Pleatco
Pleatco is a Louisville, KY-based manufacturer of pleated filter cartridges, pleated bags, and fabric filters serving industrial air filtration and pool/spa customers. Operating across five North American facilities with proprietary Nanobond media, it was acquired by Pentair PLC in 2021.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1971
- HeadquartersLouisville, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Pleatco does
Pleatco (Pleatco LLC) is a Louisville, Kentucky-based manufacturer of pleated filter cartridges, pleated bags, and fabric filters for industrial air filtration and pool/spa applications. The company produces replacement filtration elements for OEM dust collectors, baghouses, and dry-process systems, with proprietary filter media technologies including Nanobond (MERV 15 nanofiber media with 50% finer fibers than OEM equivalents), CelluBlend 80/20 cellulose/polyester blend (MERV 10), and spunbond polyester. Its product portfolio spans dust collector cartridge filters, oval filters, pulse-jet pleated bags, oil mist/HEPA filters, food-grade filters, panel filters, and gas turbine inlet filters. Engineering services (CFD simulation, 3D modeling, prototyping) are delivered through the Pleatco Applied division, supporting OEM and distributor co-development. A cross-reference database covering 3,000+ part numbers across 110+ brands is positioned as a core replacement-market asset.
Pleatco operates from five manufacturing and warehousing nodes across the United States (Louisville, New York, Bessemer, Calexico), Canada (Milton, Ontario), and Mexico (Mexicali), employing 400+ people. The company runs a multi-channel go-to-market: direct sales to industrial end users, an exclusive OEM Filter Partner Program serving dust-collector OEMs as a single-source manufacturer, a Private Label Program with customized packaging and drop-shipment for resellers, and a Filter Stocking Program offering same-day shipping for orders placed by noon. Customer segments split between industrial air filtration (primary) and pool/spa aftermarket (primary), with secondary verticals in aerospace, automotive, agriculture/grain, pharmaceutical, food processing, and chemical processing. Pricing is quote-based across four tiers — In Stock, Made to Order, Tailor Made, and Co-Produced OEM — with multi-year contracts typical for OEM and tailor-made engagements.
The company was founded around 1971 as a pool/spa cartridge manufacturer. In June 2017, Align Capital Partners (ACP) acquired Pleatco as a platform investment. Under ACP ownership, Pleatco acquired APEL International and MPF Engineered Filters (Milton) in April 2019 and TVS Filters in December 2019, consolidating them under the Pleatco Filtration master brand and pivoting into industrial air filtration. In September 2021, Pentair PLC (NYSE: PNR) acquired Pleatco from ACP, integrating it into Pentair's industrial and residential solutions portfolio; Pentair reported approximately $3 billion in 2020 revenue and 9,750 global employees across 150+ countries at the time of the transaction.
Pleatco firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pleatco
- Legal name
- Pleatco LLC
- Website
- https://pleatcofiltration.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1971
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Pleatco is a Louisville, KY-based manufacturer of pleated filter cartridges, pleated bags, and fabric filters serving industrial air filtration and pool/spa customers. Operating across five North American facilities with proprietary Nanobond media, it was acquired by Pentair PLC in 2021.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pleatco industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Air Filtration
- NAICS
- Industrial and Commercial Fan and Blower and Air Purification Equipment Manufacturing (333413)
- SIC
- Industrial & Commercial Fans & Blowers & Air Purifing Equip (3564)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Dust Collection & Air Filtration Equipment (Industrial) (IMAHALAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Air Quality & Filtration Equipment (IAQ) (IMAHAKAI), Replacement Filter Cartridges & Consumables (CRAJAJAH)
Keywords
Where Pleatco is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Louisville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
Pleatco business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Industrial Air Filter Sales: Replacement cartridge filters, pleated bags, and fabric filters for OEM dust collectors, baghouses, and dry process equipment. Both stocked items and made-to-order/custom products.
- Filter Stocking Programs: Thousands of popular OEM style filters stocked for same-day shipping. Just-in-time inventory management with staggered shipping releases.
- Private Label Program: Customized packing slips, skid labels, and carton labeling for OEM and reselling customers. Drop shipment program reducing shipping costs and lead times.
