Zero-Max
Zero-Max is a privately held US manufacturer of bespoke motion control and power transmission components — flexible shaft couplings, overhung load adaptors, torque limiters, gearboxes, and keyless shaft bushings — serving industrial OEMs in packaging, wind energy, printing, off-highway equipment, and automation markets through direct sales and global World Partner distributors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1949
- HeadquartersPlymouth, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Zero-Max does
Zero-Max, Inc. is a Plymouth, Minnesota-based, privately held manufacturer founded in 1949 that designs and produces bespoke motion control and power transmission components for industrial OEMs. The company employs 101-250 people and operates a global distribution model through a network of sales representatives, authorized distributors, and four World Partners (Miki Pulley in Japan, Zero-Max A/S in Denmark, Schmidt Kupplung GmbH in Germany, and ETP Transmission AB in Sweden), with offices in the US, Denmark, and Germany.
The product portfolio spans four categories: Flexible Shaft Couplings (the patented Composite Disc/CD line with sub-products including CD Power-Series, ServoClass, ServoClass-HSN, ServoClass Floating Shaft, Control-Flex, and Schmidt Couplings); Overhung Load Adaptors (OHLA in SAE A through F and non-SAE mounts, with over 75% of sales being custom); Power Transmission Products (Torq-Tender overload safety couplings, H-TLC torque limiters, Crown Gear right-angle gearboxes, Roh'Lix linear actuators, Phas-Lok phase adjusting hubs, and adjustable speed drives); and Keyless Shaft Bushings (ETP hydraulic-based and Posi-Lok mechanical). Core technology is centered on the patented Composite Disc flex element, ETP's hydraulic keyless bushing technology (licensed for distribution), AGMA Class 10 spiral bevel gearing, and CNC precision machining supported by FEA-based design.
Zero-Max generates revenue through quote-based hardware sales of both standard catalog products and engineered-to-order custom solutions, the latter offered at no engineering charge with MOQs ranging from one unit to thousands. The model is supported by free application engineering reviews, 3D CAD downloads via TraceParts and PartStream, and free product catalogs. Customers are primarily industrial OEMs across packaging machinery, printing and converting, wind energy, off-highway mobile equipment, beverage can manufacturing, servo motion control, and CNC machine tools. The company is ISO 9001:2015 certified and has launched five major product or feature enhancements between September 2024 and March 2026, indicating an active R&D and product extension cadence.
Zero-Max firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Zero-Max
- Legal name
- Zero-Max, Inc.
- Website
- https://zero-max.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1949
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Zero-Max is a privately held US manufacturer of bespoke motion control and power transmission components — flexible shaft couplings, overhung load adaptors, torque limiters, gearboxes, and keyless shaft bushings — serving industrial OEMs in packaging, wind energy, printing, off-highway equipment, and automation markets through direct sales and global World Partner distributors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Zero-Max industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Motion Control and Power Transmission Components
- NAICS
- Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing (3336), Speed Changer, Industrial High-Speed Drive, and Gear Manufacturing (333612)
- SIC
- Ball & Roller Bearings (3562)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Linear Motion & Mechanical Power Transmission (Ball/roller screws, linear guides, bearings, couplings) (IMAHAGAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Brakes, Clutches & Couplings (Electromagnetic Brakes, Torque Limiters) (IMAGACAK)
Keywords
Where Zero-Max is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Plymouth
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Zero-Max 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
- Hardware Sales (Standard Products): One-time sales of standard catalog motion control products including Flexible Shaft Couplings (Composite Disc, ServoClass, Control-Flex, Schmidt), Overhung Load Adaptors (OHLA), Power Transmission Products (Torq-Tender, H-TLC, Crown Gear Right Angle Gearbox, Roh'Lix Linear Actuators, Phase Adjusting Hubs, Adjustable Speed Drives), and Keyless Shaft Bushings (ETP, Posi-Lok). Products ordered via Request for Quote (RFQ) with shipment typically from stock.
- Custom Engineered Products: Significant portion of revenue from custom-designed solutions. Over 75% of OHLA sales are custom/special designs; well over half of OHLA sales involve customization. Custom OHLA, Custom CD Couplings, and Custom Power Transmission Products are designed at no engineering charge, with MOQ ranging from 1 to thousands of units.
