What Charles Industries does

Charles Industries, founded in 1968 and headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois, designs and manufactures environmental enclosure solutions that protect outside-plant electronics for telecommunications, broadband, utility, and adjacent infrastructure applications. The product portfolio spans five solution areas: outdoor and indoor cabinets (CUBE PM, BBU, SS, Modular, MP, RL, ID, and Walk-In series), copper and fiber pedestals (PEDLOCK, BDO, CFDP, CFFP, CFXC), fiber optic closures and terminals (CFAS, FSDC, FODC, FDRC, CFIT, CFTT, OHC optical hub cabinets from 288 to 864 ports), concealment shrouds for small cell and DAS deployments, and below-grade HDPE and tier-rated underground enclosures. The company also markets the HyperEdge modular data center product line for edge compute and the LiteVu optical monitoring system for fiber network performance monitoring.

Manufacturing is distributed across eight North American facilities in Canton (MO), Darien (WI), Rantoul (IL), Watseka (IL), Whitestown (IN), Bluffton (IN), Okeechobee (FL), and Corona (CA), with 1,184 products certified as Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) compliant for the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. Core technology centers on environmentally hardened housings — high-density polyethylene underground vaults, composite mounting platforms, sealed fiber terminal blocks, and modular pad-mount cabinets — engineered for durability, configurability, and integration with carrier-grade active equipment.

The business model is hardware sales of capital equipment to telecom service providers, utilities, broadband/CATV operators, and increasingly EV infrastructure and edge compute customers, distributed through a network of authorized distributors and channel partners with a complementary direct sales overlay for enterprise deployments. Pricing is quote-based under multi-year contracts, and the entity operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amphenol Corporation (NYSE: APH), one of the largest global interconnect and antenna companies, leveraging the parent's manufacturing scale and global footprint while maintaining a focused outside-plant enclosure franchise.

Name

Charles Industries

Legal name

Charles Industries, LLC

Website

https://charlesindustries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Charles Industries manufactures environmental enclosure solutions — cabinets, pedestals, fiber terminals, and below-grade vaults — that protect outside-plant electronics for North American telecom carriers, utilities, broadband operators, and EV and edge-compute infrastructure providers, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amphenol Corporation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecommunications Enclosures and Pedestals

SIC

Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620), Miscellaneous Electrical Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (3690)

akta.pro primary industry

Enclosures, Boxes & DIN-Rail Hardware (junction boxes, cabinets, panel enclosures, DIN rail, gland plates) (IMAGAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cable Accessories & Joints/Terminations (splices, joints, terminations, link boxes) (EUADADAC)

Keywords

• Telecom enclosure manufacturing
• Fiber optic pedestals
• FTTX infrastructure solutions
• Outside plant equipment
• Telecom cabinets

Headquarters

HQ city

Rolling Meadows

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - Enclosures and Pedestals: Charles Industries generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of environmental enclosures, pedestals, cabinets, and fiber optic infrastructure products. Products are sold as one-time capital equipment purchases to telecommunications providers, utilities, and broadband operators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Charles Industries manufactures a comprehensive line of innovative enclosed solutions for protecting electronics at remote locations across telecommunications, broadband, utility, and edge compute applications. The product portfolio spans outdoor and indoor cabinets (CUBE series), fiber and copper pedestals (BDO and PEDLOCK series), below-grade enclosures, concealment shrouds, and the HyperEdge modular data center. Products are BEAD/BABAA-compliant and sold to telecom service providers, utilities, and broadband operators across North America.

