UTEX Industries
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UTEX Industries, Inc. is an American
manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or Production (economics), production of goods with the help of equipment, Work (human activity), labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary se ...
of sealing products. Based in
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, the company was founded as Universal Packing and Gasket in 1940 and was renamed to UTEX Industries in 1969. Grey Mountain Partners purchased UTEX in 2005 and sold it in 2007 to
Audax Group Audax is a Latin adjective meaning "bold, daring" and may refer to: Media * Audax Groep, a Dutch media and retail company Sport Cycling *Audax (cycling), long-distance endurance bicycle rides * Audax Australia, an organisation that runs long d ...
, which sold it to
Rhône Group Rhône Group is a global private equity firm with approximately $11 billion of assets under management, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, and partnerships with particular focus on European and trans- ...
in 2010. Private equity firm
Riverstone Holdings Riverstone Holdings is a multinational corporation, multinational private equity firm based in New York City focused on leveraged buyout, growth capital, and credit (finance), credit investments in the energy industry and electrical power industry ...
purchased UTEX Industries for $825 million in 2013.


History

UTEX Industries was founded in 1940 as Universal Packing and Gasket. It is based in
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. In 1964, the company created "the first nonadjustable plunger packing material designed to address reciprocating pump-sealing problems". Made of
nitrile rubber Nitrile rubber, also known as nitrile butadiene rubber, NBR, Buna-N, and acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, is a synthetic rubber derived from acrylonitrile (ACN) and butadiene. Trade names include Perbunan, Nipol, Krynac and Europrene. This rubber is ...
and "
nylon Nylon is a family of synthetic polymers characterised by amide linkages, typically connecting aliphatic or Polyamide#Classification, semi-aromatic groups. Nylons are generally brownish in color and can possess a soft texture, with some varieti ...
fabric composite laminated material", it was formed into "packing" named the J-Design 838. In 1969, UP&G was renamed to UTEX Industries. UTEX was originally acquired in August 2005 by Grey Mountain Partners, a private equity firm. They then sold UTEX to
Audax Group Audax is a Latin adjective meaning "bold, daring" and may refer to: Media * Audax Groep, a Dutch media and retail company Sport Cycling *Audax (cycling), long-distance endurance bicycle rides * Audax Australia, an organisation that runs long d ...
, a middle-market investment capital firm, in 2007. In December 2010, Utex was acquired by global private equity firm
Rhône Group Rhône Group is a global private equity firm with approximately $11 billion of assets under management, specializing in mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, and partnerships with particular focus on European and trans- ...
for an undisclosed amount. In March 2013, Utex was acquired by private equity firm Riverstone Holdings LLC for $825 million. In 2014, UTEX expanded its manufacturing operations to Singapore after having opened a sales branch there beginning in 2011. In 2014, UTEX had over 600 employees and seven manufacturing plants in the United States, all of which were in Texas, and a manufacturing plant in
Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...
, England.


Acquisitions

In 1994, UTEX acquired Applied Rubber Technology. In 1999, UTEX bought from Corrosion Control Corporation the AccuSeal brand name and polymeric seal division. Utex moved AccuSeal from
Lakewood, Colorado Lakewood is the List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 15 ...
to a rented place in Houston close to Utex
corporate headquarters Corporate headquarters is the part of a corporate structure that deals with tasks such as strategic planning, corporate communications, taxes, law, books of record, marketing, finance, human resources, and information technology. Corporate headqu ...
. In 2014, Utex created Utex AccuSeal do Brasil Ltda, a Brazilian
subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company, or daughter company is a company (law), company completely or partially owned or controlled by another company, called the parent company or holding company, which has legal and financial control over the subsidia ...
to do business in the oil and gas sector in South America. In 2008, UTEX acquired CAM Speciality Products, which makes urethane products primary in the oil and gas sector. The same year, UTEX acquired DuraQuest, which produces "moulded rubber and drilling shock absorber products" primary in the oil and gas sector. In 2011, UTEX purchased
Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...
seal manufacturer Arefco, which was founded in 1978 and had 58 employees in 2014. In 2016, UTEX purchased Steeltex, the manufacturer of Core-X® plungers and pony rods. In 2017, UTEX acquires Energy Products, Inc. (EPI) a Tulsa, Oklahoma, based company that is a manufacturer and distributor to top tier well service customers.  EPI also has a background in fabrication, distribution, logistics, and warehousing solutions.  This acquisition broadens Utex capabilities by expanding beyond sealing to all fluid end expendables.


Products

The company and its subsidiaries make a range of sealing products, including gaskets, gasket sheets, high-tech
O-ring An O-ring, also known as a packing or a toric joint, is a mechanical gasket in the shape of a torus; it is a loop of elastomer with a round cross section (geometry), cross-section, designed to be seated in a groove and compressed during assembl ...
s, molded packings and seals for reciprocating pumps,
hydraulics Hydraulics () is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concer ...
, mechanical seals, braided packings, and custom rubber-
molded Molding (American English) or moulding (British and Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is the process of manufacturing by shaping liquid or pliable raw material using a rigid frame called a mold or matrix. This itself may have ...
products. They also offer repairs for mechanical seals.


References

{{reflist, 30em American companies established in 1940 Manufacturing companies based in Houston Manufacturing companies established in 1940 1940 establishments in Texas