Wilbert

What Wilbert does

Wilbert Funeral Services, Inc. is a privately held, diversified deathcare products company headquartered in Leawood, Kansas, and registered in Broadview, Illinois. Founded in 1940 and operating as an indirect subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway through Alleghany Capital Corporation and Marmon Group, Wilbert manufactures and distributes burial vaults, cremation urns, urn vaults, memorial jewelry, and mementos through a licensee network that spans all US states and Canadian provinces, complemented by direct sales (Pierce Chemicals field force), e-commerce (WilbertDirect), and educational programs (WilbertEDU). Its core products are concrete outer burial containers offered in Premium, Standard, and Basic protection tiers, cremation urns in multiple materials (ceramic, cloisonné, cultured marble, eco-friendly, glass, metal, stone, synthetic, wood), and personalization accessories, supported by technologies such as the Duotronic vault feature, the simpliFi OBC Presentation system, and the 2012 NFDA Innovation Award Finalist Display Animation Interactive Monitor. The company is structured as a multi-brand industrial platform with wholly owned divisions including Astral Industries (steel caskets), Pierce (embalming chemicals and equipment), Pierce Mortuary Colleges (Dallas Institute, Gupton-Jones, Mid-America), Memorial Monuments, Wilbert Cemetery Construction (lawn crypt and columbarium installation), and SI Precast Concrete (non-funeral precast products). Wilbert's primary customers are funeral professionals (funeral directors and embalmers) served by licensees and a US sales force, with secondary segments including cemeteries/crematories, families and consumers using the Find a Funeral Home locator and WilbertDirect e-commerce, and first responder organizations served through the Commemorating First Responders program. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of vaults, urns, caskets, and chemicals via the licensee network and direct field sales, supplemented by licensing/royalty income, continuing-education engagement through WilbertEDU (62,000+ CE hours since November 2020), and ancillary services such as cemetery construction; pricing is quote-based for B2B channels and login-gated for WilbertDirect, and Wilbert has executed at least eight acquisitions since 2012 under Alleghany Capital's ownership, with roll-ups continuing through Carrera Manufacturing in May 2022.

Name

Wilbert

Legal name

Wilbert Funeral Services, Inc.

Website

http://www.wilbert.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1880

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Wilbert Funeral Services is a diversified deathcare products company that manufactures and distributes burial vaults, cremation urns, memorial jewelry, and related products through a licensee network spanning the US and Canada, serving funeral professionals, cemeteries, families, and first responder organizations under the Berkshire Hathaway umbrella.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Broadview

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Burial Vault Products: Concrete burial vaults sold through licensee network to funeral homes and cemeteries. Products include Premium Protection, Standard Protection, and Basic Protection tiers.
2. Cremation Products: Cremation urns, urn vaults, memorial jewelry, and mementos sold through WilbertDirect e-commerce and licensees.
3. Pierce Chemicals and Equipment: Embalming and accessory chemicals, cosmetics, instruments, safety products, and chapel supplies sold through sales representatives across the US.
4. Licensee Network: Licensing model where independent companies manufacture and distribute Wilbert-branded products under licensing agreements. Licensees operate across US states and Canadian provinces.
5. WilbertEDU Education: Free continuing education webinars for funeral professionals. Provides CE credits and maintains customer relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wilbert Funeral Services manufactures and distributes concrete burial vaults, cremation urns, urn vaults, memorial jewelry, and keepsake mementos, along with a portfolio of related funeral products including steel caskets (Astral Industries), embalming chemicals and equipment (Pierce), monuments, cemetery construction services, and accredited mortuary college education. Products are distributed primarily through a licensee network across the United States and Canada, with supplemental direct e-commerce through WilbertDirect and continuing education through WilbertEDU.

Product overview

Wilbert Funeral Services operates as a diversified funeral and death care company offering a portfolio of products across burial, cremation, and memorialization categories. The core product lines include Burial Vaults (concrete outer burial containers in Premium, Standard, and Basic protection levels), Urns (cremation vessels in multiple materials), Urn Vaults (protective burial containers for urns), Memorial Jewelry (bracelets, pendants, end caps), and Mementos (keepsake items in various materials). The company distributes these through a network of licensees and operates several sub-brands including Astral Industries (steel caskets), Memorial Monuments (grave markers), Pierce (embalming chemicals and equipment), Pierce Mortuary Colleges (funeral service education), Wilbert Cemetery Construction (crypt and columbarium installation), and SI Precast Concrete (non-funeral construction products). WilbertEDU provides free continuing education webinars for funeral professionals, while WilbertDirect offers a login-gated eCommerce portal for licensee purchasing. The company also provides cemetery and crematory products including lowering devices, columbarium niches, and cremation containers, supported by the Commemorating First Responders Program for honoring fallen emergency personnel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WilbertEDU: Free bi-weekly webinar program for funeral professionals offering continuing education credits since November 2020.
• WilbertDirect
• Memorial Monuments
• Pierce
• Astral Industries

