Ninety years. One product. Done right.
General Bandages, Inc. was founded in 1935 in Chicago, Illinois, to manufacture self-adhering cohesive tape. The company's flagship product — Guard-Tex® — uses cohesive technology, a coating that bonds only to itself. No adhesive ever touches skin, hair, or surfaces. "Sticks to Itself. Not to You."
Heritage
Guard-Tex® was trademarked with the USPTO in 1959 (#688785). The brand entered the Smithsonian collection and became standard issue across industrial and medical trades. President Eisenhower's golf clubs were wrapped in Guard-Tex — and remain in the World Golf Hall of Fame. Over five million rolls shipped. 100% made in the USA.
Four markets
Under Akston ownership, the brand has been repositioned around four core audiences: Work (trades and industry), Play (athletes and sports), Make (makers and artists), and Care (healthcare and elder care). The Protect line defends skin from blisters, abrasion, and repetitive stress — CrossFit athletes, rowers, nurses, and diabetic patients. The Grip line wraps golf clubs, drumsticks, tools, and camera equipment for superior hold without residue.
Acquisition
Akston acquired General Bandages, Inc. in 2017. The company was renamed Genband Industries, LLC. Operations continue from Elk Grove Village, Illinois. Guard-Tex remains the sole product — a ninety-year-old brand with continuous American manufacturing heritage.
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