The mechanical seal was invented by George Cook and was originally called a "Cook Seal." He also founded the Cook Seal Company. Cook's seal (which actually did not have a means of drive) was first used in refrigeration compressors.
The Cook Seal company was a sideline product for Cook and he sold the company to Muskegon Piston Ring Company where it was renamed as The Rotary Seal Division of Muskegon Piston Ring Co. Muskegon Piston Ring sold the Rotary Seal Division to EG&G Sealol who in turn was largely acquired by John Crane Industries of Morton Grove, IL.
John Crane was founded in 1917 as Crane Packing Company, the company established several facilities throughout the United States, Canada and England. John Crane had been in the mechanical seal business for many years prior to this acquisition and in fact had long since exceeded Sealol in overall market size.
Today, John Crane's main competitors are Flowserve, Burgmann (aka EagleBurgmann), AESSEAL & more recently, Global Seals Direct.
In 1990 the world market for mechanical seal was estimated at $1 billion.
