About Us
Automating Your Technology™
Founded in 1991, Keaco has grown into North America’s largest-capacity carrier tape manufacturer, with a track record that includes 1.5 billion pockets produced for a single medical application.
Keaco, LLC is a component packaging manufacturer based in Schertz, Texas, serving the electronics, manufacturing and medical industries. We specialize in the tape-and-reel packaging that holds small parts precisely in place so they can be handled by automated assembly equipment. They are protected from physical, static and moisture damage along the way.
What We Do
We design and manufacture carrier tapes, cover tapes, SMD reels, and conductive and antistatic roll stock, along with a full line of supporting products including moisture barrier bags, desiccants, cobalt-dichloride-free humidity indicator cards and vacuum sealers. Beyond supplies, we provide taping and reeling machinery and offer contract packaging services so customers can source everything from a single partner.
How We Work
Every project begins with our Automated Packaging Solution (APS) analysis, where we study your part geometry, tolerances and volume to identify the most cost-effective path to automation. Keaco is unusual in the industry in that we run multiple forming methods including rotary, flat-bed and multi-lane, and can select female or High Definition (HD) male form tooling. This allows us to fit the pocket detail, flatness and tolerances your part requires. For deep, highly detailed pockets, our Plug Assist (PA) forming produces strong pockets with ledges, ribs and pedestals. We match the machinery and tooling to your application, not the other way around.
Why It Matters
As a North American manufacturer, Keaco helps customers avoid the high logistical costs and long lead times of overseas suppliers. Because we produce our own carrier tapes and fully stock our own branded packaging supplies, we respond quickly and price competitively.
Certifications & Standards
ISO 9001:2015, EIA-481, EIA-541
Frequently Asked Questions
Keaco manufactures component packaging products, primarily carrier tape, cover tape and SMD reels, used to package small parts for automated handling. We also supply conductive roll stock, moisture barrier bags, desiccants, humidity indicator cards, taping systems and vacuum sealers, and we offer component packaging services.
Carrier tape is a continuous plastic strip with sequentially spaced, custom-designed pockets that hold individual parts in a fixed orientation. It lets automated equipment load and unload parts consistently, and it protects them during storage and transit. The loaded tape is sealed with cover tape and can be wound onto a reel or cut into individual units.
Three main markets: electronics (components such as ICs, capacitors, connectors, LEDs, sensors, and more), general manufacturing (pins, springs, stampings, lenses, plastic parts, small assemblies) and medical (small devices, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, personal care items).
We use high-grade conductive and non-conductive polystyrene and polycarbonate plastics, along with our KEASTAT™ conductive and clear antistatic roll stock. These are available in multiple thicknesses and constructions to fit different applications.
Yes. We offer tape-and-reel and custom automation equipment (including Q-Corporation systems) and AmeriVacs® impulse and vacuum sealers, ranging from manual to fully automatic turnkey systems.
Automated Packaging Solution (APS) analysis is our design-phase process for evaluating your part and volume to determine the most cost-effective packaging and automation approach.
Yes. Our Plug Assist (PA) forming produces deep pockets that are strong and highly detailed, with features like ledges, strengthening ribs and pedestals. We also offer High Definition (HD) male form tooling for tight pocket detail and flatness.
High-grade conductive and non-conductive polystyrene and polycarbonate plastics, plus our KEASTAT™ conductive and clear antistatic roll stock in multiple thicknesses and constructions.
Yes. Keaco offers cobalt-dichloride-free humidity indicator cards that are REACH compliant.
Yes. Carrier tape can be custom designed for medical applications that need to be sterilized, filled and heat sealed with peelable medical-grade foil or Tyvek® lid stock.
Yes. One-piece CCD/KEACO™ 7″ and 13″ SMD reels, plus space-saving KEAPAK™ 13″ reels.
Keaco is located in Schertz, Texas, and manufactures domestically in North America to support JIT initiatives and reduce logistics costs and also ships internationally.
We often provide quotes same day depending on complexity, far faster than overseas suppliers or large conglomerates.
Keaco operates the largest carrier tape facility capacity in North America and has produced over a billion pockets for a single program, so we scale from prototype runs to the highest production volumes without offshoring.
Contact us with your part specifications and volume, and our team will recommend an approach.
Have a part that needs automating?
Send us your part specs and volume goals. We'll recommend the best forming method, tooling, and packaging approach for your application.
Start your project