Zatkoff Seals & Packings
Quality, Integrity, Innovation, Heart
A Business & A Philosophy is Born
When people think of what it takes to build a successful business, investment capital, location, or product details often come to mind. At Zatkoff Seals & Packings, we've built a successful business based on the solid values set forth by our founder, Roger Zatkoff. These values, combined with a solid business foundation, have transformed Zatkoff Seals & Packings into the thriving company that it is today.
As a successful football player with both the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, Roger learned the importance of hard work and team values. As he began his life off the football field, he kept those values close to his heart and later applied them throughout his business.
Following his football career, Roger worked as a sales representative for a distribution company. During that time, he identified that his customers had a need for parts that the company couldn't fulfill. By listening to their needs, Roger realized that he could truly help them by starting his own business, stocking the products that his customers had difficulty obtaining, and innovating to create custom solutions for their businesses.
From this realization, the Zatkoff Customer Service Philosophy was born — develop long-lasting relationships by listening to customer needs, working in partnership, and always delivering exactly, or more than, what you promised. This philosophy has remained the cornerstone of our company ever since.
When asked about their proudest moments with Zatkoff Seals & Packings, our Account Managers — most of whom have been with the company for more than 20 years — often responded with an anecdote of a problem that they had addressed and resolved for a customer. Our Account Managers consistently addressed the problems head-on by meeting with the customer, and working together to find the best materials, the most efficient design, and the highest quality manufacturing to deliver excellent solutions.
"We see so many different solutions, so many products, and so many materials. We keep up with what's new through working with vendors that are true innovators. We also have access to major engineering professionals."
Said one of our longtime Branch Managers, "I think that what Zatkoff Seals & Packings does best, is that we really cultivate and appreciate relationships. We aren't just looking to sell our customers something. We're looking to create relationships, so that when one of my customers has a pressing need, they know they can call me, and I'm there to help.
"We see so many different solutions, so many products, and so many materials. We keep up with what's new through working with vendors that are true innovators. We also have access to major engineering professionals who work with all of these products. We can often bring the client a solution they didn't even know was possible, because we see everything happening in the field and we know what's available for them.
"My customers know that I am there to help. They know they can trust me, and that I will do everything I can to get them the best possible solution for their needs. That feels good, and I know it feels good to our customers, too. That's the beauty of creating genuine relationships in business."
"That's the beauty of creating genuine relationships in business. They know they can count on us, even in the eleventh hour."
Our employees are committed to exceptional customer service. Our dedicated managers have even driven extended distances to hand-deliver parts in emergency situations. Our manager continued, "They know they can count on us, even in the eleventh hour."
Our Resources Equal Our Customers' Success
With Roger's direction and guiding principles, and the help of a second generation of Zatkoff family members, Zatkoff Seals & Packings expanded from its first location in Detroit, Michigan, to nine branches across Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. Now the largest independent seal distributor in the United States, we stock hundreds of frequently used parts, giving us the ability to offer our customers great purchasing leverage, and even fulfill requests for hard-to-find parts. Additionally, our gasket division in Warren, Michigan, offers custom manufacturing sealing solutions. Our breadth of product offerings provides our customers with a single purchasing source for all of their foam, rubber, PTFE, and plastic needs.
With our many locations, we are able to provide the flexibility to meet our clients many and varied needs, and can offer same-day delivery much of the time. If our clients have a need, we are there. Offering the highest quality service and products has always been at the forefront of what we do. From our humble beginnings until now, we always put our clients' needs first.
Appreciation for Our People and Our Planet
Throughout the years, we have continually sought ways to improve our business. Quality and sustainability have consistently been at the forefront of this effort.
Exemplifying our commitment to quality, all nine of our branches are ISO 9001:2015 certified. Our quality management system is applied throughout our purchasing, manufacturing, fabrication, storage, distribution, and sales procedures.
