Deublin Company has spent eight decades becoming the world’s benchmark name in rotary unions and slip rings
Established in 1945 and named after founders Luke Deubler and Dick Linn, Deublin Company began with an innovative rotary union featuring balanced mechanical seals. The product quickly became a success, positioning Deublin as an industry pioneer and setting a new benchmark for reliability and performance.
This spirit of innovation was also evident in Deublin’s early global expansion. “We established subsidiaries in Germany in 1969, the UK in 1972, and Japan in 1973. Further expansions followed in the 1990s and 2000s, and today we have 15 locations,” reveals Joao Pucetti, CEO of Deublin. “The international spread of the business is what has ultimately led to Deublin’s global success story.”
Strategic acquisitions have been equally instrumental in the company’s growth, enabling entry into new markets as well as increased scale. “For example, we merged with and later acquired a company in Italy called SINT in 1990 that launched us into the paper industry, and that line of products has been successfully introduced across the US and other areas of the world.”
HOERBIGER
In 2019, Deublin itself was acquired by HOERBIGER. “Deublin was the first company in the Rotary business unit within HOERBIGER. This has subsequently expanded through the addition of three more companies over the last three years: Gardner Systems, Minor-Jupiter, and Diamond-Roltran, LLC. We’ve also undertaken the strategic asset purchase of a competitor in Germany called LTN Servotechnik GmbH, where we’ve purchased some of its slip ring product lines and taken over the production and customer service for them.
“There has been investment into the Rotary business unit and there is a revived spirit of growth,” adds Joao. “HOERBIGER sees a lot of potential for both rotary unions and slip rings. It is investing in equipment and people to ensure we have the tools necessary to grow to meet our ambitious goals.”
Despite being part of HOERBIGER, the Deublin name remains central to the brand. In fact, it has achieved rare status as a genericized industry term, much like Xerox or Kleenex. “Customers will seek out the Deublin name when they are looking for solutions,” notes Afzal Ali, Global Brand Ambassador at Deublin. “We are the benchmark across the different industries we serve.”
Those industries include semiconductor manufacturing, oil and gas, paper and corrugating, steel, renewable energy, and general industrial applications. New sectors are also emerging. “The Diamond-Roltran acquisition has delivered new capabilities that will establish us in aerospace and defense,” says Afzal. “In the future, medical will also be a significant market for us.”
The critical nature of Deublin’s components underscores their importance to customers. “One of the reasons we were identified as a good acquisition target for HOERBIGER was because of the nature of our products,” Afzal explains. “They fall into two categories – performance defining or mission critical.”
Performance defining components dictate operating parameters such as temperature, speed, and pressure within a machine. Mission critical components, however, are even more consequential. “Without the functioning of the rotary union or slip ring, the larger system itself can’t function,” adds Matt Bell, Global VP of Sales and Marketing. “While the part may represent a small percentage of the overall value of a machine, it’s so critical that the overall machine doesn’t work without it.”
Because of this importance, OEMs partner closely with Deublin to evolve and customize products. “They’re always challenging us, looking for higher speeds, exotic media, higher pressures, or combinations, to maintain their own market leading positions. In addition, our R&D and marketing teams are listening to customers, watching market trends, and launching products through our group.”
Delivering at this level requires exceptional quality, both in facilities and processes. “Working closely with Toyota, we underwent an extensive transformation program that we call the Deublin Performance System (DPS). Through this we have introduced standardized processes and a drive for continuous improvement across all areas of the business,” says Loriane Maeda, Managing Director of Deublin USA.
“We have been honing this rigorously over the past ten years,” Loriane continues. “We’ve mapped out processes, identified stagnation, broken down root causes of problems, and put countermeasures in place to prevent recurrence. We’ve automated as much as possible using robots, enabling machines to run unattended, incorporating real time feedback, and automating aspects of final assembly. Conveyance automation is also on the horizon.”
With ISO 9001 certification, Deublin provides customers with assurance of its commitment to quality. “This is essential in sectors such as semiconductor manufacturing, where quality criteria are among the most demanding in the world. Customers have very high standards, and they select us because we satisfy their requirements. Looking ahead, aerospace and defense will require an even higher level of quality control, and we’re preparing for that.”
Yet technology alone does not define Deublin’s success, it is equally driven by its people. “Our staff is our most important resource, with everyone playing a critical role,” Loriane emphasizes. “This ties into the DPS, where we empower people on the floor to control their processes and identify opportunities for improvement. We encourage cross training so operators can develop skills and take on different roles as needed.”
Maintaining a supportive, family oriented culture remains a priority. Joao notes, “At the time we were acquired by HOERBIGER, we were still owned by Don Deubler, the son of founder Luke Deubler. We work hard to maintain that family owned atmosphere, helped by HOERBIGER Group’s status as a private foundation. We organize many activities for staff such as golf, bowling, company picnics, BBQs and so on. When we celebrated our 80 year anniversary last year, we took the entire team of over 200 out for lunch and celebration.”
HOERBIGER’s biennial Voice for Excellence survey also reinforces a culture of listening. Every employee is interviewed by an independent third party, with findings focused on workload, strategy, and well being. “The questions are comprehensive and ultimately give us insight into how employees feel working at Deublin.”
Employee longevity is another indicator of satisfaction. “Many of our staff have been with us for decades, and we recognize major milestones,” notes Matt. “When customers visit, they often comment on how many long tenured employees we have. We see that as a testament to Deublin being an attractive employer.”
This culture of continuity extends to environmental stewardship. “HOERBIGER has created a dedicated sustainability report and runs corporate initiatives such as adopting solar power at facilities. For us, reducing scrap and recycling chips and scrap metal are major initiatives,” says Joao.
HOERBIGER’s Heat Initiative further evaluates facilities for energy efficiency and carbon reduction. “We also manufacture more locally to where products will be used, which minimizes transportation related emissions.”
Looking ahead, Matt and his team see significant opportunities for accelerated growth. “Our emphasis is on slip rings for aerospace and defense, medical applications, and the space and satellite segment. Our semiconductor clients are at the heart of the AI data center boom, and their progress depends on our ability to scale with them.
“We are always looking for possible acquisitions as well,” he adds. “We’re successfully integrating those already on board, and we will pursue opportunities that add new markets or capabilities to our organization.”
With established positions in semiconductors, aerospace, medical, and space, Deublin’s future is rich with opportunity and with HOERBIGER’s support, the company is well positioned to make the most of it.
