About Quali-Tech Manufacturing
What We Stand For
Quali-Tech™ Manufacturing specializes in paint rollers, mini rollers and other paint applicators.
We make simple, inexpensive but specialized tools that can help deliver great finishes, each time, every time, in no time.
We believe that small, thoughtful changes can make big differences - products that are faster to use, less tiring, less costly, with consistent fabrics and predictable finish performance.
Whether it’s improving how we design our rollers, how we make them, or how we serve our customers, our goal is very simply expressed: Continuous improvement.
A Little Background
Quali-Tech™ Manufacturing began as Lakim Industries in 1974, an importer of paint brushes, rollers and other paint applicators.
Early customers included many West Coast paint and hardware stores, and we were also suppliers to McDonnell Douglas and Boeing.
In 1986, wanting to achieve more consistent quality, we made a commitment to manufacture our own products, and by 1992 had begun producing rollers under the Quali-Tech® name.
A Small Invention That Changed an Industry
The company’s first mini roller program, Easy Reach, was a product designed to make the awkward chore of painting radiators easier.
The success of Easy Reach led us to think about how we might solve other common painting challenges. For example, for easier corner painting, we designed a mini roller with fabric wrapped completely around the end.
This led in the ‘90s to the complete RollerLite™ mini roller program. Over the last two decades, RollerLite mini-rollers have become nationally known and universally used - a beacon of innovation in a conservative industry not exactly known for new thinking.
A Complete, Nationally Distributed Line
Additional products soon filled out the RollerLite line, including:
- RollerFoam, a hi-density foam roller for ultra-smooth finishes on doors and trim.
- RollerLite Plus™, a jumbo mini roller with enhanced paint-carrying capacity
- Wooly Bully™, a lambskin mini roller.
- The Edge Rite™ painting pad system, which uses the patented RollerLite handle system.
In 2006, the company launched RollerLite XL, a 9” roller based on our mini-roller design innovations.
Lightweight, smooth and maneuverable compared to traditional 9” rollers, the XL has proved extremely popular among both DIYers and professionals.
While Quali-Tech is today best known for its range of mini rollers, it also produces a complete line of standard-size paint rollers, recently re-branded under the name RollerMax™.
Where To Find Us
The Quali-Tech executive, sales and marketing teams are headquartered in Long Beach, California, and we manufacture under the Maquiladora program close to the US border in Mexicali, Mexico.
Distribution, logistics, purchasing and R&D are located in Calexico, California.