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How Pelican Manufactures Their Indestructible Cases

Some brands rise to the top of the reputation pile through sustained excellence, and when it comes to protective cases, California-based Pelican is one of the first to come to mind. Since 1976 the company has been making watertight and impact-resistant gear carriers–starting with a diver’s first aid kit–and though they started out in a garage, today they’ve got six factories and 1,300 employees around the globe.

Incredibly, three of those factories are still in the U.S., one of them located at the company’s original home base in Torrance. Here’s a look at how that facility cranks out their beefy black cases, using everything from an 1,800-ton press to a guy named Jose swinging a ball-peen hammer: