Garlock Sealing Technologies

Last updated
Garlock Sealing Technologies
TypeSubsidiary of Enpro
Industry Manufacturing
Founded Palmyra, New York, US (1887)
FounderOlin J. Garlock
Headquarters
Palmyra, New York
,
US
ProductsGasketing, Klozure Dynamic Seals, Hydraulic Components, Expansion Joints, Compression Packing
Website www.garlock.com

Garlock Sealing Technologies is a subsidiary of Enpro Company that produces sealing products. Garlock has a global presence, with 1,887 employees, at 14 facilities, in twelve countries. [1]

Contents

History

In the later nineteenth century, Olin J. Garlock devised a better way to seal piston rods in industrial steam engines. The invention led to the creation of Garlock Sealing Technologies. Founded in 1887, in Palmyra, New York. For a detailed history of Garlock from its founding in 1887 until the takeover by Colt Industries in 1976, see Garlock - The First Eighty-Eight Years 1887-1975, written by Robert M. Waples and son. (Waples was President then Chairman 1955-1960)

Industries

Garlock provides fluid sealing solutions for the following industries: petrochemical, chemical processing, and refining, pulp and paper, power generation, electronics, steel mills, food and pharmaceutical, mining and original equipment manufacturers.

Patented products

Some of Garlock's sealing products include KLOZURE oil seals, bearing isolators and mechanical seals; GYLON gasketing, CEFIL'AIR pneumatic seals and HELICOFLEX metal seals; sheet rubber products, valve and pump packing, hydraulic seals, molded rubber products, expansion joints, butterfly valves, LubriKup oil seals, pump diaphragms and THERMa-PUR high temperature material. Some of these products have US and International patent protection, including Australia. [2]

Partnerships and recent news

Litigation

Gore-Tex

In the 1970s, Garlock infringed W. L. Gore and Associates patents and was sued by Gore in the Federal District Court of Ohio. After a "bitterly contested case" that "involved over two years of discovery, five weeks of trial, the testimony of 35 witnesses (19 live, 16 by deposition), and over 300 exhibits," (quoting the Federal Circuit) the District Court held Gore's patents to be invalid. On appeal, however, the Federal Circuit disagreed in the famous case of Gore v. Garlock, reversing the lower court's decision on the ground, inter alia, that Cropper forfeited any superior claim to the invention by virtue of having concealed the process for making ePTFE from the public, thereby establishing Gore as the legal inventor. [5]

Asbestos

Garlock has been subject to multiple lawsuits regarding asbestos, which were components of earlier products. Now, Garlock produces only asbestos free products. Some of the notable suits include:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gore-Tex</span> Trademark for a waterproof, breathable fabric

Gore-Tex is W. L. Gore & Associates's trade name for waterproof, breathable fabric membrane. It was invented in 1969. Gore-Tex blocks liquid water while allowing water vapor to pass through and is designed to be a lightweight, waterproof fabric for all-weather use. It is composed of expanded PTFE (ePTFE). A stretched out form of the PFAS compound polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Gore-Tex products free of "PFC of environmental concerns" repellent coating lacks the ability to repel oil that "Gore DWR" provided.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesothelioma</span> Cancer associated with asbestos

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs. The area most commonly affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lining of the abdomen and rarely the sac surrounding the heart, or the sac surrounding the testis may be affected. Signs and symptoms of mesothelioma may include shortness of breath due to fluid around the lung, a swollen abdomen, chest wall pain, cough, feeling tired, and weight loss. These symptoms typically come on slowly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O-ring</span> Mechanical, toroid gasket that seals an interface

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, designed to be seated in a groove and compressed during assembly between two or more parts, forming a seal at the interface.

The mineral asbestos is subject to a wide range of laws and regulations that relate to its production and use, including mining, manufacturing, use and disposal. Injuries attributed to asbestos have resulted in both workers' compensation claims and injury litigation. Health problems attributed to asbestos include asbestosis, mesothelioma, lung cancer, and diffuse pleural thickening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lester Brickman</span> American law professor

Lester Brickman is an emeritus professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law of the Yeshiva University and a legal scholar. He is one of the founding faculty members of the Cardozo, recruited by Yeshiva University in 1976 from the University of Toledo College of Law. On May 31, 2016, Professor Brickman received the Monrad Paulsen Award of the Cardozo School, upon his retirement from teaching. He taught contracts, legal ethics and Land Use and Zoning at the Cardozo School of Law. He is the author of a book, Lawyer Barons: What Their Contingency Fees Really Cost America, a detailed critique of perceived abuses and excessive costs of the American tort system, with proposals for reform. Brickman is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University. He holds a juris doctor degree from the University of Florida and an LLM degree from Yale Law School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Head gasket</span> Gasket that sits between the engine block and cylinder head(s) in an internal combustion engine

In an internal combustion engine, a head gasket provides the seal between the engine block and cylinder head(s).

