What Kelch, Inc. does

Kelch, Inc. is a U.S.-based designer and manufacturer of fluid and air management components, organized as a division of privately held Bemis Manufacturing Company following Bemis's 1998 acquisition. Founded in 1956 by Al Kelch and now headquartered in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin, Kelch's core products include caps, gauges, sensors, tank accessories, and liquid dispensing fitments, with manufacturing capabilities spanning injection molding, plastic welding, and assembly.

The company's product platform is anchored by two patented technologies: the Click-To-Seal™ ratchet cap family, which delivers audible and tactile torque feedback to prevent overtightening and is offered across multiple sizes and variants (including a 2-in-1 cap/gauge and a carbon-canister-eliminating variant); and the TIPS (Tamper Indicating Protection System) vent architecture, which provides rollover protection compliant with ANSI Z130.1. Sensor offerings include electro-mechanical multi-level gauges, remote gauges, and E-sensors for fluid-level indication. The portfolio is completed by filler necks, universal dipsticks, remote vents, and FDA-grade liquid dispensing closures (with over 25 million units produced since 2005).

Kelch operates as an OEM-embedded supplier, working directly with original equipment manufacturers across six verticals: lawn & garden, power sports, agriculture, construction, marine, and beverage/fluid dispensing. Revenue is generated through direct B2B hardware sales, custom component engineering partnerships, and an aftermarket replacement-parts e-commerce channel at capsandgauges.com. Products are designed-in to customer platforms, with compliance to EPA, CARB, ISO 22241-4, and ANSI Z130.1 standards serving as a regulatory entry barrier in regulated end markets. Geographic operations are concentrated in the United States.

Name

Kelch, Inc.

Legal name

Kelch, a division of Bemis Manufacturing Company

Website

https://kelch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kelch, Inc., a division of Bemis Manufacturing Company, designs and manufactures caps, gauges, sensors, tank accessories, and FDA-grade dispensing fitments for OEM customers across lawn & garden, power sports, agriculture, construction, marine, and beverage markets, leveraging patented Click-To-Seal™ and TIPS technologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Fluid Management Components

NAICS

All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing (326199), Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing (326)

SIC

Gaskets, Packg & Sealg Devices & Rubber & Plastics Hose (3050)

akta.pro primary industry

Seals, Gaskets & Fluid Connectors (O-rings, packings, rotary seals, quick couplers) (IMAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Fluid management components
• Fuel tank caps
• Tank gauges sensors
• OEM plastic components
• Liquid dispensing fitments

Headquarters

HQ city

Menomonee Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fluid Management Components - OEM Supply: Kelch generates revenue through supplying caps, gauges, sensors, and tank accessories directly to OEM manufacturers across multiple industries including lawn & garden, power sports, agriculture, construction, and marine. Products are designed into customer equipment as integral components.
2. Custom Component Engineering & Manufacturing: Revenue derived from custom engineering partnerships with customers, developing tailored fluid and air management solutions including proprietary fitments and specialized components for specific applications.
3. Aftermarket Replacement Parts: Replacement parts sold through capsandgauges.com for consumers and equipment service channels, providing original-quality caps, gauges, and sensors for existing equipment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kelch designs and manufactures caps, gauges, sensors, tank accessories, and fitments for fluid and air management applications. The company produces plastic-molded components including EPA/CARB-compliant ratchet caps, fluid level gauges, DEF caps, rollover protection vents, and FDA-grade liquid dispensing closures, supplying them as OEM-embedded components to manufacturers of lawn and garden, power sports, agriculture, construction, marine, and beverage equipment.

