Our Company
98+ Years of Innovation
Headquartered in Milwaukee, WI, Helwig Carbon Products, Inc. has been engineering innovations since 1928. With world-class engineers, high-quality, made-in-the-USA products, 750+ ready-to-ship stock parts, and quick prototyping, Helwig Carbon Products is trusted by OEMs and the aftermarket to provide superior carbon graphite brushes, brush holders, shaft grounding solutions, carbon graphite components, and more. Our engineers advance the industry with groundbreaking research that is incorporated into our products and recommendations for your applications.
Helwig Carbon is the largest American-owned carbon brush manufacturer and maintains a strong presence in Australia, Canada, and Mexico through our distributors: Cortela Carbon, Carbon Products of Canada, Inc., and CIMSAMEX. Helwig Carbon is vertically integrated and produces a large portion of our carbon plate material at Speer Carbon in St. Mary’s, PA.
Helwig’s Customer Service Team, Engineering Group, and Field Service Representatives work with our customers to find effective solutions that maximize product performance and minimize maintenance and downtime.
Handling over 130 orders and shipping over 40,000 pieces daily from our 135,000 sq. foot facility, Helwig Carbon is dedicated to maintaining the quality and service that our customers have come to expect. On-time delivery averaged better than 98% in 2025.
Get To Know Us
Mission Statement
Vision Statement
Core Values
- Honesty and Integrity
- Responsiveness to Customers
- Continual Improvement
- Technical Excellence
- Collaborative Relationships with Customers, Employees, and Suppliers
Corporate Social Responsibility
Helwig Carbon shareholders are dedicated to a sustainable future by:
- Efficiently serving our global customers with innovative, long-lasting solutions for sliding electrical and mechanical applications.
- Conserving energy and reducing waste by maximizing the lifecycle of our products, using sustainable packaging and material recycling processes, and minimizing waste in our production processes.
- Continually establishing and working toward new goals to reduce our impact on the planet, including as part of the Sustainable Business Council Green Masters Program®.
Founder Walter Helwig valued community involvement, and since the company was founded in 1928, we’ve been giving back to our local community in Milwaukee.
Next Door Foundation: When Helwig Carbon moved to a new facility, Walter Helwig’s descendants donated the old building to the Next Door Foundation. Next Door still occupies that space today. Helwig employees also support children served by the Next Door Foundation by participating in their holiday gift giving event.
United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County: Helwig employees support United Way each year by participating in an annual fundraising raffle and through donations made through payroll deduction.
Milwaukee Riverkeeper: Helwig is a headline sponsor of the Milwaukee Riverkeeper Annual Spring Cleanup.
Engineers Without Borders: Helwig supports Engineers Without Borders with a company donation.
Our Company History
In 1928, Helwig Carbon Products, Inc. was founded by Walter O. Helwig in an effort to serve the carbon brush market with quality products and competitive pricing. A man of uncompromising standards and earnest ideals, Helwig conducted business practices under the motto, “The customer is the boss.”