Wolter

What Wolter does

Wolter, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned material handling equipment distributor and integrated solutions provider headquartered in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Founded in 1962 as Wisconsin Lift Truck and rebranded under the unified Wolter brand in 2022/2024, the company has grown over six decades into a multi-state operator with 28+ physical locations across 13 US states (Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi), supported by an aggressive acquisition strategy backed by a 2024 growth investment from BBH Capital Partners.

The company's core offering is the sale, rental, lease, and servicing of forklifts, aerial lifts, utility vehicles, industrial cleaning equipment, cranes, hoists, dock and door equipment, railcar movers, batteries, and industrial storage systems. Wolter acts as an authorized dealer for 25+ manufacturers including Linde (KION), JLG, Genie, Hyundai, Bobcat, CombiLift, Demag, AGILOX, Big Joe, Hänel, MasterMover, Steel King, Generac, and FlexQube. It complements distribution with an Automation & Robotics practice that integrates AGVs, AMRs, AS/RS systems, conveyor systems, and robotics, plus an Integrated System Solutions practice providing engineering, design, technology integration, and continuous support.

Wolter's business model spans hardware sales (new and used equipment), usage-based rentals, professional services (service/maintenance, training including VR forklift simulators, fleet management), and managed services (TM&R plans, leasing). Revenue is generated primarily through a direct field sales model targeting enterprise and mid-market industrial, warehousing, manufacturing, logistics, food processing, government, and education customers. Pricing is quote-based with multiple acquisition options (purchase, short/long-term rental, FMV lease, $1 buyout lease). Recurring revenue is anchored by parts, service contracts, fleet management, and integrated solution support, complementing the cyclical capital equipment sales cycle.

Name

Wolter

Legal name

Wolter, Inc.

Website

https://wolterinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Wolter is a family-owned material handling equipment distributor and integrated solutions provider operating across 13 US states, selling, renting, leasing, and servicing forklifts, aerial lifts, cranes, AGVs, AS/RS systems, and industrial storage from 25+ manufacturer brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Material Handling Equipment Distribution & Integrated Solutions

NAICS

Conveyor and Conveying Equipment Manufacturing (333922), Overhead Traveling Crane, Hoist, and Monorail System Manufacturing (333923), Motor Vehicle Supplies and New Parts Merchant Wholesalers (42312), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Wholesale-Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (5080), Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084), Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537)

akta.pro primary industry

Loading/Unloading & Transfer Equipment (Telescopic Conveyors, Loaders, Tipplers) (IMAHABAI)

Keywords

• Material handling equipment
• Warehouse automation solutions
• Forklift dealer services
• Industrial storage systems
• Fleet management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brookfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices28 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment Sales: Sales of new and used forklifts, aerial lifts, industrial cleaning equipment, cranes, hoists, dock equipment, and other material handling equipment. Offers multiple purchase options including outright purchase, leasing, and rental.
2. Equipment Rental: Short-term and long-term rental options for forklifts, aerial lifts, industrial cleaning equipment, railcar movers, and multi-directional forklifts.
3. Service & Maintenance: Comprehensive service and maintenance programs including Total Maintenance & Repair Plans (TM&R), inspections, mobile tire press service, and concrete epoxy flooring. Covers forklifts, aerial lifts, cranes, AGVs, robotics, conveyors, and dock equipment.
4. Parts & Accessories: Sales of replacement parts for all equipment categories including forklifts, aerial lifts, cranes, industrial storage, dock equipment, batteries, and tires.
5. Fleet Management: Fleet studies, consultation, reporting, leasing, and maintenance services to optimize fleet productivity while minimizing lifetime operating costs.
6. Integrated System Solutions: Engineering, design, technology integration, equipment and storage solutions, implementation, and continuous support for comprehensive productivity solutions.
7. Training Services: Operator training, train-the-trainer programs, VR forklift training, and classes by equipment type for safety and compliance (OSHA).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wolter is a multi-brand material handling equipment distributor and integrated solutions provider selling new and used forklifts, aerial lifts, utility vehicles, industrial cleaning equipment, cranes, dock equipment, railcar movers, and related products through 28+ locations across 10 US states. The company also delivers automation and robotics solutions, industrial and workplace storage systems, and lifecycle support including service, parts, training, fleet management, and engineered integrated system solutions.

