Pelican Products

Pelican Products, Inc.
Company typePrivate
IndustryProtective cases, luggage, lighting
Founded1976
FoundersArline Parker, David Parker
Headquarters
Torrance, California
,
United States
Key people
James Curleigh (CEO)
ProductsBackpacks, coolers, luggage, drinkware, protective cases, flashlights, temperature controlled packaging, portable area lighting
OwnerPlatinum Equity
Number of employees
1,400 (2021)
Websitewww.pelican.com

Pelican Products is an American multinational company that designs and manufactures portable lighting systems, temperature controlled packaging and protective cases. Their products are used in many industries including military, law enforcement, fire safety, and consumer entertainment.[1] The company's flagship product, Pelican cases, are molded plastic cases that seal with an airtight and watertight gasket. Pelican is based in Torrance, California. In Europe the products are branded Peli.

History

The company was founded in Torrance, California, in 1976 by David and Arline Parker as a mail-order home business. It was David Parker's desire to "develop unique and practical products for the dive market."[1]

Pelican introduced its Protector case in 1978. In the early 1980s, the SabreLite was launched for the dive market, and Pelican's products received their first safety approvals. In the early 1990s, molding operations were brought in-house, and the company's headquarters moved to Torrance, California. A subsidiary opened in Spain to serve the European market. In the early 2000s, Pelican opened a subsidiary in Canada and received safety approvals in Europe for their Peli flashlights.

In October 2004, the private equity investment firm Behrman Capital acquired Pelican Products for approx. $200 million.[2] Lyndon J. Faulkner was named CEO of Pelican in 2006.[3] In 2007, the Pelican 7060 flashlight is introduced after being developed with the Los Angeles Police Department.[4]

  • 2006–2007
    • Pelican Japan and China open
    • Company surpasses 100 million in sales
    • Canadian Armed Forces contracts Pelican to build the special MOB "Mobile Operations Box" case
    • Their largest injection molding machine (code named "Colossus") is installed at the Torrance, CA plant
    • The Pelican i1010/i1030 Micro Case series is launched
    • Pelican's first robot (code named "T-Rex") is installed in their Torrance, CA plant
  • 2008
    • Pelican Products purchased their largest Australian distributor and opened Pelican Australia[5]
    • Pelican Products makes Inc. magazine's 5000 list for the second year
    • The company purchased portable LED area lighting manufacturer Bluei UK[6]
    • General Peter Pace becomes Pelican's chairman of the board
    • The 9430 Remote Area Lighting System debuts
  • 2009
    • Pelican Products announced the acquisition of long-time competitor, Hardigg Industries of South Deerfield, Massachusetts, the world's largest manufacturer of rotationally molded protective cases for $200 million[7][8]
    • Pelican lands an $80 million contract to create the General Mechanics Tool Kit for the U.S. Military
    • The Pelican 1090 HardBack case is introduced
  • 2010
    • Pelican's chairman of the board, Peter Pace, initiates the Pelican For Patriots program, which provides cases for wounded military veterans to protect their prosthetic
    • Pelican sends coolers, flashlights and cases to aid in the Haiti disaster rescue and recovery
    • Pelican introduces Advanced Case Solutions line for custom case applications
    • Pelican is certified as a Sony Green Partner
    • Pelican introduces the 1460 EMS case for the emergency and fire safety markets
  • 2011
    • Pelican purchased Australian roto-mold case manufacturer Trimcast[9]
    • Pelican India and South Korea open
  • 2013
    • The company introduces their consumer division, offering backpacks, lighting tools, coolers and more[10]
    • The company acquired temperature-controlled container manufacturer Minnesota Thermal Science[11]
  • 2014–2015
    • Pelican introduces the Pelican 7000 flashlight, their first to shine up to 600 lumens
    • Pelican introduces Pelican Elite luggage
    • Pelican acquires Cool Logistics and re-brands the combined division (Minnesota Thermal Science + Cool Logistics) as Pelican BioThermal[12][8]
  • 2016–2017
    • Pelican celebrates its 40th anniversary
    • Pelican introduces their Pelican Air Case line
    • Pelican introduces Pelican Traveler tumblers
  • 2020
    • Pelican acquired the temperature-controlled packaging manufacturer NanoCool.[8]
    • Phil Gyori was named president and chief executive officer, and Lyndon Faulkner executive chairman.[13]
  • 2021

Notable Products

Pelican Products flagship products are their Pelican cases. The company manufactures a range of protective cases and transport solutions for industrial, commercial, and government applications. Notable product lines include:

