What United Motor Products makes

United Motor Products manufactures and distributes OEM-replacement ignition and engine management parts for the automotive, marine, agricultural, and industrial aftermarket. The company's core line is ignition wire sets, built with Packard-brand ignition wire under a distribution and use authorization the company has held since its early years. Its Permashield wire uses a dual EPDM construction derived from the Packard Delcore design introduced with HEI ignition in 1975, and its SSC premium line uses all-silicone Packard wire the company says is rated for the life of the vehicle. Wire sets are custom-tailored by application for domestic, foreign, and European vehicles.

Around that ignition core, UMP sells a broad engine management catalog: ignition coils, coil-on-plug assemblies, control modules, distributor caps and rotors, battery cables, and a range of engine sensors including coolant temperature sensors, oil pressure sensors, cam position sensors, blower motor resistors, idle air control valves, and mass air flow sensors. Its Tri-Pak tune-up kit, developed in 1991, pairs a United-Packard wire set with a heavy-duty brass-contact distributor cap and rotor and became one of the company's signature products. A marine line, the Mega-Mag wire set, dates to the company's early years, and the catalog extends into agricultural and industrial engine parts and a high-performance range of distributors and electronic components for OE truck applications.

The business runs as both a manufacturer and a distributor. It builds ignition wire sets and tune-up kits in Cleveland and sources electronic components, sensors, and coils from a network of overseas suppliers, a pattern visible in its US import record (see Sourcing evidence below). Buyers evaluating tier suppliers in the ignition and engine management category will find UMP positioned as an independent, family-run alternative to the large brand-name aftermarket houses.

Ownership and history

United Motor Products traces to 1989, when Richard Maxwell and his son Rick Maxwell founded United Ignition Wire Corp. out of the family home in Westlake, Ohio. Richard brought 25 years of aftermarket experience; the two set out to build an aftermarket ignition wire line and, within a year, moved into a 3,000-square-foot facility and became authorized to distribute and use Packard ignition wire and components. The Tri-Pak tune-up kit followed in 1991, along with the first United Marine Mega-Mag wire set. The company added battery cables, distributor caps, rotors, coils, and control modules to round out the ignition line.

The company outgrew successive plants: a move to a 16,000-square-foot facility in 1997, then a purchase of its current 21,000-square-foot building in Cleveland after twelve years in business. In June 2014 it restructured under the United Motor Products name, organizing around five divisions, automotive, marine, agricultural, industrial, and performance, and broadening its catalog into sensors, electronic control modules, and OE-truck performance distributors. UMP remains privately held and family-run, with Rick Maxwell as President and Owner. Its own materials describe more than 35 years of operation and, on the product side, more than 90 years of heritage behind the Packard ignition wire it builds with.

Products and lines of business

UMP organizes its catalog into four aftermarket end markets, each served from the same Cleveland operation:

A separate performance range covers distributors, wire sets, and electronic components aimed at the high-performance and OE-truck segments. The company also markets a "green" battery cable program among its newer offerings.

Certifications and quality

United Motor Products does not publish an ISO 9001 or IATF 16949 quality-management certificate on its site. Its stated quality position rests on its Packard authorization, the company is certified to distribute and use Packard ignition wire and components across its wire sets, and on US-made workmanship for its ignition wire products. Buyers who require a formal QMS certificate for their supplier approval process should request current documentation directly from the company. The company describes itself as an OES (original equipment service) supplier to specific markets within its lines of business, a positioning it announced in 2012.

Known customers

UMP does not publish a customer list, which is normal for an independent aftermarket parts supplier selling through distribution. Its own materials describe serving "all channels of distribution" across the automotive, marine, agricultural, and industrial aftermarket, and it markets sales, promotional, and technical support to warehouse distributors and jobbers through a client portal. No specific customer relationship meets the documented-evidence bar, so none is claimed here. Buyers weighing UMP should treat it as a category supplier reached through the traditional aftermarket distribution chain rather than through named OEM programs.

Sourcing evidence

UMP's US import record is consistent with a company that builds ignition wire in Cleveland and imports finished electronic components to fill out its engine management catalog. Public bill-of-lading records show 126 sea shipments from January 2015 through September 2026, with the most recent spotted on September 4, 2026. Container volume is modest, averaging about 1.62 TEU per shipment, and customs-derived estimates put cumulative ocean shipping spend near $300,000 over the period, with cost data covering 84% of shipments, an order-of-magnitude figure rather than an audited one.

The imported goods are electronic engine management parts, not raw wire: distributor caps and rotors, ignition coils, blower motor resistors, idle air control valves, fuel pressure regulators, and air flow sensors. By declared HS chapter, the mix leads with machinery parts, automotive parts and accessories, electrical ignition equipment, and insulated ignition wiring sets. Sourcing is concentrated in Asia: China accounts for 119 of the 126 shipments and Taiwan for the remaining 7, moving mainly through Ningbo and Shanghai to the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

The most active foreign suppliers on record:

Roughly a dozen foreign suppliers appear in the record. Recent activity leans on Chinese electronics makers in the Ningbo and Wenzhou clusters, the September 2026 shipment was a load of distributor caps and rotors from Ningbo Ponte Technology. This overseas dependence, concentrated in China, is a relevant nearshoring and tariff exposure consideration for buyers, since the sensor and coil side of UMP's catalog is import-sourced even though its ignition wire is US-built.

Coverage caveats: these are US ocean-freight records only. Air, truck, and rail movements 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 United Motor Products manufacture?

United Motor Products manufactures and distributes OEM-replacement ignition and engine management parts for the automotive, marine, agricultural, and industrial aftermarket. Its core products are Packard-based ignition wire sets, the Tri-Pak tune-up kit, coil-on-plug assemblies, coils, control modules, distributor caps and rotors, battery cables, and engine sensors.

Who owns United Motor Products?

United Motor Products is privately held and family-run. It was founded in 1989 as United Ignition Wire Corp. by Richard Maxwell and his son Rick Maxwell in Westlake, Ohio, and restructured under the United Motor Products name in 2014. Rick Maxwell is President and Owner.

Where is United Motor Products located?

United Motor Products is headquartered at 15620 Industrial Parkway, Cleveland, Ohio 44135, in a roughly 21,000-square-foot facility it purchased after twelve years in business. The company began in Westlake, Ohio in 1989 and moved through larger plants before settling in Cleveland.

What ignition wire does United Motor Products use?

United Motor Products builds its ignition wire sets with Packard-brand ignition wire, which it is authorized to distribute and use. Its Permashield line uses a dual EPDM construction based on the Packard Delcore HEI design, and its SSC premium line uses all-silicone Packard wire the company describes as lasting the life of the vehicle.

Does United Motor Products import parts?

Yes. Public US customs records show United Motor Products imported 126 sea shipments of engine management components between January 2015 and September 2026, sourced almost entirely from China (119 shipments) with the remainder from Taiwan. Imported goods include ignition coils, distributor caps and rotors, blower motor resistors, and air flow sensors, while its ignition wire sets are built in Cleveland.

Is United Motor Products certified to ISO 9001?

United Motor Products does not publish an ISO 9001 or IATF 16949 quality-management certificate on its website. Its stated quality position is based on its authorization to use Packard ignition wire and US-made workmanship. Buyers requiring a formal quality certificate should request current documentation directly from the company.

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