Product overview

Wolter is a comprehensive material handling equipment dealer and solutions provider offering a broad portfolio of products across multiple categories. The core equipment offerings include forklifts (with lift capacities from 750 to 120,000 lbs in gas, diesel, and electric variants), aerial lifts (boom lifts from 30-186 ft, scissor lifts to 59 ft), utility vehicles, industrial cleaning equipment (sweepers, scrubbers, combination units), cranes and hoists, dock equipment, railcar movers, and industrial fans. Beyond equipment sales, Wolter provides extensive automation and robotics solutions including Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs), Automated Storage & Retrieval Systems (AS/RS), conveyor systems, and robotics for picking, palletizing, and assembly applications. The company also offers industrial storage solutions (pallet racking, automated storage, shelving, ergonomic solutions, safety products), workplace storage systems (mobile shelving, lockers, storage cabinets, carousels), and professional services including integrated system solutions, training, fleet management, equipment rental, and comprehensive service and maintenance programs. Wolter distributes equipment from over 25 manufacturer partners including Linde, JLG, Genie, Bobcat, CombiLift, Big Joe, AGILOX, Demag, Gorbel, Hänel, Hyundai, Mariotti, MasterMover, PowerBoss, Steel King, and Aisle Master, serving customers throughout Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wolter Cranes: Company's own crane product line manufactured under the Wolter brand
• Pinnacle Lift

Products and services

• Forklifts, Reach Trucks & Pallet Jacks Material handling equipment including forklifts with capacities from 750 to 120,000 lbs in 3- or 4-wheel, cushion or pneumatic tire, gas, diesel, or electric configurations, plus reach trucks and pallet jacks, sold and supported across 10 states.
• Aerial Lifts Articulating and telescopic boom lifts with ranges of 30 ft to 186 ft, scissor lifts reaching up to 59 ft, and rough terrain options for indoor and outdoor use.
• Utility Vehicles Industrial personnel and burden carriers, stock chasers, and compact utility vehicles with personnel carriers moving up to 13 mph, towing up to 4,600 lbs, and carrying up to 8 individuals.
• Industrial Cleaning Equipment Sweepers, scrubbers, and combination units including walk-behind, ride-on, and autonomous units, with scrubbers carrying up to 115 gallons of solution and patented scrub brushes for reduced chemical and water use.
• Batteries & Chargers Industrial batteries and charging solutions for forklifts and material handling equipment.
• Cranes & Hoists Workstation cranes, jib cranes, gantry cranes, monorail systems, overhead cranes, hoists, controls & safety systems, below-the-hook devices, intelligent lifting devices, and runway systems.
• Dock & Door Equipment Dock levelers, truck restraints, bumpers, dock seals, dock shelters, safety gates, wheel chocks, and door equipment solutions.
• Railcar Movers Equipment for moving railcars within facilities.
• Industrial Fans Industrial ventilation and air circulation equipment.
• Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs), Intelligent Guided Vehicles (IGVs), and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) AGVs (tuggers, carts, forklifts, unit-loaders) offering quick ROI and reduced operational costs; IGVs enabling faster installs and flexible reconfiguring with capacities up to 3,300 lbs; AMRs for flexible material transport within facilities.
• Robotics Solutions Robotic solutions for repetitive tasks including machine loading, bin picking, pick & place, pick & drop, work cell tasks, kitting, packaging, palletizing, product testing, and parts assembly/presentation.
• Conveyor & Automated Handling Systems Automated conveyor systems for merging, diverting, or accumulating products using gravity-driven or automatic roller conveyors, handling horizontal, vertical, and incline movement.
• Automated Storage & Retrieval Systems (AS/RS) Large-scale order picking systems combining AGVs and shuttles for picking totes, carts, and pallets with minimal human intervention, including unit load, mini load, pallet shuttle, and high-speed technologies.
• Pallet Racking Warehouse pallet rack and racking systems including selective, drive-in, push-back, pallet-flow, cantilever, over-dock, and portable racking options.
• Automated Industrial Storage Vertical lift modules, vertical carousels, horizontal carousels, long goods vertical storage, and industrial stacker cranes for automated material storage and retrieval.
• Workplace Storage High-density mobile shelving, shelving and storage, modular storage systems, rotary storage cabinets, automated storage carousels, lockers, woven wire and cage partitions, laboratory casework, mailroom and specialty furniture, filing systems, and ActivWall educational storage system.
• Service & Maintenance Comprehensive maintenance services for forklifts, aerial lifts, industrial cleaning equipment, utility vehicles, railcar movers, cranes and hoists, AGV and robotics, conveyors, storage systems, dock and door equipment, and batteries, including Total Maintenance & Repair (TM&R) plans.
• Parts & Accessories Replacement parts and accessories catalog for all equipment types including forklifts, aerial lifts, industrial cleaning equipment, utility vehicles, railcar movers, AGV/robotics/conveyors, cranes/hoists, storage, dock/door, and industrial tires.
• Training Services Operator training, train-the-trainer programs, VR forklift training simulators, and classes by equipment type for aerial lifts, forklifts, overhead cranes, railcar movers, rough terrain forklifts, and specialty handling equipment.
• Equipment Rental Short-term and long-term rental options for forklifts, warehouse equipment, aerial lifts, industrial cleaning equipment, railcar movers, and multi-directional forklifts.
• Fleet Management Fleet studies and consultation, reporting, leasing and maintenance programs, and lease program options including FMV leases and $1 buyout leases.
• Integrated System Solutions Engineering, technology, and experience-based productivity solutions including studies and analysis, engineering and design, technology integration, equipment and storage selection, solutions implementation, and continuous support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3PL customer tripled cold storage productivity
