Colson Group

What Colson Group does

Colson Group is the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of casters and wheel products, headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. The company operates 42 production and distribution facilities across 14 countries, producing over 70 million casters annually with dynamic load capacities ranging from 40 lbs to 100,000 lbs. Its brand portfolio includes legacy names such as Colson, Albion, Shepherd, Jarvis, MedCaster, Pemco, Faultless, Bassick, Revvo, Rhombus, IMSA, and EHI Australia, supplemented by acquired brands Manner (Finland), AS Rollen (Germany), Arbco, Vulcan Industries, Forearm Forklift, and ESCO Plastics.

The company serves six primary verticals — medical/healthcare, food service and hospitality, automotive, industrial and material handling, retail, and furniture/office equipment — through a B2B go-to-market combining enterprise field sales with vertical market sales managers, an extensive global distributor network, brand-specific regional websites, and a proprietary Caster CAD 3D mobile application for product specification. Manufacturing capabilities span rubber processing, plastic injection molding, metal stamping, and precision machining across facilities in the United States, China, Germany, Finland, Colombia, Australia, and other locations.

Colson Group is a privately held company owned by Blue Wolf Capital Partners since March 2021, following prior ownership by Sentinel Capital Partners from 2012. The company operates an Employee Ownership Program launched in 2022 and is led by CEO Richard Kobor alongside an executive team including President of Colson Americas Bryan Spaulding, CCO Dennis E. Jones, CFO Ray Poole, CIO Joseph Hartmetz, and CHRO Joanne Hooey.

Name

Colson Group

Legal name

Colson Group Holdings, LLC

Website

https://colsongroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1878

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Colson Group is the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of casters and wheel products, operating 42 facilities across 14 countries and serving medical, food service, automotive, industrial, retail, and furniture customers with more than 70 million casters shipped annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oak Brook

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Caster and Wheel Product Sales: Colson Group generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of casters and wheels. The company ships over 70 million casters annually across 42 facilities worldwide. Products range from light-duty furniture casters to heavy-duty industrial casters capable of handling 100,000 lbs loads.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Colson Group is the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of caster and wheel products, producing over 70 million casters annually across 42 facilities in 14 countries. The portfolio spans light-duty furniture casters to heavy-duty industrial casters with load capacities from 40 lbs to 100,000 lbs, organized under multiple heritage and regional brands and sold to OEMs and end-users across healthcare, food service, automotive, aerospace, industrial, and retail markets through direct enterprise sales, vertical specialists, and a global distributor network.

Product overview

Colson Group is the largest manufacturer and distributor of caster and wheel products globally, offering a comprehensive portfolio of mobility solutions across multiple market segments. The company's product portfolio consists of core brands (Colson, Albion, Shepherd, Jarvis, MedCaster, Revvo, Pemco, Faultless, Bassick), regional brands (Rhombus in Europe, IMSA in South America, EHI in Australia), and acquired brands (Manner, ESCO Plastics, Forearm Forklift, Vulcan Industries, AS Rollen). The portfolio covers dynamic load capacities ranging from 40 lbs. to 100,000 lbs., serving industries including healthcare/medical, food service, hospitality, automotive, material handling, retail, and industrial manufacturing. The company also offers a Caster CAD 3D digital application for interactive product visualization and CAD model access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Colson: Industrial and institutional casters; quality lines since 1885, known for Performa wheel
• Albion
• Shepherd
• Jarvis
• MedCaster
• Pemco
• Faultless
• Bassick
• Rhombus
• Revvo
• IMSA
• EHI Australia

Products and services

• Colson brand casters and wheels

Quantifiable outcome

• Lead times reduced by up to 70 percent for some products through US manufacturing and distribution center optimization
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ESCO PlasticscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 30 June 2025Acquired ESCO Plastics, a Houston-based manufacturer specializing in mission-critical, custom-molded polyurethane parts. Strengthens U.S.-based manufacturing and urethane capabilities in North America.
• Forearm ForkliftminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 4 November 2024Acquired through Shepherd Hardware retail subsidiary. Company specializes in ergonomic lifting straps for material handling sector.
• Arbco IndustriesminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 30 June 2023Acquired Arbco Industries, based in Export, Pennsylvania. Private equity-backed manufacturer of wheels.
• MannercoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 8 February 2023Acquired Manner, a Finnish family-owned caster manufacturer founded in 1890. Market leader in Nordic region with over 2,000 different casters for medical, equipment, logistics, and industrial applications. Manufacturing facility in Hanko, Finland.
• Ownership WorkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 April 2022Non-profit organization partnered with Colson Group to structure and implement the employee ownership program launched in April 2022. The program grants employees shares in the company and encourages ownership mindset.
• Vulcan Industries, Inc.minorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 21 October 2020Asset acquisition of Vulcan Industries, a North American caster manufacturer specializing in light and medium duty applications for food service, hospitality, and medical industries.
• AS Rollen GmbHminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 30 April 2020Acquired AS Rollen, a German caster and wheel manufacturer specializing in medical segment products. Located in Huckeswagen, Germany. ISO 9001:2015 certified facility with injection molding and automated assembly capabilities.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tente International: Tente is one of the world's largest caster and wheel manufacturers, headquartered in Germany with global operations. Directly comparable to Colson as a multinational caster producer serving medical, industrial, and retail end markets.
• Blickle Räder+Rollen: Blickle is a leading German manufacturer of casters and wheels with global distribution. Closely comparable to Colson across industrial, medical, and material handling segments with a strong engineering and OEM focus.
• Hamilton Caster: Hamilton Caster is a US-based, family-owned industrial caster manufacturer founded in 1907. Directly comparable to Colson's North American heavy-duty industrial caster brands (Albion, Revvo), serving similar B2B distribution channels.
• Darcor Limited: Darcor is a Canadian caster and wheel manufacturer serving institutional, healthcare, and industrial markets. Comparable to Colson's MedCaster and Faultless brands, with overlap in hospital bed and institutional mobility applications.
• Algood Caster: Algood is a US caster and wheel manufacturer with strong retail and material handling presence. Directly comparable to Colson's Pemco and Shepherd brands, particularly in shopping cart and display caster segments.
• RWM Casters: RWM Casters is a US industrial caster manufacturer focused on heavy-duty kingpinless casters for towing and material handling. Directly comparable to Colson's Revvo and Albion kingpinless lines serving automotive and industrial towing applications.
• Caster Concepts: Caster Concepts is a US heavy-duty industrial caster manufacturer specializing in ergonomic and heavy-load solutions. Comparable to Colson's Albion brand with overlap in industrial material handling and ergonomic caster markets.

Emerging players

• Haion Industrial: Haion is a Chinese caster and wheel manufacturer exporting globally at competitive price points. Comparable to Colson's China-based operations (Luogang, Nansha, Nantong) but primarily competes on cost rather than brand or specification depth.

Broad incumbents

• Trelleborg Wheel Systems: Trelleborg is a large Swedish industrial polymer company with a wheel systems business serving agricultural, material handling, and industrial markets. Comparable as a broader incumbent with overlapping polyurethane wheel technology but not focused on the OEM caster niche.

Regional players

• Wheels For You / CASCOO: CASCOO is a regional caster and wheel supplier serving Europe and Asia with broad catalog offerings. Comparable to Colson's distribution-led brands but with weaker direct-manufacturing footprint and limited presence in North America.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ColsonGroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/colsongroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-colson-group

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A5 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Colson Group