Canton, Ohio by Glenn Wehl and Clark Wehl. The company designs and produces creep action, snap action, disc-type, self-hold, and thermal fuse devices, plus a registered Valstat sub-brand of economical snap-action controls, across 38 starting point model series with ratings ranging from low voltage DC to 277 VAC and operating temperatures up to 280°C. PEPI's competitive identity rests on deep customization (almost every device is modified to fit specific application needs), a proprietary automated testing program that performs 100% quality checks, and a five-building manufacturing campus shipping millions of devices annually.

The company operates a sales-led go-to-market model through a worldwide network of engineering sales representatives organized by territory (US Territories 1/3/4 plus dedicated European and international contacts), supported by a sample request portal with a 10-business-day prototype turnaround and quote-based pricing. End customers are OEMs in nine horizontal segments: appliance and small motor manufacturers (primary), battery pack makers, medical equipment manufacturers, motor manufacturers, data center operators, lighting OEMs, transformer manufacturers, transportation/automotive suppliers, and general electronics manufacturers. Geographic footprint spans six countries (United States, Mexico, Netherlands, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan) with manufacturing location codes embedded in part nomenclature.

PEPI holds ISO 9001:2015 with Design Certification and maintains documented compliance with REACH, RoHS, Prop 65, TSCA, PFAS, and conflict minerals through a partnership with Assent. The company is currently led by CEO Kim Ziegler, the fourth member of the Wehl family to guide the business, and has no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Portage Electric Products

Legal name

Portage Electric Products, Inc.

Website

https://pepiusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Portage Electric Products is a privately held, family-owned manufacturer of bimetallic thermal control devices (creep action, snap action, disc-type, self-hold, thermal fuses) serving OEM customers across appliances, battery packs, medical equipment, motors, lighting, transformers, and electronics from facilities in six countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Canton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Thermal Control Products: PEPI manufactures and sells a wide range of thermal control products including creep action, snap action, disc-type, self-hold, and thermal fuse devices. Products are almost always customized to fit special customer needs.
2. Customization Services: PEPI provides engineering survey and customization services to tailor thermal controls to specific application and production needs, including custom lead attachments, mounting brackets, and calibration.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Portage Electric Products (PEPI) develops and manufactures bimetallic thermal control devices that make or break electrical circuits in response to temperature and current changes. The product line includes creep action, snap action, disc-type, self-hold, and thermal fuse devices, offered across 38 starting point models and almost always customized to fit specific OEM application requirements across appliance, battery pack, medical, motor, lighting, transformer, electronics, and transportation markets.

Product overview

Portage Electric Products (PEPI) is a thermal control manufacturer offering a diverse portfolio of bimetallic thermal control devices. The product line includes six core categories: Creep Action thermal controls (slow make/slow break switching), Snap Action thermal controls (quick make/quick break switching), Disc-Type thermal controls (electrically isolated disc elements in automatic, manual, or self-hold configurations), Valstat thermal controls (economical snap-action for inductive loads), Self-Hold thermal controls (integrated heat source prevents reset until power removed), and Thermal Fuses (single-operation non-resettable devices). The portfolio spans over 37 distinct model series (A, AA, A1, A2, B, C, E, F, FC, G, H, J, JC, JSC, JS, J-2, K, KB, KO, KS, L, N, R, SO, ST01, V, VS, W, CB, CO, CS, CSO, D, RD, and more) with ratings ranging from milliamps to 50 Amps, operating voltages from low voltage DC to 277 VAC, and temperature ranges up to 280°C. All products are customizable with options for temperature calibration, bimetallic element selection, lead configurations, mounting brackets, electrical isolation, and harness assemblies. Primary applications include small motors, appliances, battery packs, medical equipment, lighting, transformers, electronics, transportation, heaters, and heating pads/blankets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Valstat: Snap action controls for inductive load applications where cost is a primary concern.
• PEPI

Products and services

• Creep Action Thermal Controls

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% Quality Checks: Every device tested with proprietary automated testing equipment
• +2 more outcomes

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles8 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AssentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssent is the global leader in supply chain sustainability management and serves as PEPI's compliance partner. They help facilitate PEPI's due diligence efforts through access to accurate, up-to-date, and complete supply chain sustainability data on products. PEPI partners with Assent to ensure compliance with numerous sustainability topics including REACH, RoHS, Prop 65, TSCA, PFAS, and conflict minerals regulations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/portage-electric-products-inc.

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Portage Electric Products