Mid-States Laboratories

What Mid-States Laboratories does

Mid-States Laboratories, Inc. is a family-owned custom earmold manufacturer founded in 1951 and headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. The company designs, produces, and ships handcrafted custom earmolds built from a proprietary materials portfolio that includes NASA-derived body-softening materials (Audtex and Apollo), second- and third-generation soft silicones (MSL 90 and MSL 7000), the market-leading Yellow Stuff IV impression material introduced in 1993, Softex, Marveltex, Lucite, standard silicone, and specialty formulations such as the floatable Rainbow Lite. Beyond the core hearing-aid earmold, the product line covers thin-tube molds (TT1-TT4), non-amplified specialty earpieces for pilots, anesthesiologists, and communications use, and a full set of dispenser supply items including earlights, OtoBlocks, tubing, and finishing tools. Modifications such as venting, horn coupling, and damping are performed as in-house services.

The business is structured as a B2B custom manufacturer that sells exclusively through the U.S. hearing healthcare dispenser and audiologist channel. Orders are placed by phone, fax, or downloadable PDF order form, with no consumer-facing e-commerce and no public price list. End use cases span hearing aid fitting for mild-to-profound loss, flat-response musicians earplugs (manufactured in partnership with Etymotic Research), custom swim and sleep plugs, industrial noise protection, and pilot/ATC communication earpieces. Revenue mechanics rest on one-time custom-manufacturing sales plus recurring consumable supply sales to the same dispenser base.

Operating scale is small, with 11-50 employees at a single Wichita site and no disclosed institutional investment, M&A, or leadership turnover. The company carries the brand positioning 'The Earmold Suppliers for the Astronauts' from its NASA-era material development, and has maintained continuous family ownership for over 70 years. No AI/ML, digital, or software capabilities are reflected in the product, channel, or operational footprint described in available sources.

Name

Mid-States Laboratories

Legal name

Mid-States Laboratories, Inc.

Website

https://mid-stateslabs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mid-States Laboratories is a family-owned, Wichita-based custom earmold manufacturer founded in 1951. It produces handcrafted earmolds from proprietary materials including NASA-derived Audtex and Apollo, and sells exclusively to U.S. hearing healthcare dispensers and audiologists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Hearing Earmolds and Dispenser Supplies

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Audio Accessories (Ear Tips, Cables, Stands, Cases, Transmitters) (CRACANAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Audio Accessories & Consumables (Cables, Stands, Cases, Strings, Picks, Heads) (MPAIAJAF), Sports & Fitness Audio (Open‑Ear, Bone Conduction, Neckband) (CRACANAD)

Keywords

• Custom earmold manufacturing
• Hearing healthcare supplies
• Ear impression materials
• Hearing protection devices
• Audiology dispensary supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Wichita

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Earmold Sales: Custom earmolds manufactured to specification from customer ear impressions. Sold to hearing healthcare dispensers and directly to consumers via dispenser orders. Products include standard styles, non-amplified molds, thin tube molds, and specialty applications.
2. Supply Items: Earmold impression materials (Yellow Stuff IV, Accu-Form), syringes, LED and disposable earlights, tubing, OtoBlocks, finishing stones, tube reamers, B-parts and adaptors, damping plugs. Consumable supplies sold to hearing healthcare offices.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Mid-States Laboratories handcrafts custom earmolds in a range of proprietary and standard materials (Audtex, Apollo, MSL 90, MSL 7000, Silicone, Lucite, Softex, Marveltex, Rainbow Lite) for hearing aids, musicians earplugs, swim plugs, and industrial/pilot hearing protection. The company also supplies ear impression materials, earlights, tubing, OtoBlocks, and other consumables used by hearing healthcare offices. All orders are fulfilled B2B from its Wichita, Kansas manufacturing facility.