Product overview

Kelch, Inc., a division of Bemis Manufacturing Company, offers a comprehensive portfolio of fluid and air management products organized into four main categories: Caps, Gauges & Sensors; Tank Accessories; Fitments; and Custom Products. The core product line includes various Click-To-Seal™ Ratchet Caps (225, 350, 175 sizes, plus Carbon, Locking, and Male-Threaded variants) that feature audible/tactile feedback and torque limits for overtightening prevention, along with specialized caps like TIPS (rollover protection), DEF Tank Caps, and Marine Caps. Gauges include Master Grip 225 Cap/Gauge, Target 350 Cap/Gauge, Multi-Level Gauge, Remote Gauge, and E-Sensor for fluid level measurement. Tank Accessories comprise Filler Necks, Universal Dipsticks, and Remote Vents. Fitments include Liquid Dispensing Closures made from FDA-grade materials. All products are designed for industrial applications across Lawn & Garden, Power Sports, Agriculture, Construction, Marine, and Beverage & Fluid Dispensing markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Click-To-Seal™ Ratchet 225 Cap/Gauge A 2-in-1 ratchet cap with a built-in fuel level gauge, providing audible and tactile feedback with torque limits to prevent overtightening. EPA/CARB compliant with a permanently attached tether, designed for OEM fuel tank applications.
• Click-To-Seal™ Ratchet 350 Cap The largest ratchet cap offering with audible and tactile feedback and torque limits that prevent overtightening. EPA/CARB compliant with a permanently attached tether for OEM applications.
• Click-To-Seal™ Ratchet 175 Cap The smallest ratchet cap available with plastic threads, incorporating Click-To-Seal™ audible and tactile feedback with torque limits to prevent over tightening. EPA/CARB compliant.
• Click-To-Seal™ Carbon Cap A 2-in-1 ratcheting cap that removes the need for a separate carbon canister. EPA and CARB compliant with a combination valve and deflector, ideal for walk-behind lawn mowers.
• Locking 350 Cap An all-plastic locking cap, the largest in the Kelch family, featuring wide diameter for easy reservoir filling with a tamper-resistant locking feature and key set.
• Target 350 Cap All-plastic cap with a variety of graphics and multiple vent options. Wide diameter makes it easy and safe for consumers to fill their tank.
• Target 350 Cap/Gauge The only cap with built-in gauge that fits a 3.5" size opening, offering multiple dial selections and custom calibration to fit reservoir configurations.
• Power Grip 350 Cap All-plastic cap with wide diameter for easy tank filling, common thread size, ideal for high-volume applications and most fuel tank uses.
• Power Grip 225 Cap All-plastic cap with multiple vent options and a variety of graphics, known for secure grip style and ideal for high-volume applications.
• Comfort Grip 225 Cap All-plastic cap with multiple vent options, variety of graphics and colors, designed for plastic reservoirs and ideal for high-volume applications.
• Sure Grip 225 Cap All-plastic cap with a variety of graphics and multiple vent options. Common thread size integrates easily with most plastic reservoirs.
• Contour 175 Cap The smallest cap offered with plastic threading, designed as a perfect choice for high-volume applications with long-lasting and durable design.
• TIPS 350 Cap The largest in the TIPS family with a patented vent system for rollover protection. Minimizes leakage when not upright (35 degree angle or more) and meets ANSI Spec. Z130.1 for rollover protection.
• TIPS 225 Cap Features patented vent system for operator protection in rollover situations. Minimizes leakage when not upright (35 degree angle or more) and meets ANSI Spec. Z130.1 for rollover protection.
• DEF Tank Cap Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) cap that prevents leaks and meets ISO standard #22241-4 for DEF and AdBlue® for both on-road and off-road vehicles. Features external tether and quarter-turn operation.
• Marine Cap Cap designed to meet EPA and CARB regulations within marine environments. Provides audible and tactile feedback with torque limits to prevent overtightening, featuring combination venting in and out.
• Click-To-Seal™ Male-Threaded Ratchet Cap Features audible and tactile feedback with torque limits preventing overtightening. SAE J1114-2012 thread type, EPA/CARB compliant with permanently attached internal or external tether.
• Master Grip 225 Cap/Gauge Newly redesigned with enhanced float performance, reduced wear points and improved frame retention. Features stainless steel wire components with custom graphics and pointer colors.
• Multi-Level Gauge Electro-mechanical sensor that detects multiple fluid levels using PWM or Resistive Output signals. Hermetically sealed electronics isolated from fluids with continuous fluid level measurements and programmable calibration.
• Remote Gauge The most compact, low-profile gauge available, available with pipe threads or snap-in grommet. Gauge lengths from 5" to 24" with never-yellow crystal.
• E-Sensor Electro-mechanical sensor that indicates high or low fluid levels by integrating with LED light, panel bulb or buzzer/bell indicator. Electronics are hermetically sealed and protected from fluids.
• Filler Neck High-quality injection-molded filler necks engineered for a perfect fit between the filler neck and Kelch cap. Available in 2.25" and 3.5" with custom heights available.
• Universal Dipstick Universal dipstick ideal for hydraulic, brake and engine fluids with operational temperatures from -40°F to 150°F. Induction-welded dipstick with multiple vent options.
• Remote Vent Remote vent with combination valve offering direct venting to a specified location. Designed for plastic or metal reservoirs, acts as baffled vent with multiple air management options.
• Liquid Dispensing Closure Liquid dispensing closure manufactured from FDA-grade plastics and O-rings with 302 stainless steel springs. Designed to fit industry standard dispensing equipment; Kelch has produced roughly 25 million units since 2005.
• Custom Products Custom-engineered fluid and air management components developed through direct engineering collaboration with OEMs. Includes proprietary fitments and specialized components tailored to specific customer applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25 million liquid dispensing closures produced since 2005
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bemis Manufacturing CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1998Kelch was acquired by Bemis Manufacturing Company in 1998, becoming a division of Bemis. This acquisition strengthened Kelch's commitment to culture and values and provided expanded resources. Bemis Manufacturing is noted as the world's largest toilet seat manufacturer, founded in 1901.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Parker Hannifin: Parker Hannifin is a diversified motion and control technologies leader with a substantial sealing products portfolio (O-rings, gaskets, fluid connectors). It serves many of the same industrial equipment OEMs as Kelch but at far greater scale and across a much broader fluid power and sealing product range.
• Sensata Technologies: Sensata is a major supplier of sensors and electrical protection components, including fluid level and pressure sensors for automotive and industrial markets. Comparable as a broad incumbent addressing the sensing side of fluid management, with greater scale and broader technology portfolio than Kelch's electro-mechanical gauges.
• Illinois Tool Works (ITW): ITW is a diversified industrial manufacturer with plastics and sealing component businesses serving automotive, construction, and consumer durables OEMs. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating in adjacent fluid management and engineered plastics categories at far greater scale than Kelch.
• Trelleborg AB: Trelleborg is a global polymer technology specialist with engineered polymer seals, gaskets, and fluid handling components across industrial, automotive, and marine markets. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping fluid sealing expertise, though focused on elastomer-based solutions.
• Saint-Gobain Seals & Gaskets: Saint-Gobain's seals business produces engineered polymer and fluid management components for industrial and automotive applications. Comparable as a broad incumbent supplying similar sealing and fluid containment functionality to overlapping OEM customer bases.