- OEM Partnership Program: Exclusive OEM Filter Partner Program serving as trusted single source manufacturer for pleated bags, cartridge filters and filter bags for dust collector OEMs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | In Stock - Most Popular Replacement Parts |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Made to Order - All Other Replacements |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Tailor Made - Custom Application Filters |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | Co-Produced - OEM Application |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Pleatco product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pleatco Filtration designs and manufactures pleated filter cartridges, pleated bags, fabric filters, and specialty filtration products (oval filters, oil mist filters, gas turbine filters, FDA-compliant filters) for OEM dust collectors, baghouses, and dry process equipment, complemented by engineering services, OEM private-label supply, and stocking/logistics programs. The company consolidates former brands APEL, Milton (MPF Engineered Filters), and TVS Filters under the Pleatco Filtration master brand and serves both pool/spa aftermarket and industrial air filtration end markets.
Product overview
Pleatco Filtration is an industrial air filtration company offering a comprehensive portfolio of filtration products including Dust Collector Cartridge Filters, Oval Filters, Pulse Jet Pleated Bags, Oil Mist Filters, Food Grade Filters, Panel Filters, and Gas Turbine Filters. The company provides proprietary filter media technologies including Nanobond (MERV 15), CelluBlend 80/20 (MERV 10), and Spunbond Polyester. The product line is supported by engineering services (Pleatco Applied Engineering), OEM partnership programs, private labeling, and filter stocking services. Pleatco consolidates former brands APEL, Milton, and TVS under its master brand, serving industrial air filtration markets across North America with manufacturing facilities in New York, Kentucky, Ontario, and Mexicali.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Guardian Filtration: Stand-alone brand operating under Pleatco Filtration umbrella
- EFI
- ECO Filtration
Products and services
- Dust Collector Cartridge Filters Replacement pleated filter cartridges engineered to fit OEM dust collectors, baghouses, and dry process equipment across brands, supported by a cross-reference database of over 3000 part numbers. Sold to industrial end-users, OEMs, and distributors as drop-in OEM-spec replacements.
- Oval Filters Oval-shaped replacement filter elements for Donaldson Downflo Oval Dust Collectors, available with CelluBlend or proprietary Nanobond media reaching MERV 15 efficiency. Sold to industrial end-users running oval-configured OEM dust collection systems.
- Pulse Jet Pleated Bags Patented pleated bags engineered as a cost-effective alternative to fabric bags and cages in OEM-style Pulse-Jet Baghouses, manufactured in the USA with up to 2-3x filter life over fabric filter bags and efficiencies up to 99.99%. Sold to OEMs, plant operators, and distributors serving dry-process and dust collection end markets.
- Oil Mist Filters Replacement filters for oil mist collection systems, including Absolent-style replacement cassettes, Donaldson-style WSO replacement filters with up to 45% more filter surface area than pocket filters, and final-stage HEPA filters rated 99.97% at 0.3 microns. Sold to industrial facilities with metalworking, machining, and oil mist generating equipment.
- Food Grade Filters FDA-compliant industrial air filters designed for food and beverage processing applications, meeting regulatory requirements for food safety. Sold to food processing plant operators.
- Panel Filters Industrial panel-style air filters for various air filtration applications including dust collection and air handling units. Sold to industrial buyers and distributors.
- Gas Turbine Filters Specialized inlet air filters for gas turbine applications, designed to protect turbine equipment from particulate contamination. Sold to power generation operators and OEMs with gas turbine installations.
- Pleatco Applied Engineering Services Engineering services including 3D modeling, Computational Flow Dynamics (CFD) simulation, physical prototyping, and a network of industry field testers used to develop next-generation filtration products. Sold to OEMs developing co-produced filters and to customers needing tailor-made filter designs for unique applications.
- OEM Partner Program Exclusive OEM Filter Partner Program in which Pleatco serves as a single-source manufacturer and supplier of pleated bags, cartridge filters, and filter bags built to OEM specifications or better. Offered to dust collector, baghouse, and dry process equipment OEMs.
- Private Label Program Private-label filter program offering customized packing slips, skid labels, and carton labeling, plus drop-shipment fulfillment for OEM and reselling customers. Sold to distributors, resellers, and smaller OEMs seeking own-branded filtration products without manufacturing investment.
- Filter Stocking Program Stocking program carrying thousands of popular OEM-style replacement filters with same-day shipping for orders received by noon, combined with just-in-time inventory management and blanket order scheduled releases. Sold to industrial customers and OEMs with recurring filter consumption.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 2-3x filter life over fabric filter bags
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Pleatco
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Pleatco technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Pleatco partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- GENESIS / Pool & Hot Tub AllianceminorLongtime co-sponsor of the annual Pleatco Perfect Pool Guy and Gal Search contest, honoring hardworking men and women of the pool and spa service industry.
