Q&A with Maryland manufacturer Phelps Industrial Products

The Maryland-grown company Phelps Industrial Products has been serving the global market since 1945.

From their new location in Laurel, the manufacturer of industrial gaskets, compression packing, and fluid sealing devices has a team of experts with the talent to craft a custom product for a vast range of industries. Through die, laser, waterjet, knife cutting, and hand-cut services, Phelps has been successful in producing innovative designs for everything from water treatment, power and utility, petrochemical, marine, refining, to the pharmaceutical industry.

We sat down with Phelps CEO Gina Lehman to discuss their new expansion and the future of this 21st century manufacturer.

Tell us a little about the history of Phelps.
Phelps was started in 1945, and stayed in the family for two generations. We have grown based on our exemplary customer service. We strive really hard to cater to our customers’ fluid sealing needs.

What are some examples of the gaskets and other products Phelps makes and where are they applicable?
Gaskets and rubber products have a very wide range of mission-critical applications in Refining, Oil & Gas Production, Petrochemical Manufacturing, Power Plants, etc. Gaskets are used in all kinds of fluid sealing applications such as waste water treatment, NEMA Boxes, Electronics, and much more.

What do you attribute to the company’s success?
First and foremost our team – our employees strive hard to provide the best-in-class service to our customers. Secondly, our customers truly recognize this attribute of Phelps which can be seen in the public feedback available on Google Reviews.

Tell us about the new location.
We are moving to a bigger, more spacious facility. We are buying brand new machines, training our employees, adding new employees to supercharge our technical capabilities, expand our geographical reach, and further enhance our customer service.

Why Maryland?
Maryland provides an ideal location with access to the defense industry, manufacturing industry, coastal/shipping industry, and pharmaceutical industry. There’s a manufacturing-friendly environment here that we’ve taken advantage of.

What does the future hold for Phelps?
We aspire to grow our customerbase domestically and globally by growing our team, adopting cutting-edge digital technologies, and expanding our products. We also seek ISO Quality approvals to become more appealing to newer customers. We hope to gain more acceptance and recognition by government contractors like Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, BAE Systems and the like. It has been a challenge to gain access and entry into these organizations despite our capabilities and Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certifications. The federal government has set-asides for MBE businesses, but making the appropriate contacts and landing those contracts is an uphill battle.

For more information about Phelps Industrial Products visit phelpsgaskets.com.

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from https://mdbiznews.commerce.maryland.gov/2018/02/qa-maryland-manufacturer-phelps-industrial-products/