Since 2008, through concentrated environmental initiatives, we have reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 55.21%, and our megawatt electricity usage by 55.25%.
Additionally, it is important to us that we exercise global responsibility through sustainability and environmental protection. Since 2008, through concentrated environmental initiatives, we have reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 55.21%, and our megawatt electricity usage by 55.25%.
We also pay mindful attention to the use of substances that are hazardous to humans and the environment. REACH, ROHS, ELV, WEEE, SVHC, Prop 65, and Conflict Minerals are all taken into consideration during our frequent risk analysis process to ensure that we abide by all laws and regulations. We continually work to identify and remove non-compliant substances to ensure the products we manufacture and provide are compliant with current environmental regulations.
We are committed to making sure that we are a socially and environmentally responsible company. We are invested in protecting our customers, our employees, and the communities' in which we work. At Zatkoff, we recognize the greater impact we have on our people and our planet, and continually strive to address the environmental impact of our business.
Growth & Innovation
Zatkoff Seals & Packings now offers more than 200,000 part numbers, expedited and automated shipping, and even the ZAP>IT Inventory Management system, which allows our customers to scan product bins to manage their inventory with ease.
We are continually innovating in order to provide high quality service for our customers. For example, we want our customers to receive accurate orders every time, so we constantly look for ways to eliminate human error, even in the packaging of orders. Utilizing new technology, we have implemented a system that alerts us if the parts that have been pulled for packaging do not match the parts that were ordered.
"Human error is always going to happen. We'd all love to be perfect, but as humans, we can't be," said one of our experienced Managers. "So wherever we can, we are looking for ways to back ourselves up with checks, and automated systems that keep things on track, and help us serve our customers with precision quality."
"Wherever we can, we are looking for ways to back ourselves up with checks, and automated systems that keep things on track, and help us serve our customers with precision quality."
The pursuit of new technologies allows us to be even more responsive and efficient for our customers. As part of this initiative, we are excited to implement our company's first automated robot. This robot has the ability to package orders with absolute precision, ensuring parts are properly protected and packaged for delivery. Additionally, the robot offers faster turnaround times and cost savings for our customers.
As additional generations of the Zatkoff family begin to take the reins at the company, we are excited to embrace new technology and innovation with an eye toward the future. For instance, our current website offers a vast library of information for our customers. Our youngest Zatkoff generation is working toward making it even more user-friendly and beneficial for customers. We are also looking at innovations that will revolutionize everything from manufacturing to inventory management at the company. Additionally, we are working on a new system that will provide personalized ordering systems for our customers.
"We could be looking at a one-click solution someday," said one of our young innovators. "Pretty much anything that a customer needs to know about any given part can be found on our website. Our salesmen can direct customers very quickly to anything they need. Customers will find more information than they ever dreamed of. And in the future, we will be able to offer even more convenience and ease of ordering."
We are excited for everything that the future holds for Zatkoff Seals & Packings. By continually looking for ways to improve and innovate, we are able to consistently impress our customers with outstanding results.
The Real Legacy
At Zatkoff, we are very proud of our innovations, customer service, and ability to create solutions for nearly any manufacturing need. But beyond that, we are proud of the individual people that comprise the company we have built. We are blessed with spectacular employees that believe in the founding values Roger Zatkoff envisioned, and strive to achieve them every day in their work.
Most of our employees have been with us for more than a decade — some as many as 40 years. Our employees consistently say that they feel like they are part of a larger family at the company. That is our fondest hope and wish, and we foster this sense of family within our business to show that we value our amazing people.
We carry a great sense of pride for the legacy that we have created, and value each of the people that have made Zatkoff Seals & Packings what it is today. We are honored to work with all of our wonderful employees, innovative suppliers, and outstanding clients.
As we move forward into the future, we are dedicated to keeping our focus on creating strong relationships, being an industry leader, consistently innovating to improve, and proudly serving our community and customers for many, many years to come.