- Replacement Parts & Service: Sales of replacement parts, kits, and repair services for previously shipped units, with RMA required and a standard 25% restocking charge for standard catalog product returns within 12 months.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | — | Quote-based pricing for all standard and custom motion control products via RFQ |
| Other | — | Quote-based with restocking terms |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels7 records
Zero-Max product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Zero-Max, Inc. designs and manufactures motion control and power transmission components for industrial OEMs. Its product portfolio includes flexible shaft couplings (Composite Disc, ServoClass, Control-Flex, Schmidt), Overhung Load Adaptors (OHLA) for hydraulic system load support, power transmission products (Torq-Tender overload safety couplings, H-TLC torque limiters, Crown right angle gearboxes, Roh'Lix linear actuators, phase adjusting hubs, adjustable speed drives), and keyless shaft bushings (ETP hydraulic and Posi-Lok mechanical). Over 75% of OHLA sales are custom-engineered designs, and customization is offered at no engineering charge with MOQs from one to thousands of units.
Product overview
Zero-Max, Inc. is a unified manufacturer of industrial motion control and power transmission components, organized as a single product portfolio of physical mechatronic devices rather than a software platform-plus-modules architecture. The portfolio spans four primary product categories: Flexible Shaft Couplings (Composite Disc/CD Couplings with sub-lines including CD Power-Series, ServoClass with ServoClass-HSN and ServoClass Floating Shaft sub-products, Control-Flex, and Schmidt Couplings); Overhung Load Adaptors (OHLA) in SAE and non-SAE mounts for hydraulic system load support; Power Transmission Products including Torq-Tender Overload Safety Couplings, H-TLC Torque Limiters, Crown Gear Right Angle Gearboxes, Roh'Lix Linear Actuators, Phase Adjusting Hubs/Phas-Lok, and Adjustable Speed Drives; and Keyless Shaft Bushings covering both ETP hydraulic-based bushings (ETP-CLASSIC, ETP-EXPRESS, ETP-TECHNO, ETP-POWER, ETP-HYLOC, ETP-HYDROPRESS) and Posi-Lok mechanical keyless bushings. All categories share complementary custom design services and specialized Wind Turbine Products, serving OEMs in packaging, automation, printing, agriculture, CNC machine tools, wind turbines, and electrification applications. The company has over 75 years of design and manufacturing experience.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CD® Couplings: Composite Disc flexible shaft couplings providing zero-backlash operation while compensating for parallel, angular, and axial shaft misalignments. Includes Single-Flex, Double-Flex, Floating Shaft, and CD Power-Series configurations.
- ServoClass® Couplings
- Control-Flex® Couplings
- Schmidt® Couplings
- OHLA® (Overhung Load Adaptors)
- Torq-Tender®
- Crown® Right Angle Gearbox
- Roh'Lix® Linear Actuators
- Posi-Lok® Keyless Bushings
- Phas-Lok® Phase Adjusting Hubs
- H-TLC Torque Limiters
Products and services
- Composite Disc (CD) Couplings Aerospace-grade flexible shaft couplings providing high torsional stiffness and high dynamic load capacity for 24/7 operation. Zero-backlash operation with patented composite disc design for parallel, angular, and axial shaft misalignment compensation. Available in Single Flex, Double Flex, Floating Shaft, CD Power-Series, and Custom configurations. RoHS compliant.
- ServoClass Couplings
- Control-Flex Shaft Couplings
- Schmidt Couplings
- Overhung Load Adaptors (OHLA)
- Torq-Tender Overload Safety Couplings
- H-TLC Torque Limiters Economical detent-type torque limiters that automatically reset after a torque overload has subsided. Operational in both directions of rotation and disengagement. Operating temperature range -40°F to +180°F. Configurable for shaft-to-shaft mounting or with internal bushing for belt/chain drives. Available in two model sizes with torque range from 4 in-lbs to 500 in-lbs (0.5 Nm to 56.5 Nm). Designed for corrosive environments with composite and polymer materials.