Terrence John McCann, commonly known as Terry McCann, was an American wrestler who won the Gold Medal in the bantamweight division of freestyle wrestling at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, and later helped found the United States Wrestling Federation. He was born in Chicago, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solomon R. Dresser</span> American politician

Solomon Robert Dresser was an inventor and a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UTEX Industries</span>

UTEX Industries, Inc. is an American manufacturer of sealing products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Crane Group</span>

John Crane is an American company, now a subsidiary of Smiths Group and provider of engineered products and services including mechanical seals, couplings, seal support systems, filtration systems and digital diagnostics technologies. The company services customers in the energy services sector including production, transmission and storage, refining, power generation, petrochemical, pulp and paper, and mining industries.

CertainTeed is a North American manufacturer of building materials for both commercial and residential construction and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Saint-Gobain SA, based in Paris.

Technetics Group is one of six operating divisions of Enpro Industries, Inc., a producer of engineered industrial products for the processing and general manufacturing industries, worldwide.

Enpro is a US-based industrial technology company that designs and manufactures products and materials for technology-intensive sectors. The company serves industries such as semiconductors, aerospace, power generation, heavy-duty trucking, agricultural machinery, chemical processing, pulp and paper, and life sciences from 61 primary manufacturing facilities located in 12 countries, worldwide. It is organized under three segments: Sealing Technologies, Advanced Surface Technologies, and Engineered Materials.

<i>In re Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC</i>

In re Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC is a court case heard in the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina which involves the entry into bankruptcy proceedings by Garlock Sealing Technologies, once a manufacturer of coated asbestos gaskets, as a result of potential liability from current and future settlements. The plaintiffs were over 4,000 asbestos victims suffering from mesothelioma, including many Navy veterans, as well as an unknown number of future mesothelioma victims. As noted by the court, mesothelioma "is always fatal, causing death essentially by suffocation within about eighteen months of diagnosis" and involves "a horrific death."

Weitz & Luxenberg P.C. is a large personal injury and medical malpractice law firm headquartered in New York, specializing in asbestos litigation. The firm also specializes in medical malpractice, consumer protection, and environmental protection litigation.

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Within the United States, the use of asbestos is limited by state and federal regulations and legislation. Improper use of asbestos and injury from exposure is addressed through administrative action, litigation, and criminal prosecution. Injury claims arising from asbestos exposure may be tried as mass torts.

Asbestos bankruptcy trusts are trusts established by firms that have filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code to pay personal injury claims caused by exposure to asbestos. At least 56 such trusts were established from the mid-1970s to 2011.

A Texas two-step bankruptcy is a two-step bankruptcy strategy under US bankruptcy law in which a solvent parent company spins off liabilities into a new company, and then has that new company declare bankruptcy. In the first step, the parent company undergoes a Texas divisive merger, which allows companies to split off their liabilities from their assets. In the second step, the newly created spin-off declares a chapter 11 bankruptcy, usually in North Carolina, where bankruptcy courts are perceived to be more open to this scheme. The Texas two-step allows solvent companies to shield their assets from litigants using protections that are normally reserved for bankrupt companies. The goal of a Texas two-step is for the parent company to gain a third-party release of all liabilities it assigned to its spinoff, thus preventing litigants from pursuing those claims against the parent.

References

  1. "Office Locations | Garlock". www.garlock.com. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  2. "Garlock Sealing Technologies, LLC patents in Australia". IP Australia. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  3. "Bloomberg Politics - Bloomberg". Bloomberg News . Archived from the original on 2012-08-31.
  4. Real Estate Transactions Houston Chronicle
  5. Gore, supra. openjurist.org
  6. "Background Summaries and Attorney Contacts Week of May 29 - 31, 2007" (PDF). State of New York Court of Appeals. Archived from Reynolds v Amchem Products, Inc.%5d NY Court of Appeals the original on 7 March 2008.{{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  7. "Jury Awards Shipyard Worker's Widow $10M". Washington Post . Associated Press. July 27, 2006. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  8. Virginia Family Recovers $9.25 Million in Mesothelioma Claim - Fayetteville Personal Injury Lawyer
  9. Fisher, Daniel (10 January 2014). "Judge Slashes Asbestos Liability In Garlock Bankruptcy To $125 Million". Personal Finance. Forbes. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  10. Daneman, Matthew (22 July 2013). "Garlock Sealing asbestos trial begins today". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  11. Kim, T.K. (26 July 2013). "Federal judge closes portion of Garlock bankruptcy trial". Legal Newsline Legal Journal. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  12. "ORDER ESTIMATING AGGREGATE LIABILITY" (PDF). UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT, WESTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA. 10 January 2014. p. 3. Retrieved 4 February 2014.

See also