What Champion Laboratories does

Champion Laboratories generates revenue through three primary streams: private-label/contract manufacturing for retailers and branded distributors, sale of branded aftermarket products (Champ, Luber-Finer, PetroClear) through direct sales representatives, distributors, and an online ordering platform, and original equipment supply to automotive manufacturers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; the model is B2B with multi-year contracts and quote-based pricing for fleet, private-label, and OE customers. The company holds ISO 9002 (1994, first US filter manufacturer), ISO/TS16949 (2000 and company-wide 2002), and received the GM QSP Supplier of the Year award in 1997, with proprietary technology including a 1959 patent on the engine-end relief valve for spin-on oil filters, the Zgard 9750 by-pass filter, and Ecore Advanced Technology spin-on filters. The business has been under The Carlyle Group's ownership since 2003, with a $38 million facility expansion completed that year.

Name

Champion Laboratories

Legal name

Champion Laboratories, Inc.

Website

https://champlabs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Champion Laboratories is a U.S. private-label and branded manufacturer of light-duty and heavy-duty automotive, commercial fleet, and fuel dispenser filters, operating 10,000+ SKUs from facilities in Illinois and South Carolina as a subsidiary of UCI International.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Albion

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, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Private Label Filter Manufacturing: Champion Laboratories is one of the industry's largest private label automotive filter suppliers, manufacturing filters to customer specifications for resale under their own brands.
2. Aftermarket Filter Brands: Sale of branded filtration products through Champ Filters, Luber-Finer (premium heavy duty), and PetroClear (fuel dispenser) brands to retail and commercial customers.
3. Original Equipment (OE) Filters: Manufacturing and supply of original equipment filters to automotive manufacturers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Champion Laboratories manufactures and supplies light-duty and heavy-duty automotive filtration products for original equipment manufacturers, aftermarket retailers, commercial fleets, and private-label brand owners. Its portfolio spans oil filters, air filters, fuel filters, cabin air filters, transmission filters, breathers, PCV valves, and bypass filters sold under the Champ, Luber-Finer, and PetroClear brands, plus custom private-label filter manufacturing. Production is supported by over 10,000 SKUs across ISO/TS16949-certified facilities in Illinois and South Carolina.

Product overview

Champion Laboratories is an automotive filter manufacturing company operating as one of the industry's largest private label filter suppliers. The company manufactures original equipment filters and distributes three primary aftermarket brands: Champ (standard automotive filters including oil, air, fuel, cabin, and transmission filters), Luber-Finer (premium heavy-duty filters for commercial fleets, construction, mining, agriculture, and marine applications), and PetroClear (specialized fuel dispenser filters for retail petroleum and alternative fuel operations). The company also offers private label manufacturing services with over 10,000 SKUs covering light-duty through heavy-duty automotive applications. The portfolio encompasses filtration solutions across multiple vehicle types and commercial operations, from passenger cars to heavy industrial equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Champ Filters: Aftermarket automotive filter brand offering oil filters, air filters, cabin air filters, fuel filters and transmission filters for light-duty through heavy-duty applications.
• Luber-finer
• PetroClear

Products and services

• Champ Filters Aftermarket automotive filter brand offering oil filters, air filters, cabin air filters, fuel filters, and transmission filters for light-duty and heavy-duty vehicle applications, sold through automotive retailers and distributors.
• Luber-Finer Filters Premium heavy duty filter brand providing oil filters, fuel filters, and filtration solutions for on-highway vehicle fleets and off-road heavy applications including construction, mining, agriculture, marine, and the oil and gas industry.
• PetroClear Fuel Dispenser Filters Fuel dispenser filter brand providing filtration products including high-flow, extended life, and phase separation filters for pumping petroleum, ethanol, methanol, and biodiesel blends at retail and commercial fuel sites.
• Private Label Filter Manufacturing White-label filter manufacturing service for retailers, distributors, and brand owners developing their own private-label automotive filter brands, supporting over 10,000 SKUs from light-duty through heavy-duty applications.
• Oil Filters (Champ) Engine oil filtration products under the Champ brand for passenger vehicles and commercial fleets, engineered for maximum engine protection and consistent performance over the filter service lifetime.
• Fuel Filters (Champ) Fuel filtration products under the Champ brand for gasoline and diesel engines, engineered to meet or exceed stringent filter construction requirements.
• Air Filters (Champ) Engine air filtration products under the Champ brand designed to protect engines from contaminants while maintaining optimal airflow.
• Cabin Air Filters (Champ) Cabin air filtration products under the Champ brand for vehicle interior air quality, removing particulates and contaminants from HVAC systems.
• Automatic Transmission Filters (Champ) Transmission filtration products under the Champ brand designed to protect automatic transmissions from wear and contamination.
• Breathers (Champ) Breather filters under the Champ brand for crankcase ventilation systems, preventing contaminants from entering while allowing proper airflow.
• PCV Valves (Champ) Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valves under the Champ brand for controlling emissions and maintaining proper engine ventilation.
• Imperial XL Extended Life Oil Filter Extended-life oil filter product line under Luber-Finer, designed to provide extended service intervals for heavy-duty applications.
• Zgard 9750 By-Pass Filter Heavy-duty by-pass filter product line incorporating zinc composite filter media technology for extended engine protection.
• Ecore Advanced Technology Spin-On Filter Spin-on filter product line featuring Ecore Advanced Technology filter media for improved filtration performance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Earned supplier awards from original equipment and private label customers for both product quality and outstanding service

Named customers4 records

Segments5 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UCI InternationalcoreOthersUCI International is the parent company of Champion Laboratories. UCI is a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of a broad range of aftermarket and OE parts, including automotive fuel pumps and vehicle cooling systems. Champion operates alongside sister companies Airtex and ASC Industries under the UCI umbrella.
• AirtexminorOthersSister company under UCI International. Recognized as a leader in the design and manufacturing of automotive fuel pumps in North America, serving the automotive aftermarket, OEMs and specialty manufacturers.
• ASC IndustriesminorOthersSister company under UCI International. A leading North American water pump supplier working directly with original equipment automotive companies on design and manufacture of OE water pumps.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Champion Laboratories