Overton Chicago Gear, Inc.

What Overton Chicago Gear, Inc. does

Overton Chicago Gear, Inc. (OCG) is a precision gear manufacturer founded in 1888 and headquartered in Addison, Illinois, operating three Chicagoland facilities totaling approximately 209,465 sq. ft. plus a 25,000 sq. ft. heat-treat facility. The company designs, manufactures, and rebuilds custom open gearing (bevel, spur, helical, herringbone, worm, and rack) and gearboxes (helical, bevel-helical, planetary, right-angle, parallel shaft) up to AGMA Q11 accuracy, with capabilities including 160-inch diameter 5-axis milling, an 84-inch press quench, a Hofler 2400 gear cutting system, and a climate-controlled metrology laboratory certified to AGMA 2000, AGMA 2015, ISO 1328, and DIN 3960 tolerances.

OCG serves 12 industrial verticals including oil and gas, petroleum fracturing, mining, marine and shipbuilding, wind energy, cement processing, locomotive, metal processing, defense, medical, paper and pulp, and power generation. Its customer base consists of industrial OEMs, equipment operators, and end-users; the company supplies both build-to-print and reverse-engineered components, frequently upgrading or replacing parts originally produced by other manufacturers. Contract machining and contract heat treatment are offered as standalone services or bundled with gear orders, providing an additional revenue surface.

Revenue is generated on a quote-based, project-driven model with Net 30 payment terms and multi-year contracts for some customers. Sales are conducted entirely through a direct enterprise field-sales motion led by regional Sales Directors and supported by departmental email channels; there are no third-party resellers or distributors. The company holds ISO 9001 registration (since 1996), ABS Type Acceptance for marine gears, and Timken Bearing Certified Shop status (June 2024), and was admitted to the AGMA Hall of Fame in 2016. OCG operates as part of Precision Products Machining Group, LLC and maintains 30+ year exclusive offshore manufacturing partnerships to extend its global production footprint.

Name

Overton Chicago Gear, Inc.

Legal name

Overton Chicago Gear, Inc.

Website

https://oc-gear.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1888

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Overton Chicago Gear, founded in 1888, designs, manufactures, and rebuilds custom precision gears and gearboxes for industrial OEMs and operators across 12 verticals, including oil and gas, mining, marine, defense, wind, and power generation, from three Chicagoland facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Gear and Gearbox Manufacturing

NAICS

Speed Changer, Industrial High-Speed Drive, and Gear Manufacturing (333612), Machine Shops (332710)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

Gearmotors, Gearboxes & Speed Reducers (IMAGACAF)

Keywords

• Precision gear manufacturing
• Industrial gearbox fabrication
• Custom open gearing
• Contract heat treatment
• Gearbox rebuild services

Headquarters

HQ city

Addison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Gear Manufacturing (Open Gearing): One-time manufacturing of custom open gears including bevel, spur, helical, herringbone, worm, and rack gears to customer specifications. Revenue recognized per order/project with no recurring component.
2. Custom Gearbox Design, Manufacturing & Rebuild: Design and build custom gearboxes; rebuild and reverse engineer existing gearboxes from any manufacturer. Over 500,000 gearboxes designed and built. Revenue per unit/project.
3. Engineering Services: Application-specific gearbox engineering, reverse engineering, failure analysis, and inspection services. Provided as standalone services or bundled with manufacturing orders.
4. Contract Machining: Precision machining services for non-gearing parts including turning, milling, drilling, 5-axis machining, and wire EDM for external customers.
5. Contract Heat Treatment: Heat treatment services including normalizing, annealing, carburizing, hardening, press quenching, straightening, lasting, shot peen, and nitriding for external customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Overton Chicago Gear, Inc. manufactures and supplies custom precision open gearing (bevel, spur, helical, herringbone, worm, and rack gears) and custom gearboxes for industrial OEMs and end-users. The company provides engineering, reverse engineering, contract machining, and contract heat treatment services, operating from three Chicagoland-area facilities totaling more than 209,000 square feet.

