In an era of continual technological transformation, embracing innovation at every stage of the business lifecycle is essential for building and sustaining relevance. Without meaningful innovation, companies struggle to achieve lasting growth and impact.
Solberg Manufacturing, Inc. believes innovation is achieved through a commitment to long-term sustainability built on a culture of trust. As a global manufacturer of industrial filtration and silencing solutions, Solberg demonstrates innovation through agility and speed in customer service and through the development of technologies that enable equipment to perform at its best. Solberg embeds innovation into every aspect of its operations. The company continually strives for excellence in advancing both its products and the way it collaborates with the industries it serves.
The CEO Views recognizes Solberg’s excellence in driving innovation, honoring it with the “Innovation Excellence Award 2025.” On this occasion, CEO Charlie Solberg and President Tor Solberg, share Solberg’s perspectives in achieving excellence in innovation with us.
A Family-Owned Global Leader
Solberg Manufacturing, Inc. is a family-owned design and manufacturing company headquartered in Illinois, founded in 1968. With more than 300 employees across 23 locations worldwide, Solberg has earned its reputation as a global leader in industrial filtration and silencing solutions. “Trust fuels how we innovate, how we serve, and how we grow. It connects our teams around the world and keeps us grounded in the values that make Solberg a family business at heart” says Tor Solberg. Although the company operates on an international scale, Solberg remains service-oriented and highly responsive, staying true to its values as a family business.
Optimizing System Performance and Environmental Impact
Solberg helps customers optimize system performance through protecting critical equipment with solutions that improve efficiency, reliability, and longevity. Their mission reflects a commitment to innovation and meaningful partnerships with customers, colleagues, and suppliers worldwide. Its solutions support a wide range of equipment applications, from blowers, compressors, and vacuum pumps to engines and gas turbines. Their solutions also improve workplace environments by reducing noise and capturing particulates, aerosols, liquids, and vapors discharged from industrial processes.
Innovation Beyond Engineering
Innovation at Solberg is expressed not only through product development but also through deep partnerships with customers. The company holds multiple patents and has engineered advanced solutions ranging from self-cleaning filtration systems to next-generation silencers. Many of their breakthroughs begin with customer challenges and evolve into technologies that help operators achieve more from their equipment and operations.
Innovation at Solberg extends well beyond the walls of its engineering offices. It is embedded in how the company engages customers. Solberg invests heavily in relationships, sending engineers and sales professionals into the field to work directly with customers and experience their challenges firsthand. Complementing these efforts, Solberg continues to build robust digital platforms that enhance every aspect of its business. Digital tools, including the company’s website, ERP, and CRM systems, are continually audited, refined, and reimagined to ensure critical information flows efficiently for improved communication and collaboration.
Wide-Ranging Solutions for Critical Applications
Solberg’s portfolio is broad and impactful. Its filtration solutions remove particulates, vapors, aerosols, gases, and liquids from gas streams to protect equipment and ensure continuous operation. Its silencing solutions reduce noise from blowers, compressors, and vacuum pumps with tubular silencers, filter silencers, and compressed air mufflers. The company also integrates systems that maximize uptime, improve efficiency, and facilitate environmental compliance.
Technology and Innovation Working Together
To keep pace with customer needs, Solberg takes a proactive approach to adopting and adapting the latest technologies. Investments include modernizing information systems and leveraging AI and automation for greater responsiveness. On the product side, recent innovations include self-cleaning filtration designs, new filtration media configurations for improved efficiency, and self-regulating crankcase ventilation systems, all producing strong results in the field.
By combining data-driven systems, hands-on service, and continuous product development, Solberg blends technology, customer care, and innovation into one strategy: Take Care of the Customer.
Principles That Define the Culture
The cultural foundation of Solberg is built on six guiding principles:
- We Succeed as a Family
- We Do the Right Thing
- We Endeavor to Be the Best
- We Take Care of the Customer
- We Play Hard to Win
- We Love Our Planet
These principles are not aspirational slogans; they are embedded in daily decision making and define how the company engages globally. They shape everything from how new products are developed to how the company operates its sustainability programs, including running a LEED-certified headquarters and being one of the first Illinois manufacturers to rely on renewable energy for production.
Continuous Improvement as a Way of Life
For Solberg, innovation is synonymous with continuous improvement. The company views true innovation as a blend of steady, incremental progress amplified by occasional market-changing discoveries. Each day presents an opportunity to refine product designs, enhance customer service, and streamline internal operations. This culture of ongoing progress lays the groundwork for larger leaps such as expanding into new markets like EV batteries, additive manufacturing, and advanced medical vacuum applications. By fostering curiosity, adaptability, and problem-solving, Solberg has made continuous innovation a defining part of how it operates.
Looking Toward the Future
Looking ahead, Solberg sees filtration evolving alongside high-tech industries where equipment performance is critical and where filtration plays a key role in achieving it. Growth is expected across sectors advancing new manufacturing technologies that rely on vacuum systems and air movement. In these areas, filtration and silencing will continue to be vital enablers of progress.
Solberg aims to remain a trusted partner in this evolution by advancing filtration technologies, deepening collaboration with industry leaders, and ensuring its solutions serve both emerging applications and the traditional industries that continue to drive global growth.
Leadership and Legacy
Solberg’s vision is guided by CEO Charlie Solberg and President Tor Solberg. Under their leadership, the company has expanded into a global enterprise while preserving the close-knit culture of a family business. Both are deeply committed to continuous improvement, environmental responsibility, and cultivating a workplace where employees, customers, and suppliers are integral to shared success. Their united leadership has positioned Solberg at the forefront of industrial filtration and silencing solutions, serving both traditional and emerging industries around the world.
A Future Built on Principles and Progress
More than five decades after its founding, Solberg Manufacturing remains dedicated to optimizing performance, protecting systems, and preserving the family business culture that fuels its success. By staying true to its principles while embracing innovation, Solberg has built a strong company and a legacy of excellence that continues to inspire its people, partners, and customers around the world.
“Innovation at Solberg is a blend of trying new approaches and making incremental improvements that result in market-changing discoveries.”
— Charlie Solberg, CEO