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FlexQubecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWolter signed on as a dealer for FlexQube, offering their intelligent cart system products as part of Wolter's material handling solutions portfolio.
• Generac Power SystemscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive and non-exclusive distributor for Generac's line of generators and power systems, including standby power generators, mobile generators, transfer switches, and related equipment.
• KION North America CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized Linde forklift dealer representing KION brands including Linde, in addition to being recognized as a top dealer for KION North America products.
• LindecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized dealer for Linde forklifts and material handling equipment including the full Linde product line from electric forklifts to IC pneumatic tire trucks.
• JLGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized dealer for JLG aerial lifts including boom lifts, scissor lifts, telehandlers, and other mobile elevated work platforms.
• GeniecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized dealer for Genie products including articulating boom lifts, telescopic boom lifts, scissor lifts, and material handlers.
• HyundaicoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized dealer for Hyundai forklifts and material handling equipment including electric, LP, and diesel forklifts.
• BobcatcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized dealer for Bobcat forklifts including BNT Series lithium ion electric forklifts, G Series IC forklifts, and compact equipment.
• CombiLiftcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized dealer for CombiLift products including multidirectional forklifts, sideloaders, straddle carriers, and the Combi-AGT autonomous guided side-loading forklift.
• DemagcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized dealer for Demag overhead cranes and material handling equipment.
• GorbelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized dealer for Gorbel ergonomic lifting solutions including G-Force and Easy Arm intelligent lifting devices.
• HänelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized dealer for Hänel Lean-Lift and Rotomat vertical lift modules and rotary carousels.
• Steel KingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized dealer for Steel King pallet racking and industrial storage systems. Named Steel King's Most Valuable Dealer.
• MariottiminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized dealer for Mariotti compact electric forklifts designed for narrow aisle and space-constrained applications.
• MasterMoverminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized dealer for MasterMover AGV tuggers including PowerSteered AGV, MasterTow AGV, MasterHandler AGV, and Flatbed AGV.
• NordockminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized dealer for Nordock dock equipment including dock levelers, truck restraints, and dock seals.
• PowerBossminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized dealer for PowerBoss industrial cleaning equipment including scrubbers, sweepers, and combination units.
• AgiloxminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized dealer for Agilox autonomous mobile robots (AMR) including ODM, OCF, OFL, and ONE models.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hy-Tek Material Handling: Multi-state material handling equipment distributor and integrator offering forklifts, conveyors, automation, and racking. Highly comparable to Wolter in dealer-distribution model, multi-brand OEM partnerships, and integrated solutions positioning.
• MH Equipment: Large Midwest material handling dealer with multi-state coverage offering forklifts, automation, fleet management, and integrated solutions. Closely comparable in scale, geographic footprint, and product/service breadth to Wolter.
• McCall Handling: Material handling equipment distributor operating across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, offering forklifts, storage, automation, and service. Comparable dealer-distributor model with regional presence overlapping Wolter's territory.
• Raymond Handling Solutions: Authorized Raymond dealer offering forklifts, warehouse automation, fleet management, and integrated systems across the West Coast. Directly comparable dealer-distributor and integrator model, though geographically non-overlapping.

Broad incumbents

• Toyota Material Handling Systems (Dealer Network): Toyota's North American dealer network combines forklift distribution with automation, fleet management, and financing. As the largest forklift OEM, its dealer network is the broadest incumbent competing with Wolter across multiple regions.
• Crown Equipment: Forklift manufacturer with direct and dealer-based sales of forklifts, warehouse automation, and fleet management. Major competitor offering overlapping product categories through its own dealer channels.
• Hyster-Yale Materials Handling: Global forklift manufacturer (Hyster, Yale, Nuvera) with a North American dealer network selling forklifts, automation, and fleet management. Competes with Wolter as both an OEM and through its independent dealer channel.
• Fastenal Company: Large industrial supply distributor with an extensive product line overlapping parts, safety, and consumables used in material handling operations. Competes with Wolter's parts and accessories business across multiple geography.

Others

• KION North America (Linde): Linde's parent company and Wolter's key OEM partner. Listed as a relationship partner because KION competes with Wolter in owned automation deployments while simultaneously supplying forklifts that Wolter distributes.
• East Penn Manufacturing: Industrial battery manufacturer and a key supplier to the material handling industry. Sells batteries and chargers that complement Wolter's lift truck offering through both direct and dealer channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wearewolter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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

M&A4 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Wolter