Our Beginning
Since 1936, Weldstar has become one of the most trusted names in the welding industry. While Weldstar has been serving the industry for more than 7 decades, it was John Winkle who put the stamp on the company as the most customer-driven distributor in the welding market.
John teamed with Jim Shennan more than 30 years ago to ensure that Weldstar made its employees and customers the most important aspect of its business. Today, Weldstar continues to honor John's legacy. Many of Weldstar’s employees have been with the firm for decades and our technical sales consultants make it a priority to develop relationships with our customers so we can better understand their needs. Customers have come to recognize Weldstar for its superior service and experienced staff of industry professionals as much as they do for its offering of products and services.
Our Products & Distribution Network
While Weldstar is known for customer service and quality assurance, our product offering is just as impressive. Since starting the company, Weldstar has grown to become one of the nation's strongest independent distributors of industrial and specialty gases, welding equipment and related industrial supplies. Part of our success is predicated on strong relationships with world class equipment manufacturers, such as, Miller Electric, Lincoln Electric, Hypertherm, and Harris to name a few.
In 1975, Weldstar became the only independent welding distributor in the country with an ASME Certificate, enabling us to inventory and sell tested welding materials internationally to the Nuclear Power Industry.
Weldstar’s PurityPlus Specialty Gas Division, contains a complete line of specialty gases manufactured and packaged to your specifications. From our sophisticated laboratories, to the expertise of our customer service and technical representatives, our customers can be assured that they are receiving the most accurate mixtures possible.
Weldstar continues to work on expanding our products and services to best serve and meet the needs of our customers. We are proud members of ASME, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and IWDC, the Independent Welding Distributors Cooperative, which consists of over 600 North American locations.
Old Values... New Ideas
Weldstar was built on the commitment to old values and new ideas. Privately-owned and family operated, Weldstar values dedicated knowledgeable employees, quality products, and a persistent commitment to customer service that has fostered the growth of the company.
Today, while we are committed to improvement, expansion, new products, and new services, those same values continue to reflect the type of company that Weldstar is on a day-to-day basis. It is not uncommon for our staff to provide emergency service or deliver products on nights or weekends. Weldstar is much more than a distributor of welding products though; our experienced professionals are a strong part of the industry itself. From serving on committees that help determine quality assurance standards to speaking at trade functions about the needs of the welding market, we are intertwined into the fabric of the global welding industry.
There are no limits to Weldstar’s service area – we deliver products and solutions that are geared to reach the needs of any customer, no matter how large or small. Our ongoing education programs are as much a part of our customer’s business as they are our own. By partnering to ensure that users of our equipment and products have had the most up-to-date industry training, we are committed to both safety and quality.
The Place
Weldstar’s corporate office is located in Aurora, Illinois, about 40 minutes west of downtown Chicago. We also have locations in University Park, Illinois, about 50 minutes south of Chicago, and Logansport, Indiana, about 90 minutes north of Indianapolis.
Client Testimonials
Being a welding manager with forty years experience in the welding field, quality and integrity of our weldments is the most important element. Weldstar plays a very important part of our quality team in that they are part of our knowledge support structure. I have built a support structure team over the years to help us when we have had welding challenges and when we have come across new welding opportunities that we want to pursue. John Winkle at Weldstar has assembled a very talented group that has excellent knowledge base that has served our company well.
- Paul Niskala, Deublin Company
