Hydra-Zorb Company

Hydra-Zorb Co. sets the standard for industrial clamping systems, serving the hydraulics, machine tool, plumbing and refrigeration industries. Orval Opperthauser's ingenious solution to an aggravating industrial problem grew into a company serving a world-wide market.

It all started with the answer to a client's problem. Mr. Opperthauser was working at the F. Joseph Lamb Co. in Detroit, a major supplier of automotive machine tools and an early incubator of Detroit engineering talent.

When Pontiac Motor Division needed a way to absorb vibrational shock in hydraulic lines for an important piece of transfer equipment, Mr. Opperthauser, in a span of just 24 hours, designed a shock-absorbing, cushioned clamp that could be installed.