- Crown Gear Right Angle Gearbox
- Roh'Lix Linear Actuators
- Phase Adjusting Hubs (Phas-Lok)
- Adjustable Speed Drives
- ETP Keyless Bushings
- Posi-Lok Keyless Bushings
- CD Power-Series Flexible Shaft Couplings Higher power-density servo-rated Composite Disc Flexible Shaft Couplings complementing the traditional CD line by offering higher torque in a smaller space envelope. 10 sizes and 5 hub styles (Split-Clamping Hubs, Integral Clamp-Style Hubs, Shrink Disc Hubs, ISO 9409-1 Adaptor Mounts, Flange Hubs) in Single-Flex and Double-Flex versions. Torque ratings up to 130,000 in-lbs / 14,689 Nm peak. Standard bore sizes up to 5.1875 inch / 130mm. Operating temperature range -70° to +250° F. RoHS compliant.
- ServoClass Floating Shaft Couplings Floating shaft/line shaft couplings providing high torsional stiffness and high misalignment capacity in extended length applications. Available DBSE lengths from 1.500 inch/38.1mm up to 132 inches (11 feet/3,352mm) for sizes SF030R through SF060R. Clamp-style hubs with bore ranges from 0.1875 inch/5mm up to 1.375 inch/35mm. Operating speeds up to 10,000 rpm. Hubs, flanges, and floating shafts made of clear anodized high-strength aluminum; disc packs and bushings made of 304 series stainless steel. Quick Ship Delivery available for DBSEs up to 48 inches.
- ServoClass-HSN Resonance/Vibration Damping Couplings Resonance/vibration damping couplings added to the ServoClass flexible shaft coupling line, designed for maximum damping in high gain, high speed stepper/servo motor applications. Features a Highly Saturated Nitrile Rubber (HSN/HNBR) flex element. Aluminum alloy hubs treated to prevent oxidation. Zero-backlash design with low hysteresis for repeatable, accurate positioning. Features include Low Inertia, High Misalignment Capacity, Low Reaction Loads under Misalignment, Corrosion-Resistant Fasteners, RoHS Compliant, Electrical Isolation, and Fast Installation.
- Wind Turbine Couplings and Torque Limiters
- Custom Engineered Products
Quantifiable outcome
- Supports can manufacturing systems producing up to 2400 cans per minute
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use Zero-Max
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Zero-Max technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature8 records
Zero-Max partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- ETP Transmission ABflagshipSwedish owner of the ETP® brand of hydraulic keyless shaft locking bushings (Classic, Express, Techno, Power, Hyloc, Hydropress, KN). ETP Transmission AB's ETP® trademarks are licensed to Zero-Max, who distributes the ETP keyless bushing product line in its markets. ETP is a designated 'World Partner' of Zero-Max, providing the proprietary hydraulic bushing technology that is a key differentiator of Zero-Max's shaft locking product line. Product instruction documents link to etp.se for installation guides.
- Schmidt Kupplung GmbHcoreGerman-based 'World Partner' of Zero-Max. The Schmidt Couplings product line (Schmidt Offset Shaft Couplings, Schmidt Inline Couplings, Schmidt 5-D Couplings, Schmidt Flexible Couplings) is part of Zero-Max's Flexible Shaft Couplings offering. Schmidt Offset Couplings feature needle bearings with internal micro-poly lubrication and zero-maintenance bearings, providing zero-maintenance parallel offset shaft connections for printing, embossing, paper converting, and pharmaceutical applications.
- Zero-Max A/S (Denmark)coreDanish 'World Partner' and regional office of Zero-Max. Zero-Max A/S serves as the European regional hub, supporting sales, distribution, and application engineering in European markets. The website references www.zero-max.dk for TraceParts CAD downloads configured for European customers.
- Miki PulleycoreJapanese 'World Partner' of Zero-Max. Miki Pulley serves as Zero-Max's distribution and service partner for the Japanese market, providing factory-assisted sales and product service.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Zero-Max competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- KTR Systems: German-headquartered global manufacturer of shaft couplings (ROTEX, BoWex, RADEX), torque limiters, and hydraulic clamping elements. Directly comparable product portfolio to Zero-Max's CD Couplings, ServoClass, Torq-Tender, and ETP-style keyless bushings, serving the same OEM automation, wind, and packaging customers.
- Lovejoy (Curtiss-Wright): Long-established US manufacturer of flexible jaw, disc, gear, and grid couplings plus torque limiters, now part of Curtiss-Wright. Direct peer in flexible shaft couplings and overload safety devices across industrial OEM and motion control applications.