Emerging players

• Great Plains Industries (GPI): GPI manufactures fluid handling equipment including fuel transfer meters, flow meters, and hand pumps for agricultural, industrial, and consumer markets. Adjacent peer with overlap in fluid measurement and management for the agricultural and outdoor power equipment end markets Kelch serves.
• Caplugs: Caplugs is a specialty manufacturer of plastic caps, plugs, and protective components serving industrial, automotive, and fluid handling applications. Adjacent to Kelch with overlap in custom plastic closure design and injection molding capabilities, though focused more broadly on protective rather than functional fluid management.

Direct peers

• Stant Corporation: Stant (a Dover Corporation business) is a direct peer — a leading manufacturer of fuel caps, radiator caps, and related sealing/fluid management components for automotive and small-engine OEMs. Overlaps directly with Kelch in fuel caps for lawn & garden and powersports applications.
• Plastixx LLC: Plastixx is a custom plastic injection molder focused on fluid management and dispensing components for industrial, chemical, and consumer markets — directly comparable to Kelch's injection-molding and plastic welding capabilities for fluid handling OEMs.
• Rochester Sensors: Rochester Sensors manufactures liquid level gauges and sensors for automotive, recreational vehicle, industrial, and marine tank applications — a direct competitor to Kelch's Master Grip, Target 350, Multi-Level, and Remote Gauge product families serving overlapping OEM customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kelch-co.

Compliance5 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 Kelch, Inc.