Products and services

• Burial Vaults Concrete outer burial containers designed to protect caskets and memorialize loved ones. Offered in three protection levels: Premium, Standard, and Basic, with personalization options including inscriptions and custom finishes. Sold to funeral homes and cemeteries through the Wilbert licensee network.
• Urns Cremation urns for holding cremated remains, available in materials including ceramic, cloisonné, cultured marble, eco-friendly, glass, metal, stone, synthetic, and wood. Designed for display, burial, or scattering. Distributed through licensees and WilbertDirect e-commerce.
• Urn Vaults Protective concrete containers for urns intended for burial, available in Premium, Standard, and Basic protection levels with personalization options. Provides structural support and protection in cemetery settings.
• Memorial Jewelry Jewelry items including bracelets, pendants, and end caps designed to hold small mementos of cremated remains or hair. Offered for both burial and cremation product lines.
• Mementos Small keepsake items for families to retain a portion of cremated remains or as commemorative pieces. Available in ceramic, cloisonné, cultured marble, eco, glass, metal, stone, and wood materials.
• Astral Industries Steel Caskets Manufacturer of steel caskets supplying independent distributors and funeral homes across the United States. Operates as a division of The Wilbert Group.
• Memorial Monuments Provider of monuments and related funeral services to retail, funeral home, and cemetery customers. Functions as a division of The Wilbert Group, combined with Wilbert in January 2022.
• Pierce Embalming Chemicals and Equipment Division providing embalming and accessory chemicals and equipment, cosmetics, instruments, safety and protective products, chapel supplies, and memorial books. Products sold through sales representatives across the United States.
• Pierce Mortuary Colleges Accredited mortuary colleges providing theory and practical application of funeral service education, including Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service, and Mid-America College of Funeral Service.
• Wilbert Cemetery Construction Provides turnkey lawn crypt and columbarium niche installation services throughout the United States. Operates as a division of The Wilbert Group.
• Cemetery and Crematory Products Includes columbarium and granite products, Simplicity and Revolution lowering devices for caskets and urns, lowering device parts and accessories, and cremation containers/trays for funeral professionals.
• WilbertEDU Continuing Education Free continuing education platform offering bi-weekly webinars for funeral professionals, enabling funeral directors and embalmers to earn CE credits on topics including cremation trends, ethics, laws, grief, wellness, and technology. Has delivered over 62,000 hours of CE credits since November 2020.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 62,000 hours of continuing education credits delivered to funeral professionals
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Carrera ManufacturingminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 May 2022Wilbert acquired Carrera Manufacturing in May 2022 to expand manufacturing capabilities.
• Memorial Monuments & Vaults, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired on December 29, 2021. The acquisition aims to expand Wilbert's market presence and enhance technological capabilities in the funeral and cemetery industries.
• Astral IndustriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufacturer of steel caskets, supplying independent distributors and funeral homes across the United States. Part of Wilbert Group divisions.
• Pierce ChemicalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmbalming and accessory chemicals, cosmetics, instruments, safety products, and chapel supplies sold through sales representatives across the US. Part of Wilbert Group.
• SI Precast ConcreteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-funeral precast concrete products including Redi-Rock retaining wall systems, wastewater systems, agricultural products, storm shelters. Part of Wilbert Group but non-funeral focused.
• Pierce Mortuary CollegescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccredited mortuary colleges providing funeral service education: Dallas Institute of Funeral Service, Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service, and Mid-America College of Funeral Service

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Titan Caskets: Titan Caskets is a direct-to-consumer online casket retailer that bypasses funeral directors in product selection, representing an emerging channel disruption to Wilbert's traditional selection-room, funeral-professional-driven go-to-market.

Broad incumbents

• Carriage Services: Carriage Services operates a portfolio of funeral homes and cemeteries across the U.S., purchasing burial and cremation merchandise from Wilbert and competing for the same families and funeral professionals Wilbert serves through its licensee network.
• StoneMor Partners: StoneMor operates one of the largest U.S. networks of cemeteries and funeral homes and is a meaningful buyer of vaults, monuments, and memorial products — making it both a customer and adjacent operator to Wilbert's burial and monument offerings.
• NorthStar Memorial Group: NorthStar Memorial Group is a private equity-backed owner and operator of funeral homes and cemeteries across the U.S., purchasing vaults, urns, and memorial products from suppliers like Wilbert while competing for the same families and funeral professionals.
• Service Corporation International: SCI is the largest funeral services and cemetery operator in North America (Dignity Memorial brand), a major enterprise customer of Wilbert's burial vaults, cremation products, and Pierce chemicals, and a broad incumbent in the same end markets Wilbert serves.
• Foundation Partners Group: Foundation Partners is one of the largest privately held U.S. funeral and cemetery operators (now part of Everstory Partners), a significant enterprise customer for Wilbert's burial and cremation products and a broad incumbent in the funeral services market.

Direct peers

• Aurora Casket Company: Aurora is a privately held U.S. manufacturer of caskets and burial products supplying funeral professionals, overlapping directly with Wilbert's Astral steel casket division and overall burial product offering.
• Batesville (Hillenbrand): Batesville is the largest U.S. manufacturer of burial caskets and a major provider of cremation products, urns, and selection-room technology for funeral professionals. It is the most direct competitor to Wilbert's burial-vault and cremation-product franchise.
• Matthews International: Matthews International's Memorialization segment manufactures caskets, cremation products, and memorial markers, and operates a network of branded memorial products serving funeral homes and cemeteries across North America — directly comparable to Wilbert's Astral, Memorial Monuments, and cremation product lines.

Regional players

• Dignity plc: Dignity is the U.K.'s largest funeral services operator with similar product and memorialization supply needs to Wilbert's, but it operates exclusively in the U.K. market and is comparable as a regional peer rather than a direct North American competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/embed/-9_Ef7Cx-OE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wilbert