About Us
Founded in 1909 in Buffalo, New York, Great Lakes Pressed Steel has been committed to providing high quality metal stampings, deep drawn metal parts and weldments for generations. Our customers operate in diverse industries including Medical, Military, Electrical, Air / Water Cooling, Construction, Marine, Aeronautics, and Automotive and we take pride in being their trusted supplier. We are highly skilled in lean manufacturing practices, incorporated throughout our company, and are constantly implementing new lean practices and improving our operations by adopting more efficient and effective methods. Quality, integrity, and customer value are integrated into every component we produce. In addition, the majority of our products are proudly made in the U.S.A.*
Family-owned and operated for over 115 years, GLPS is committed to providing our customers with high-quality components and outstanding value, derived from our decades of knowledge and experience. We pride ourselves in our dedicated teamwork and productive problem-solving skills to provide complete customer satisfaction. There is no project too large or small for us to handle. We are ready to help you with our knowledge and passion – passed down through the generations.
Our engineering team can assist you with your metal component needs from prototype to design to production. We will be glad to submit quotes to you for your long or short-run stamping or tooling projects or other metal component needs. We commonly stock, steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, and brass and have deep supplier connections to acquire other special metals to meet your requirements. We want to be your trusted supply chain partner!
*All of our manufacturing, assembly, and finishing is completed in the U.S.A from high-quality metals and other raw materials, the majority of which are also made in the U.S.A. From time to time we may source steel and other metals from Canada or other countries to offer our customers lower prices or where particular metals are not manufactured in the U.S.A. If having a product “all or virtually all” made in the U.S.A. is important to you, please let us know and if we can complete your order with entirely made in the U.S.A. materials, we will be happy to do so. We can also provide certificates, showing the place of origin of the metal, if requested at the time your order is placed”.
Company History
Great Lakes Pressed Steel Corporation’s history is one that has stood the test of time. Overcoming a myriad of external hurdles over the past one hundred years, we pivoted and expanded, conquered challenges, embraced the changing times, and evolved into the company that thrives today – one poised to manufacture metal products to meet your unique and evolving needs. We pride ourselves in the family values instilled throughout our organization, first established by our founder Gottfried Adolphson in 1909. Those values include integrity, taking pride in our work, getting it right the first time, establishing and maintaining trusted relationships with our customers, and our commitment to delivering the best quality products at reasonable prices.
Gottfried Adolphson
Through the past five generations, each family member has taken the necessary steps to maintain the company values, which include taking pride in our work, working closely with our customers, and providing the best possible product. The founder, Gottfried Adolphson, originally started this company in 1909 under the name of Eagle Stamping and Tooling with four other partners. By 1919, he was able to secure the entire company and changed the name to Great Lakes Pressed Steel. Gottfried was a critical influence in orchestrating the solid foundation upon which following generations were able to build and grow, expanding into different product offerings and market segments.
Robert M. Nichols
Gottfried Adolphson’s son-in-law, Robert M. Nichols, took over responsibility for the company, becoming its President in 1960. Known for his work ethic and conscientiousness, Robert established a strong base for detail-oriented processes that allow us to customize products for each client.
Robert Junior
Robert’s son, Robert Junior, became President and CEO in 1971. Robert Junior prided himself on his integrity and understood the importance of being known as a trusted supplier. His primary focus was building and maintaining strong relationships with customers. It is because of Robert Junior that we have many of the customers we have today.
Currently,
Tim Nichols, Robert Junior’s son, has presided over the company since 1998, promising the same values as his great, great grandfather promised in 1919. For more than a century Great Lakes Pressed Steel has proven time and time again that they value the relationship with customers and will do whatever it takes to meet their needs and sustain a solid relationship. Currently, Tim works with his two sons, Jason and Andrew, who have earned their degrees from Rochester Institute of Technology, and hope to one day follow their fathers’ steps and continue the tradition of keeping the family business running on the same values Gottfried created.