- AQUA magazineminorMedia partner for the annual Pleatco Perfect Pool Guy and Gal Search contest.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Pleatco competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Camfil: Camfil is a global leader in air filtration with a strong industrial dust collection and replacement filter portfolio. Camfil directly competes with Pleatco in dust collector cartridges, pleated bags, and HEPA-grade industrial air filters across North America and Europe.
- Nederman: Nederman is a Swedish-based specialist in industrial air filtration, dust collection, and fume extraction equipment and replacement filters. Directly comparable to Pleatco's dust collector and oil mist filter product lines, with stronger presence in EMEA.
- AAF Flanders: AAF Flanders (American Air Filter) manufactures industrial air filtration products including dust collector cartridges, panel filters, and HEPA filters. AAF is both a cross-reference brand Pleatco replaces and a direct competitor in the same OEM replacement market.
- Donaldson Company: Donaldson is a leading global manufacturer of filtration systems including dust collection cartridge filters, gas turbine inlet filters, and industrial air filtration products. Donaldson is both a primary OEM customer whose filters Pleatco cross-references and a direct competitor in replacement cartridges, oval filters, and baghouse filters.
Broad incumbents
- MANN+HUMMEL: MANN+HUMMEL is a global filtration leader primarily in automotive and industrial filtration, with a broad industrial air filtration portfolio. Competes with Pleatco in dust collection and industrial replacement filters as part of a much wider product portfolio.
- Freudenberg Filtration Technologies: Freudenberg Filtration Technologies is a division of Freudenberg Group producing industrial air and liquid filtration products including dust collector cartridges and HEPA filters. Competes with Pleatco in industrial air filtration with greater global scale and a broader product portfolio.
- Atlas Copco (Industrial Air): Atlas Copco's Power Technique division includes dust collectors and industrial air filtration equipment serving similar manufacturing, metalworking, and process industry customers. Operates as part of a much broader industrial equipment portfolio but overlaps with Pleatco's end-markets.
- Parker Hannifin (Industrial Filtration / Clarcor): Parker Hannifin acquired Clarcor in 2017 and operates a major industrial filtration division. Clarcor brands (including Filtrauto) are listed in Pleatco's cross-reference database, and Parker competes directly with Pleatco in dust collection, oil mist, and industrial air filtration at significantly greater scale.
Emerging players
- Hayward Industries: Hayward is a leading pool and spa equipment manufacturer including replacement filter cartridges, directly comparable to Pleatco's legacy pool & spa filtration business. Competes in the consumer/professional pool filter market Pleatco historically led.
- Absolent (Absolent Air Care Group): Absolent is a specialist in oil mist and aerosol filtration with product overlap to Pleatco's oil mist filter line. Smaller and more focused on oil mist than Pleatco, but a meaningful niche competitor in industrial mist collection.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pleatco social profiles
Digital presencePleatco financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pleatco leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Pleatco subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Pleatco funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pleatco 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 Pleatco
What does Pleatco do?
Pleatco Filtration designs and manufactures pleated filter cartridges, pleated bags, fabric filters, and specialty filtration products (oval filters, oil mist filters, gas turbine filters, FDA-compliant filters) for OEM dust collectors, baghouses, and dry process equipment, complemented by engineering services, OEM private-label supply, and stocking/logistics programs. The company consolidates former brands APEL, Milton (MPF Engineered Filters), and TVS Filters under the Pleatco Filtration master brand and serves both pool/spa aftermarket and industrial air filtration end markets.
Is Pleatco a public or private company?
Pleatco is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Pleatco founded?
Pleatco was founded in 1971. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Pleatco based?
Pleatco is headquartered in Louisville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pleatco make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Industrial Air Filter Sales are the primary driver. The others are filter Stocking Programs, private Label Program and OEM Partnership Program.
Who are Pleatco's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Camfil, Nederman, AAF Flanders and Donaldson Company. Broad incumbents are MANN+HUMMEL, Freudenberg Filtration Technologies, Atlas Copco (Industrial Air) and Parker Hannifin (Industrial Filtration / Clarcor). Emerging players are Hayward Industries and Absolent (Absolent Air Care Group).
Does Pleatco have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pleatco.
What industry is Pleatco in?
Pleatco's product category is Industrial Air Filtration. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHALAF, Dust Collection & Air Filtration Equipment (Industrial), with a secondary code of IMAHAKAI, Air Quality & Filtration Equipment (IAQ). Its NAICS code is 333413 and its SIC code is 3564.