Superior Felt & Filtration

What Superior Felt & Filtration does

Superior Felt & Filtration, LLC is a privately held manufacturer and converter of nonwoven felt and filtration media headquartered in McHenry, Illinois. Founded in October 2001, the company produces wool felt manufactured to SAE specifications (pressed, needled, woven, and sheet variants), synthetic felts (polyester, polypropylene, acrylic, rayon, and meta aramid/Dupont™ Nomex® high-temp fibers), and advanced filtration media including HEPA-rated mechanical media, electrostatically-charged sub-micron media (Technostat® and Technostat® Plus, distributed exclusively in North America under license from Hollingsworth & Vose), nylon gradient-density membrane composites (Omniflux™) for liquid microfiltration, and washable MERV 11 multilayer composites (SustainAirX™) for data center and commercial HVAC applications. The portfolio also includes medical nonwovens covering respiratory care, CPAP, wound care, orthopedic felt, and personal protection equipment components.

The business operates as a B2B contract manufacturer with a quote-based pricing model and direct regional sales coverage through offices in McHenry (HQ), Mansfield MA (East Coast), Spartanburg SC (Southeast), Charlotte NC, and a manufacturing facility in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Distribution is served through direct B2B channels and industrial wholesalers, with lead generation heavily driven by participation in industry trade shows (MD&M West, MEDICA, Data Center World, FiltXPO, Techtextile, and others). Revenue streams comprise hardware sales of roll goods, sheet felt, and converted parts, value-add converting services (die cutting, slitting, PSA and ultrasonic lamination, injection molding, pleating, offline needling, printing, sewing, and custom packaging), and private label / custom packaging engagements.

Customer concentration is diversified across medical/medical filtration (primary vertical, FDA-registered and ISO 13485 certified), industrial felt, automotive, aerospace, appliance, filtration, and decorative end markets. The company manufactures under ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485, FDA registration, ROHS, and FMVSS-302 certifications, and cites its position as the largest sub-component filter manufacturer in the world exporting across six continents. Two acquistions — Hollinee Felt (April 2003) and Metric Felt Company (November 2017) — broadened the industrial felt platform. The company was co-founded by Frank Porto (Owner/CEO, Director of Sales), Joe Leineberg (Director of Production), and Tom Leineberg (Chief Financial Officer), who between them hold 70+ years of industry experience and maintain operating control with no external institutional shareholders.

Name

Superior Felt & Filtration

Legal name

Superior Felt & Filtration, LLC

Website

https://superiorfelt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Superior Felt & Filtration is a privately held US manufacturer and converter of nonwoven felt and filtration media, serving medical, industrial, automotive, aerospace, and appliance OEMs through B2B contract manufacturing, integrated converting services, and exclusive North American distribution of Technostat® sub-micron filtration media.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Nonwoven Filtration Media

NAICS

Nonwoven Fabric Mills (313230)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Filtration Media & Dust Collection Textiles (Air/Liquid Filtration) (IMAOADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Medical & Hygiene Technical Textiles (Gauze/Drapes/Wipes/Barrier Fabrics) (IMAOADAD)

Keywords

• Nonwoven felt manufacturing
• Industrial filtration media
• Wool felt products
• Medical filtration components
• Contract converting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Mchenry

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Nonwoven Materials Manufacturing & Distribution: Manufacturing and distribution of nonwoven felt and filtration media products including roll goods, sheet felt, and custom converted parts. Products sold directly to OEM customers and through distribution channels.
2. Contract Manufacturing Services: Value-add converting services including die cutting, slitting, PSA lamination, ultrasonic lamination, plastic injection molding, pleating, offline needling, custom packaging, printing, and sewing. Full-service from concept to completion.
3. Private Label & Custom Packaging: Custom packaging, barcoding, printing, and private label capabilities for filtration media products.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Superior Felt & Filtration manufactures and distributes nonwoven felt and filtration media products — including wool felts (pressed, needled, woven), synthetic felts (polyester, polypropylene, acrylic, rayon, meta aramid), HEPA filter media, electrostatic Technostat® sub-micron filter media, Omniflux™ nylon membrane media, and SustainAirX™ washable MERV 11 media — supplied as roll goods, sheet felt, and custom-converted parts. The company also provides full-service contract converting capabilities (die cutting, slitting, lamination, plastic injection molding, pleating, printing, sewing, custom packaging) to OEM customers across medical, industrial, automotive, aerospace, appliance, filtration, and data center markets.