Product overview

Overton Chicago Gear is a full-service precision gear manufacturer offering open gearing (bevel, spur, helical, herringbone, worm sets) and gearboxes, backed by engineering services and contract machining/heat treatment capabilities. The company operates three facilities totaling over 209,000 sq. ft. in the Chicago area and holds ISO 9001 registration. Key brands integrated through acquisitions include Overton Gear, Chicago Gear, D.O. James, Illinois Gear, Balfre Gear, Franke Gear, and Ignition Engineering. The company provides 'build to print,' reverse engineering, and complete gearbox design and rebuild services for diverse industries including mining, marine, oil & gas, power generation, cement, defense, medical, and rail/locomotive applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Open Gearing Precision open gearing including straight, skewed, spiral bevel, spur, helical, rack, herringbone, double helical, and worm set gears manufactured to AGMA quality standards up to Q11, for industrial OEMs and equipment operators across 12 verticals.
• Gearboxes Custom and standard gearboxes including helical, bevel helical, planetary, right-angle, and parallel shaft configurations, plus rebuild and reverse engineering services for D.O. James and other manufacturers' units.
• Straight, Skewed, and Spiral Bevel Gears High-precision bevel gearing including Klingelnberg spiral bevels up to 85-inch diameter at AGMA Q11, Gleason straight and skewed bevels up to 100-inch diameter, and 5-axis milled bevels up to 160-inch diameter.
• Spur, Helical, and Rack Gears External spur and helical gears to 96-inch diameter, internal gears to 63-inch diameter, milled teeth to 160-inch diameter, and finish-ground teeth to 94-inch diameter.
• Herringbone and Double Helical Gears Multi-axis milled herringbone and double helical gears achieving AGMA Q11 accuracy with four times the accuracy of traditional methods, up to 4 meters diameter and 2.5 meters in length.
• Worm Set Gears Custom worm sets from 1-inch to 34-inch center distance, manufactured to customer specifications, including double enveloping worm gears for defense applications.
• Engineering Services Specialty engineering including gearbox and gear design (clean sheet, customer specified, or reverse engineered), inspection, failure analysis, and application-specific enclosed drives.
• Contract Machining Precision machining services for non-gearing parts including turning, milling, drilling, 5-axis machining, and wire EDM work for parts up to 90-inch diameter and shafts to 100-inch length.
• Contract Heat Treatment Heat treating services including normalizing, annealing, carburizing, hardening, press quenching, straightening, lasting, shot peen, and nitriding for gears up to 90 inches in diameter.

Quantifiable outcome

• AGMA Q11 accuracy on narrow gap double helical gears with four times the accuracy of traditional methods
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles9 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Offshore Manufacturing Partners (Exclusive Overseas)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOCG has longstanding exclusive partnerships with offshore manufacturers who produce many types of standard and special design gearboxes manufactured to OCG drawings and specifications. These partnerships give OCG a global footprint with quality gearboxes and allow OCG to service customers where pricing is an issue. OCG maintains over 30 years of experience with these overseas partnerships, providing customers greater flexibility in production and delivery while maintaining OCG's full range of engineering, quality, and after-sale support.
• American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOverton Chicago Gear is a founding and active member of AGMA. The association defines standards for design, manufacture, acceptance criteria, and usage of gearing — many now adopted by ISO and used by member companies worldwide. OCG employees participate on AGMA committees, driving gearing technology forward. OCG was admitted to the AGMA Hall of Fame in 2016.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Forest City Gear: Roscoe, IL-based custom precision gear manufacturer serving aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial markets. Closest US direct peer to Overton Chicago Gear in capability set, precision tier, and customer verticals.
• Arrow Gear Company: Downers Grove, IL-based precision gear manufacturer specializing in spiral bevel, straight bevel, and zerol bevel gears. Direct US competitor serving aerospace, defense, and industrial OEMs with comparable custom-gear capabilities.
• Cleveland Gear Company: Cleveland, OH-based custom gear and gearbox manufacturer with capabilities in open gearing, enclosed drives, and reverse engineering. Directly comparable custom manufacturer serving similar heavy-industrial and mining customers.

Broad incumbents

• Bonfiglioli: Italian global manufacturer of gearmotors, drive systems, and industrial gearboxes for wind energy, marine, and heavy industry. Comparable on wind and marine gearbox capabilities and serves as a global competitor in OCG's renewable and marine verticals.
• Regal Rexnord: Large diversified power-transmission manufacturer offering gearboxes, gears, bearings, and motion-control products across industrial verticals. Comparable on industrial gearbox offerings but with much broader portfolio and global manufacturing footprint.
• Philadelphia Gear: Now part of Timken Power Systems, Philadelphia Gear is a broad incumbent in custom gearboxes, rebuild services, and power-transmission equipment for industrial and military markets. Comparable on gearbox rebuild/reverse-engineering services but operates at larger scale and broader scope than OCG.
• David Brown Gear Systems: UK-based (now Clyde Blowers Capital) manufacturer of industrial gearboxes for mining, marine, power, and heavy industries. Directly comparable on heavy-duty enclosed drives and reverse-engineered replacements for legacy gearboxes.
• Cone Drive Operations (Timken): Timken-owned manufacturer of precision slewing drives, worm gears, and spiral bevel gearboxes. Overlaps with OCG in precision spiral bevel gearing and large-diameter enclosed drives for industrial applications.
• Lufkin Industries (Baker Hughes): Baker Hughes subsidiary providing pumping, power-transmission, and oilfield gear solutions including frac pump drives and beam pumping units. Directly comparable to OCG's oil & gas and petroleum fracturing business.
• Sumitomo Heavy Industries (Power Transmission): Japanese manufacturer of precision gearboxes, reducers, and motion-control products with global industrial footprint. Comparable on precision enclosed gearing and represents international competition in OCG's high-precision work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OvertonChicagoGear
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/overton-chicago-gear

Compliance3 records

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 Overton Chicago Gear, Inc.