Our History

In 1945, Luke Deubler and Dick Linn founded Deublin Company, a name created by combining their last names. Their first product was an innovative rotary union design featuring balanced mechanical seals. At that time, most equipment used pressure-type seals that failed under high-speed operation, especially in printing presses. Luke’s improved design quickly became a success, positioning Deublin as a pioneer in the industry and setting a new benchmark for reliability and performance.

Building on this breakthrough, Luke designed unions for a wide range of applications including air clutches, gearboxes, machine tool spindles, textile equipment, continuous casting machines, paper calenders, and rubber-processing machinery. These dependable and efficient designs made Deublin products essential wherever air, water, oil, or hydraulic fluid needed to be transferred from a stationary source to a rotating component. A few years later, Dick sold his shares, leaving Luke as the sole owner.

As global manufacturing surged after World War II, Deublin continued to grow through the 1950s and 1960s. Recognizing the potential overseas, Luke established Deublin GmbH in Germany in 1969, followed by Deublin Ltd. in England in 1972, and Nippon Deublin in Japan in 1977. These early international ventures gave Deublin a strong foothold abroad and ensured that many imported machines arriving in North America already carried Deublin unions.

In 1989, Deublin expanded again by acquiring SINT in Italy, a company specializing in steam joint and siphon systems for high-speed machines. This made Deublin the first independent supplier offering a joint with a balanced mechanical seal and stationary siphon system.

Today, Deublin operates 13 entities around the world, including Brazil, Germany, England, Italy, France, Spain, Austria, Japan, Korea, China and Singapore. The company continues its legacy of innovation, performance, and global leadership in rotary unions.

Deublin’s momentum never slowed. In December 1992, the company moved into its new 120,000-square-foot world headquarters in Waukegan, Illinois. Three times larger than the previous facility, the award-winning, ISO 9001-certified plant was designed to bring together administration, sales, marketing, engineering, manufacturing, research and development, and training under one roof.

Although planned for a decade of expansion, the facility reached full capacity within six years. By 1997, the manufacturing floor was expanded by 65 percent to support rapidly increasing demand across all markets.

In August 1993, founder Luke Deubler passed away, and his son Donald L. Deubler became chairman of the board. Luke’s life and leadership philosophy lived on through his simple but powerful principles:
• Sell unions.
• Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
• We haven’t started yet.

After 74 years as a family-owned company, Deublin entered a new era in 2019 when it was acquired by the HOERBIGER Group, a holding company headquartered in Switzerland. Like Deublin, HOERBIGER began as a family enterprise built on innovation, integrity, and strong customer relationships.

The shared values of excellence, commitment to employees, and focus on mission-critical solutions made the partnership a natural fit. Today, HOERBIGER employs 6,500 people in 40 countries, further strengthening Deublin’s global presence and future growth.

Since joining the HOERBIGER Group, Deublin has entered a dynamic phase of global expansion driven by strategic investment and innovation.

The acquisition of Gardner Systems in Appleton, Wisconsin, strengthened Deublin’s position in the paper industry and transformed the company from a component manufacturer into a complete systems solution provider.

The acquisition of Diamond-Roltran followed, bringing advanced roll ring technology that expanded Deublin’s slip ring expertise and opened new opportunities in the aerospace and defense sectors.

The addition of the Jupiter brand of rotary unions in Brazil extended Deublin’s reach into mid-market applications and broadened its global product offering.

Most recently, Deublin acquired select slip ring models from LTN Servotechnik, enabling further expansion into automation and medical markets. Together, these milestones underscore Deublin’s continued commitment to innovation, diversification, and global leadership in rotary solutions.

Today, Deublin stands as a global leader in rotary unions and slip rings, serving a wide range of industries including machine tool, printing, plastics, steel, wind energy, aerospace, and automation. The company’s continued success is built on a strong foundation of innovation, customer focus, and engineering excellence.

As part of the HOERBIGER Group, Deublin benefits from shared resources, advanced research, and a unified vision of delivering mission-critical solutions that enhance performance and reliability. This collaboration has strengthened Deublin’s capabilities in product development, digital training, and customer service worldwide.

Sustainability and technology leadership remain key priorities. Through energy-efficient designs, precision manufacturing, and ongoing employee development, Deublin continues to shape the future of rotary transmission technology.

With 80 years of progress behind it, Deublin remains guided by the same principles set by its founders; innovation, integrity, and a commitment to customers everywhere.