What Phillips Industries makes

Phillips Industries manufactures electrical and air brake components for the commercial truck and trailer industry. The core product lines are 7-way coiled electrical assemblies, trailer wiring harnesses, ABS electrical assemblies, gladhands and air brake fittings, and STA-DRY weatherproof sockets and socketbreakers built to fight corrosion at the connection points where tractors and trailers join. The company also makes PERMALITE LED lighting, PERMALOGIC electronic control products, combination air-and-electrical assemblies, and battery cables, terminals, and charging components. By the company's own account it manufactures and distributes more than 8,000 products into over 40 countries.

Two inventions anchor the company's history and its catalog. In 1936, founder Hugh Phillips patented the first reflective directional signal arm for trucks, a precursor to modern turn signals. In the 1970s, Bob Phillips designed the SUPERCOIL, the first practical coiled 7-way electrical assembly made in North America, applying the flexible-coil idea from telephone cords to heavy-vehicle cabling. Those two lines, electrical connection and air brake, remain the business.

Since 2017 the company has run a technology arm, Phillips Connect, that builds smart-trailer telematics: sensors, gateways, tracking, and cargo and equipment intelligence that feed fleet data platforms. Phillips Connect products such as StealthNet tracking and platform integrations with fleet management systems now sit alongside the traditional electrical and air components as a distinct, growing part of the business.

Ownership and history

Phillips Industries has been family-owned and operated since 1928, when H.W. Phillips began selling truck parts to agriculture haulers from a small Los Angeles storefront. It is now in its fourth generation of Phillips family leadership. Bob Phillips, grandson of the founder, ran the company as president for 51 years before handing the CEO role to his son Rob Phillips in 2013. Rob Phillips, a great-grandson of the founder who started on the manufacturing line, is the current CEO; Peter Harker serves as chief financial officer. The company is independent, neither publicly listed nor private-equity owned.

The manufacturing base grew from that single storefront into a multi-plant operation. Phillips built a 130,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility in Santa Fe Springs, California in 1999. It expanded into Shanghai in 2006 and opened Phillips de Mexico in the Saltillo area in 2007. Today the company operates manufacturing in California, a 500,000-square-foot plant in Arteaga, Coahuila, Mexico, and a facility in Ningbo, China, plus corporate offices in Irvine, California and a distribution center opened near Cincinnati (West Chester, Ohio) in January 2026.

Financial performance

Phillips Industries is a private, family-owned company and does not publish audited financial statements. Independent estimates place annual revenue in the range of roughly $300 million, and the company reported more than 1,000 employees across its three manufacturing facilities as of its 2018 90th-anniversary announcement. These figures are directional rather than reported: the revenue number is a modeled estimate, and the headcount is the company's own statement. No solvency, margin, or trend data is published, so this profile does not assign a financial-resilience or momentum grade.

Certifications and quality

Phillips Industries maintains three current management-system certificates, all posted on its own site: ISO 9001 (2024 certificate), IATF 16949:2016 for automotive quality (2026 to 2029 cycle), and ISO 14001 for environmental management (2025 certificate). The IATF 16949 registration is the automotive-sector quality standard that OEM programs expect from a direct supplier. The company's quality record on file runs back through ISO 9001:2000, ISO/TS 16949, and ISO 14001:2004.

Phillips has been recognized repeatedly by its OEM customers for quality. Its electrical harness division and both its North American manufacturing facilities have won Daimler Trucks North America Masters of Quality awards across multiple years, and the company has twice been named NAPA Heavy-Duty Manufacturer of the Year. Suppliers competing for tier-one and tier-two automotive programs are typically expected to run APQP and PPAP disciplines; the IATF registration is consistent with that expectation.

Known customers

Phillips describes itself as the OEM standard on nearly all heavy-duty trucks built in North America, and says its components ship on more than half of North American-produced trailers. The company names a set of fleet and OEM customers in the "Trusted by" section of its own site.

Beyond these, most fleet and OEM relationships are unnamed, as is normal for a components supplier serving many programs.

Sourcing evidence

Phillips Industries appears in US customs bill-of-lading records with more than 1,500 sea-import shipments, with activity continuing through September 2026 (most recent shipment on record September 23, 2026). The import lanes run predominantly from China and Hong Kong, and one of the most active shippers is Ningbo Phillips Auto Parts, the company's own China plant, which reads as intercompany flow rather than third-party sourcing. Other recurring foreign suppliers are Chinese electrical and hardware component makers.

The pattern is consistent with a manufacturer that builds finished electrical and air assemblies in North America while importing components and sub-assemblies, rather than a reseller of finished goods. It is also worth noting a documented nearshoring move: in 2023 Phillips Connect relocated its smart-trailer technology production from China to Mexico, a shift relevant to buyers weighing nearshoring and tariff exposure in their own supply chains.

Coverage caveats: these are US ocean-freight records only. Air, truck, and rail movements, including most US-Mexico cross-border flows, do not appear; some records name freight intermediaries rather than manufacturers; and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence.

Frequently asked questions

What does Phillips Industries make?

Phillips Industries manufactures electrical and air brake components for commercial trucks and trailers: 7-way coiled electrical assemblies, wiring harnesses, ABS assemblies, gladhands, air brake fittings, STA-DRY corrosion-resistant sockets, LED lighting, and battery cables. Since 2017 it has also built smart-trailer telematics through its Phillips Connect business unit. The company says it makes more than 8,000 products.

Who owns Phillips Industries?

Phillips Industries is an independent, family-owned company founded in 1928 and now in its fourth generation of Phillips family leadership. It is not publicly traded and is not private-equity owned. Rob Phillips, a great-grandson of founder Hugh Phillips, is the chief executive officer.

Where is Phillips Industries headquartered?

Phillips Industries' main manufacturing headquarters is at 12012 Burke Street in Santa Fe Springs, California. The company also runs corporate offices in Irvine, California, a 500,000-square-foot plant in Arteaga, Coahuila, Mexico, a facility in Ningbo, China, and a distribution center near Cincinnati in West Chester, Ohio.

Who are Phillips Industries' customers?

Phillips says its components are OEM-standard on nearly all heavy-duty trucks built in North America and ship on more than half of North American trailers. Its own customer grid names fleets and OEMs including FedEx Ground, UPS, Utility Trailer, Stoughton Trailers, and Hyundai Translead, and it has won multiple Daimler Trucks North America Masters of Quality awards.

What certifications does Phillips Industries hold?

Phillips Industries holds current ISO 9001 (2024), IATF 16949:2016 automotive quality (2026-2029 cycle), and ISO 14001 environmental management (2025) certificates, all posted on its own site. It has also received repeated Daimler Masters of Quality awards and two NAPA Heavy-Duty Manufacturer of the Year awards.

How many employees does Phillips Industries have?

Phillips Industries reported more than 1,000 employees across its manufacturing facilities in California, Mexico, and China as of 2018. Third-party directories list it in the 1,000 to 5,000 range. Databases that model headcount from LinkedIn profiles show far lower numbers and undercount manufacturing workforces.

Last verified September 28, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.