Product overview

Mid-States Laboratories is a family-owned custom earmold manufacturer operating since 1951, known as 'the earmold suppliers for the astronauts' due to their NASA partnership. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of custom earmold products including proprietary NASA-based materials (Audtex and Apollo), proprietary silicone materials (MSL 90, MSL 7000), and standard earmold materials (Lucite, Silicone, Softex, Marveltex). Their core products span hearing aid earmolds (standard, thin tube, non-amplified, and specialty molds), impression materials (Yellow Stuff IV, Accu-Form), supply items (earlights, tubes, blocks), and specialty products (Rainbow Lite swim plugs, Etymotic musicians earplugs). All earmolds are handcrafted, and the company provides modification services for acoustic enhancement. The product line serves multiple professional segments including musicians, pilots, dental hygienists, swimmers, factory/construction workers, and general hearing healthcare patients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Audtex & Apollo: Proprietary NASA-based body-softening earmold materials
• Yellow Stuff IV
• MSL 90 & MSL 7000
• Rainbow Lite

Products and services

• Custom Earmolds Hand-crafted custom earmolds manufactured in various proprietary and standard materials for hearing aids, serving musicians, dental hygienists, swimmers, factory workers, pilots, and other professional groups requiring hearing protection or enhancement.
• Audtex & Apollo Materials
• MSL 90 Silicone Material
• MSL 7000 Silicone Material
• Yellow Stuff IV Impression Material
• Accu-Form Impression Material
• Standard Silicone Material
• Softex Material
• Marveltex (Vinyl) Material
• Rainbow Lite Floatable Swim/Sound/Sleep Plugs
• Thin Tube Earmolds (TT1-TT4)
• Non-Amplified Specialty Molds
• Etymotic Research Musicians Earplugs (custom-fitted)
• Earmold Modification Services
• Invisible Additive
• Dispenser Supply Items (Earlights, OtoBlocks, Tubing, B-Parts)

Quantifiable outcome

• Yellow Stuff IV became the leading impression material on the market since exclusive introduction in 1993

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuring their work with the NASA program, Mid-States Laboratories developed and obtained rights to proprietary body-softening materials (Audtex and Apollo) that were originally created for space program use. This relationship established the company's reputation as 'The Earmold Suppliers for the Astronauts'.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Microsonic: Microsonic is a U.S.-based custom earmold laboratory that competes directly with Mid-States in hearing aid earmolds, hearing protection, and specialty custom in-ear products for audiologists and dispensers.
• Westone Laboratories: Westone is a leading custom earmold manufacturer serving the same end markets as Mid-States—hearing healthcare, musicians, military, and industrial hearing protection—with a similarly broad proprietary material portfolio and direct-to-dispenser B2B model.
• Etymotic Research: Etymotic designs and supplies musicians earplugs and hearing protection products (including the flat-response ER attenuators that Mid-States uses). It is both a partner and an adjacent competitor in the specialty hearing protection space.

Broad incumbents

• Sennheiser Hearing (Sonova Consumer Hearing): Sennheiser (now part of Sonova's Consumer Hearing division) manufactures consumer and professional audio products including hearing protection earplugs, overlapping with Mid-States' musician and industrial hearing protection segments.
• Oticon (Demant): Oticon, part of Demant, is a global hearing aid manufacturer with its own custom earmold and fitting ecosystem, competing for the same dispenser relationships and downstream patient demand as Mid-States.
• Phonak (Sonova): Phonak is one of the world's largest hearing aid manufacturers and supplies custom earmolds and earmold-related services through its dispenser channel, making it a vertically integrated competitor to Mid-States.
• Starkey Hearing Technologies: Starkey is a major U.S. hearing aid manufacturer that supplies custom hearing products (including earmolds) to audiologists and dispensers, positioning it as a vertically integrated competitor to Mid-States.
• 3M (E-A-R Hearing Protection): 3M's E-A-R line is a dominant industrial hearing protection brand offering disposable and reusable earplugs, competing with Mid-States in industrial and construction worker hearing protection.

Emerging players

• Howard Leight by Honeywell: Howard Leight (a Honeywell brand) specializes in hearing protection and ergonomics, offering disposable and reusable earplugs that overlap with Mid-States' industrial noise protection product line.
• Decibullz: Decibullz is a direct-to-consumer brand of custom-molded earplugs for sports, shooting, and music, representing a digitally native, consumer-facing competitor to Mid-States' specialty hearing protection business.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Midstateslaboratories
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mid-states-laboratories-inc

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 Mid-States Laboratories