Product overview

Charles Industries is a manufacturer of environmental enclosure solutions for the telecommunications industry, offering a comprehensive portfolio of over 20 million enclosures deployed across North America. The product portfolio is organized around five core solution areas: (1) Cabinets and Enclosures including the CUBE series for outdoor and indoor applications with various form factors such as Pad Mount Equipment Cabinets, Battery Backup Unit Cabinets, Walk-In Cabinets, and Modular Cabinets; (2) Pedestals and Housings encompassing the BDO Series Fiber Pedestals, PEDLOCK copper pedestals, broadband CATV pedestals, and multi-purpose housings; (3) Fiber Optic Solutions including splice closures (CFAS, FSDC, FODC, FDRC), terminal enclosures (CFIT, CFTT NIDs), optical hub cabinets (OHC with capacities from 288-864 ports), and fiber distribution panels; (4) Concealment and Pole Solutions providing pole top, pole side, and ground mount shrouds for small cell and DAS deployments; and (5) Below Grade Enclosures including HDPE underground enclosures and tier-rated underground products. The company also offers the HyperEdge Modular Data Center for edge computing infrastructure. All products are manufactured in North American facilities with compliance to Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) requirements for broadband infrastructure deployments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HyperEdge: Modular data center solution brand offering outdoor cabinets and infrastructure
• CUBE
• PEDLOCK
• LiteVu
• TRUE
• CBGE
• CPAD

Products and services

• HyperEdge Modular Data Center A modular data center solution designed for edge computing and colocation applications, providing scalable outdoor cabinet infrastructure for distributed data center deployments.
• CUBE PM Series Pad Mount Equipment Cabinets Pad mount equipment cabinets for housing telecommunications and power distribution equipment in outdoor environments.
• CUBE BBU Series Battery Backup Unit Cabinets Cabinets designed to house battery backup units for uninterrupted power supply to telecommunications infrastructure.
• CUBE SS Series Site Support Cabinets Support cabinets for site infrastructure equipment and power distribution needs at telecommunications sites.
• CUBE Modular Series Cabinets Modular cabinet solutions that can be configured and expanded based on specific telecommunications deployment requirements.
• Walk-In Cabinets Large walk-in cabinets providing full access for equipment installation, maintenance, and service operations.
• CUBE ID Series Indoor Cabinets Indoor equipment cabinets for telecommunications infrastructure housed within buildings.
• CIBR Indoor Battery Racks Modular (CIBR-M) and bay rack (CIBR-R) battery systems for indoor backup power applications.
• Pole Top Concealment Shrouds Concealment solutions for small cell and DAS equipment mounted on pole tops, blending wireless infrastructure into surroundings.
• Pole Side Concealment Shrouds Side-mount concealment solutions for pole-mounted telecommunications equipment.
• Ground Mount Concealment Shrouds Ground-level concealment solutions for blending telecommunications equipment into outdoor environments.
• Series 3 Fiber Pedestals Fiber optic pedestals for housing splice closures, adapters, and connectors in outdoor FTTX deployments.
• BDO Series Fiber Pedestals Distribution pedestals in the open architecture BDO family with diverse interconnect and splicing options for fiber access networks.
• CFDP Fiber Distribution Points Pedestals Closed architecture fiber distribution point pedestals with internal dome or double doors for environmental protection.
• CFFP Fiber Hub / Fiber Flexibility Pedestals Pedestal fiber hubs for centralized split architectures providing flexibility in fiber network design.
• CFXC Fiber Cross-Connect Pedestals Cross-connect pedestals for fiber optic patching and interconnection in network distribution.
• PEDLOCK Copper Pedestals Copper pedestals including PEDLOCK CPLS, Magnum CPLM, CPLU, and CPLT series for housing telecommunications equipment and connections in outdoor environments.
• Broadband / CATV Pedestals Vertical broadband and CATV pedestals (B07, Z08, Z01, B04, B05/B06 series and others) for housing CATV node equipment, active broadband devices, and high-heat node deployments.
• CP2 Power Distribution Pedestals Power distribution pedestals for delivering electrical power to telecommunications infrastructure.
• Multi-Purpose Housings (CMPH) Multi-purpose housings for splice closures and general buried or above-ground telecommunications applications.