Product overview

Superior Felt & Filtration is a nonwoven manufacturer and converter offering a broad portfolio of felt and filtration products alongside contract manufacturing services. The portfolio spans wool felt (SAE pressed, needled, woven, and sheet formats), synthetic felts (polyester, polypropylene, rayon, meta aramid/High Temp), and specialized filtration media including HEPA filter media, Technostat® and Technostat® Plus (electrostatic sub-micron filter media — distributed exclusively in North America), Omniflux™ Nylon Membrane for microfiltration, and SustainAirX™ washable MERV 11 media. Medical nonwovens cover respiratory, CPAP, orthopedic, wound care, and personal protection applications. The company's value chain extends from raw media supply through converting services (die cutting, slitting, PSA/ultrasonic lamination, pleating, injection molding, offline needling, printing, sewing, custom packaging) to finished components. The company holds ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certifications and operates as the largest sub-component filter manufacturer in the world, exporting across 6 continents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Technostat: Electrostatic needle punch nonwoven filter media, exclusively distributed in North America by Superior Felt & Filtration for Hollingsworth & Vose.
• Technostat Plus
• SustainAirX
• Omniflux

Products and services

• Industrial Wool Felt

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% lower aerosol penetration with Technostat® Plus compared to standard Technostat® grades at same basis weight

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Hollingsworth & VosecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Strategic partner providing Technostat® filter media. Superior is the exclusive distributor and converter of Technostat® filtration media in North America for Hollingsworth & Vose. The partnership enables Superior to offer high-efficiency electrostatic filtration solutions for medical, respiratory, and personal protection applications.
• HoneywellflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020COVID-19 response partnership for producing vital medical filtration equipment. Partnered under the Defense Production Act to meet immediate medical filtration needs of the US government and its partners.
• General MotorsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020COVID-19 response partnership for producing vital medical filtration equipment including N95 mask components and disposable surgical hood components.
• VentecflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020COVID-19 response partnership for producing vital medical filtration equipment as part of the critical healthcare supply chain response.
• PhilipscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020COVID-19 response partnership for medical device filtration components supporting ventilator and respiratory equipment manufacturing.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hollingsworth & Vose: Hollingsworth & Vose manufactures high-efficiency nonwoven filtration media including the Technostat® family that Superior distributes. Direct peer in industrial and medical filtration media, and a key strategic partner of Superior's.
• Freudenberg Filtration Technologies: Freudenberg Filtration is a global manufacturer of nonwoven, HEPA, and sub-micron filtration media serving HVAC, automotive, and cleanroom markets, closely overlapping Superior's filtration portfolio.
• Lydall (Filtration Group): Lydall (now part of Filtration Group) manufactured needle-punch nonwoven filtration media for air and liquid applications, automotive and industrial end-uses—closely aligned with Superior's air and liquid filtration product lines.
• Johns Manville (Berkshire Hathaway): Johns Manville produces nonwoven filtration media and technical textiles for HVAC, industrial, and air-liquid filtration—directly comparable in product offering and end-market mix.
• AAF Flanders (American Air Filter): AAF Flanders manufactures HEPA, MERV-rated and synthetic nonwoven filtration media for commercial and industrial HVAC—direct peer in air filtration media with overlapping product portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• 3M (Filtration & Separation): 3M's Filtration & Separation business produces nonwoven media, HEPA, and specialty filtration media for industrial, medical, and HVAC markets—a much larger incumbent spanning Superior's key end markets.
• Donaldson Company: Donaldson manufactures filtration media and systems for industrial, automotive, and aerospace applications—broad incumbent with technical filtration media overlapping Superior's industrial and aerospace verticals.
• Parker Hannifin (Filtration Division): Parker Hannifin's Filtration division produces industrial and process filtration media including nonwoven elements, with global scale that dwarfs Superior but materially overlaps in product category.
• Mann+Hummel: Mann+Hummel manufactures automotive, industrial, and HVAC filtration media—broad incumbent with nonwoven media capabilities comparable to Superior's automotive and industrial applications.

Regional players

• Cummins Filtration: Cummins Filtration produces nonwoven filtration media primarily for heavy-duty engine and industrial applications—an overlapping regional competitor in industrial filtration media.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/superiorff
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Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Superior Felt & Filtration