  • Protector Cases
    • The company's original hard case series, introduced in the 1970s. Protector cases are designed to be watertight, crushproof, and dustproof, and feature an automatic pressure equalization valve and polymer construction. The line is used for transporting sensitive equipment in industrial and professional applications.[15][16]
  • Hardigg Cases
    • Rotationally molded transport cases produced following Pelican's acquisition of Hardigg Industries in 2009. Hardigg cases are used for large-scale equipment transport and military logistics applications.[17][7]
  • Storm Cases
    • Originally developed by Hardigg Industries prior to it acquisition by Pelican, Storm cases are polymer hard cases featuring press-and-pull latches. The series is intended for frequent access while maintaining environmental protection.[7][17]
  • Air Cases
    • Introduced in 2016, the Air series utilizes a proprietary lightweight resin formulation intended to reduce overall case weight compared to earlier hard case models. The line maintains environmental sealing features consistent with other Pelican hard cases.[18][19]
  • Vault Cases
    • A lower-cost hard case line introduced in 2018. The line includes rugged protective cases intended for recreational and consumer use.[20][21]
  • Micro Cases
    • A compact hard case series designed for small devices, tools, and accessories. Micro cases feature gasket sealing and impact-resistant construction.[22]
  • Cargo Cases
    • A line of vehicle-mounted storage cases designed for truck beds and utility vehicles launched in 2020. The Cargo series provides lockable storage for tools and equipment during transport.[23][24]

Competitors

Pelican Products operates in the protective equipment and utility case market alongside several other manufacturers. Notable competitors include SKB Cases, NANUK, Seahorse Protective Equipment, and Plano Molding Company. The market is highly fragmented, with many privately held companies, making precise market share estimates difficult to determine. According to a 2025 market analysis by Future Market Insights, Pelican Products accounted for approximately 18–22% of the global utility case market.

Awards

  • 2011: Corporation of the Year award by the National Institute of Packaging Handling and Logistics Engineers (NIPHLE)
  • 2011: Presidential "E" award for exports
  • 2016–2017: Queen's Award for Innovation for Peli BioThermal
  • 2018–2019: Queen's Award for Enterprise for Peli BioThermal

References

  1. ^ a b "Pelican Products proves as durable as the storage cases it makes".www.latimes.com. 2012-April-29. Retrieved 2013-07-17
  2. ^ "BEHRMAN CAPITAL ACQUIRES PELICAN™ PRODUCTS, INC. IN $200 MILLION TRANSACTION" (Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine (Press Release). Behrman Capital. 2004 October 26. Retrieved 2013-07-18.
  3. ^ Pelican Products Founder Retires, Faulkner Named New CEO, (Press Release), www.flashlightnews.com, 2006-08-16, Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  4. ^ "LAPD's blinding new flashlights too light to beat suspects". www.engadget.com. 2 April 2007. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  5. ^ Pelican™ Products makes first-ever acquisition by acquiring Australian distributor, 2008-04-08, Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  6. ^ Pelican establishes Advanced Area Lighting Group Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine, www.fireengineering.com, 2008-06-08, Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  7. ^ a b c Pelican Products Acquires Hardigg Industries, www.pelican.com, 2009-01-09, Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  8. ^ a b c d DiMartino, Mediha (21 October 2021). "Platinum Equity Acquires Pelican Products". Los Angeles Business Journal. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  9. ^ Pelican Acquires Trimcast (Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine), www.growthbusiness.co.uk, 2011-04-05, Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  10. ^ A Product With Devotees Tries to Widen Its Niche, www.nytimes.com, 2012-08-05, Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  11. ^ Pelican acquires Minnesota Thermal Science (Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine), www.healthcarepackaging.com, 01-14-2013, Retrieved 2013-09-20
  12. ^ "Pelican Products, Inc. accelerates its BioPharma strategy with the acquisition of Cool Logistics". www.heathcarepackaging.com. 2014-02-04. Archived from the original on 2015-10-07. Retrieved 2015-10-06.
  13. ^ [1], Yahoo! News, 08-05-2020, Retrieved 2020-10-09
  14. ^ "PLATINUM EQUITY COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF PELICAN PRODUCTS" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved January 4, 2022 – via Yahoo! Finance.
  15. ^ "Pelican Products, Inc. | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  16. ^ "Pelican Products, Inc. | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  17. ^ a b "Pelican Products Makes $200 Million Acquisition". Los Angeles Business Journal. 2009-01-12. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  18. ^ "The Pelican™ Air Case line increases to ten models with the 1507 case | 2018-07-16 | ISHN". www.ishn.com. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  19. ^ "Pelican Cases: An Overview of Industry-Leading Protective Equipment Cases". Vol Case & Container, LLC. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  20. ^ "Pelican | Pelican Products Introduces VAULT by Pelican - A New Line of Affordable and Rugged Cases from the Worldwide Leader in Protection". www.pelican.com. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  21. ^ Association, National Rifle. "An Official Journal Of The NRA | Pelican Introduces New VAULT Gun Cases". An Official Journal Of The NRA. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  22. ^ "Pelican Cases". www.pelican.com. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  23. ^ Pelican. "Pelican Unveils All-New Pelican™ CARGO Cases Line for Overland, Off-Road, Professional and Outdoor Vehicles". www.prweb.com. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  24. ^ McCoy, Sean (2020-01-14). "Pelican Launches 'Cargo Cases' for Your Truck, Car, or SUV". GearJunkie. Archived from the original on 2025-07-17. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
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