• Fiber Aerial Solutions (CFAS) Aerial fiber optic distribution closures with splicing, connectivity, and drop termination options.
• Fiber Sealed Drop Closures (FSDC) Sealed drop closures for protecting fiber optic drop cables and connections in outside plant environments.
• Fiber Optic Dome Closures (FODC) Dome-style fiber optic closures for aerial and underground splice applications.
• Fiber Distribution and Repair Closures (FDRC) Distribution and repair closures for fiber optic network maintenance and expansion.
• CFTT / IPE Fiber Transition Terminals Network interface devices (1-8 port NIDs) for fiber-to-the-x deployments providing premise connectivity.
• CFIT-Flex Compact Universal Enclosures Compact universal fiber terminal enclosures for space-constrained FTTX installations.
• CFIT Fiber Interconnect Terminals Fiber interconnect terminals for splicing, connectivity, and distribution in fiber networks.
• Optical Hub Cabinets (OHC) Large-capacity fiber distribution cabinets ranging from 288 to 864 ports for centralized split architectures.
• LiteVu Optical Monitoring Systems Optical monitoring systems for real-time fiber network performance and fault detection.
• Below Grade HDPE Enclosures (CBGE) High-density polyethylene underground enclosures for buried fiber and copper infrastructure.
• Tier Rated Underground Enclosures (TRUE) Tier-rated underground enclosures meeting specific load ratings for traffic areas and other underground applications.
• Composite Mounting Platforms (CPAD) Composite mounting platforms for rapid, remote cabinet deployments in various telecommunications applications.
• Splice Enclosure (CSE) Enclosures specifically designed for fiber optic splicing operations and protection.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 Million Enclosures Deployed
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Vertiv: Vertiv (NYSE: VRT) provides critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions including outdoor enclosures for edge data centers and telecom sites, directly competing with Charles Industries' HyperEdge Modular Data Center product line.
• Schneider Electric: Schneider Electric is a global energy management and automation company whose outdoor enclosures, cabinets, and infrastructure protection products overlap with Charles Industries' CUBE cabinet and edge compute enclosure offerings.
• Eaton: Eaton (NYSE: ETN) is a large diversified industrial manufacturer whose electrical enclosures and power distribution products overlap with Charles Industries' cabinet and power pedestal product lines for utility and telecom customers.
• nVent Electric: nVent Electric (NYSE: NVT) manufactures electrical enclosures and connection and protection solutions for industrial and infrastructure applications, competing with Charles Industries in outdoor cabinet and enclosure segments for telecom and utility markets.
• CommScope: CommScope (NASDAQ: COMM) is a major broadband and telecommunications equipment manufacturer offering fiber pedestals, enclosures, and network infrastructure products that overlap with Charles Industries' FTTX portfolio across the same carrier customer base.
• Amphenol Network Solutions: Amphenol Network Solutions is a sister business unit within the same parent company (Amphenol Corporation) that manufactures fiber optic enclosures and connectivity products, representing both an internal peer and potential cross-sell partner for Charles Industries.

Direct peers

• AFL Telecommunications: AFL Telecommunications manufactures fiber optic splicing equipment, closures, and outside plant enclosures for telecom providers, directly competing with Charles Industries' fiber optic splice closures and FTTX pedestal lines.
• Clearfield: Clearfield (NASDAQ: CLFD) manufactures fiber optic protection systems, pedestals, and enclosures for telecommunications providers, directly competing with Charles Industries' FTTX pedestal and fiber enclosure product lines for the same carrier customers.
• Preformed Line Products: Preformed Line Products (NASDAQ: PLPC) manufactures protective enclosures, splice cases, and hardware for broadband, energy, and communications infrastructure, directly competing with Charles Industries' FTTX and below-grade enclosure products.
• Huber+Suhner: Huber+Suhner is a Swiss manufacturer of fiber optic connectivity solutions including outdoor enclosures, pedestals, and cable accessories, competing with Charles Industries in FTTX and broadband infrastructure markets globally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/charlesind
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/charles-industries

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Charles Industries