- R+W Coupling Technology: German specialist manufacturer of precision servo and stepper motor couplings, including bellows, elastomer, and disc-pack designs with zero-backlash architecture. Directly comparable to Zero-Max's ServoClass, CD, and ServoClass-HSN coupling lines serving high-precision automation, semiconductor, and metrology OEMs.
- Mayr Power Transmission: German manufacturer of safety clutches, torque limiters, and servo couplings (ROBA-DS, ROBA-ES). Direct peer to Zero-Max's Torq-Tender overload safety couplings and H-TLC torque limiters, especially in packaging machinery, machine tool, and servo-driven automation applications.
- Huco Dynatork (Altra Industrial Motion): UK-headquartered precision coupling specialist within Altra Industrial Motion, offering beam, bellows, miniature, and servo couplings. Direct peer to Zero-Max ServoClass couplings, particularly for encoder, feedback device, and small-precision servo motor applications.
- Miki Pulley: Japanese manufacturer of mechanical power transmission components including flexible couplings, torque limiters, and keyless shaft locking devices, and a designated World Partner of Zero-Max for the Japanese market. Highly comparable product overlap with Zero-Max across couplings, torque limiters, and servo-related accessories.
Broad incumbents
- Regal Rexnord: Large multi-brand power transmission and motion control conglomerate owning Rexnord, TB Wood's, and other coupling brands. Competes with Zero-Max across flexible couplings, keyless bushings, and gear drives, but with a much broader portfolio including bearings, gearboxes, motors, and engineered systems.
- SKF: Global Swedish leader in bearings, seals, and rotating equipment services with an expanding mechanical power transmission portfolio including couplings and lubrication systems. Broad incumbent competing with Zero-Max in adjacent categories and supplying overlapping OEM customers in wind, industrial machinery, and aerospace.
- TB Wood's (Regal Rexnord): Long-standing US manufacturer of mechanical power transmission products including flexible couplings, sheaves, and belted drives, now under Regal Rexnord. Comparable to Zero-Max's Adjustable Speed Drives and general flexible coupling categories, particularly for industrial and agricultural OEM customers.
- Timken: US-based global manufacturer of engineered bearings, drive systems, and power transmission products including gear drives, chain, and couplings. Broad incumbent competitor serving overlapping industrial OEM and wind energy customers with deeper scale and broader product breadth than Zero-Max.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Zero-Max social profiles
Digital presenceZero-Max compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Zero-Max financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Zero-Max leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Zero-Max subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Zero-Max funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Zero-Max 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 Zero-Max
What does Zero-Max do?
Zero-Max, Inc. designs and manufactures motion control and power transmission components for industrial OEMs. Its product portfolio includes flexible shaft couplings (Composite Disc, ServoClass, Control-Flex, Schmidt), Overhung Load Adaptors (OHLA) for hydraulic system load support, power transmission products (Torq-Tender overload safety couplings, H-TLC torque limiters, Crown right angle gearboxes, Roh'Lix linear actuators, phase adjusting hubs, adjustable speed drives), and keyless shaft bushings (ETP hydraulic and Posi-Lok mechanical). Over 75% of OHLA sales are custom-engineered designs, and customization is offered at no engineering charge with MOQs from one to thousands of units.
Is Zero-Max a public or private company?
Zero-Max is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Zero-Max founded?
Zero-Max was founded in 1949. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Zero-Max based?
Zero-Max is headquartered in Plymouth, United States, in the North America region.
How does Zero-Max make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales (Standard Products) is the primary driver. The others are custom Engineered Products and replacement Parts & Service.
Who are Zero-Max's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are KTR Systems, Lovejoy (Curtiss-Wright), R+W Coupling Technology, Mayr Power Transmission, Huco Dynatork (Altra Industrial Motion) and Miki Pulley. Broad incumbents are Regal Rexnord, SKF, TB Wood's (Regal Rexnord) and Timken.
Does Zero-Max have an API?
No public API is recorded for Zero-Max.
What industry is Zero-Max in?
Zero-Max's product category is Motion Control and Power Transmission Components. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAGAM, Linear Motion & Mechanical Power Transmission (Ball/roller screws, linear guides, bearings, couplings), with a secondary code of IMAGACAK, Brakes, Clutches & Couplings (Electromagnetic Brakes, Torque Limiters). Its NAICS code is 3336 and its SIC code is 3562.