PHD, Inc.
PHD, Inc. is a privately held Fort Wayne, Indiana-based industrial automation manufacturer founded in 1957 that designs and builds pneumatic, electric, and hydraulic actuators, grippers, clamps, and slides sold through a global network of 98 distributors to automotive, food & beverage, medical, and packaging OEMs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1957
- HeadquartersFort Wayne, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What PHD, Inc. does
PHD, Inc. is a privately held US industrial automation component manufacturer founded in 1957 and headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The company designs, manufactures, and sells pneumatic, electric, and hydraulic actuators and related motion-control components including cylinders, linear slides, grippers, clamps, rotary actuators, escapements, multi-motion actuators, and switches/sensors. Its product catalog spans over 136 unique product series, supplemented by an Unlimited - Unique Solutions custom engineering service that has produced more than 35,000 bespoke designs for applications in dry rooms, clean rooms, explosion-proof environments, and other specialized settings.
PHD sells build-to-order components primarily through an indirect channel: the MDN (PHD & MAC Distribution Network) of 98 worldwide distribution partners that provide 24/7 local support, factory-trained application specialists, and drop-in replacement capability for competitor products. Direct engagement occurs through an inside sales team, factory application engineers, and the MyPHD online portal. The company reports industry-leading 1-3 business day delivery on most products, 0.4% or less warranty returns, and a 98.5% on-time delivery target, supported by ISO 9001 certified manufacturing and an installed base of relatively new machining equipment (average age 5 years).
The business serves 100+ industries including automotive manufacturing, food and beverage processing, medical manufacturing, battery manufacturing (including dry room compatible products), glass container production, stretch blow molding, and packaging equipment. Geographic reach spans North America, Europe, and Asia, with active distribution and dedicated application engineering in China. PHD is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, no parent company, and no public ticker, and has historically funded growth through operations rather than external capital.
PHD, Inc. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PHD, Inc.
- Legal name
- PHD, Inc.
- Website
- https://phdinc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1957
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- PHD, Inc. is a privately held Fort Wayne, Indiana-based industrial automation manufacturer founded in 1957 that designs and builds pneumatic, electric, and hydraulic actuators, grippers, clamps, and slides sold through a global network of 98 distributors to automotive, food & beverage, medical, and packaging OEMs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PHD, Inc. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Automation Actuators
- NAICS
- Fluid Power Cylinder and Actuator Manufacturing (333995), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513)
- SIC
- Electronic Components & Accessories (3670), Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Actuators & Motion Devices (Linear, Rotary, Electric Actuators for Motion Control) (IMAHAGAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Linear Motion & Actuation (Linear Motors, Electric Cylinders, Actuators) (IMAGACAG)
Keywords
Where PHD, Inc. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Fort Wayne
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
PHD, Inc. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Automation Component Sales: Direct sales of industrial automation actuators including cylinders, escapements, grippers, linear slides, rotary actuators, clamps, multi-motion actuators, and switches/sensors. Build-to-order products typically ship in 1-3 business days.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard configured products with 1-3 day delivery |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
PHD, Inc. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PHD, Inc. manufactures and sells industrial automation actuators, including pneumatic, electric, and hydraulic cylinders, grippers, linear slides, rotary actuators, clamps, escapements, multi-motion actuators, and switches/sensors. The company offers more than 136 unique product series and over 35,000 custom design variations through its Unlimited - Unique Solutions program, with build-to-order products typically shipping in 1-3 business days. It sells primarily to OEMs and manufacturers across automotive, food and beverage, medical, packaging, battery, glass, and stretch blow molding industries via a 98-partner worldwide distribution network and direct inside sales.
Product overview
PHD, Inc. is a manufacturer of industrial automation actuators offering a comprehensive portfolio of pneumatic, electric, and hydraulic motion control products. The core product lines include cylinders (NFPA tie rod, compact, ISO, and electric ball screw variants), clamps (workholding, swing, frame, pin, and power clamps), grippers (parallel, angular, 3-jaw, and specialized magnetic/polymer configurations), linear slides (thruster, rodless gantry, and electric actuator types), rotary actuators, escapements, and blow molding equipment. The company provides over 136 unique product series with over 35,000 custom design variations through its Unlimited - Unique Solutions program. Digital design tools including the Product Selector app, CAD configurator, Sizing app, and Cv calculator support engineering selection. Products serve diverse industries including automotive manufacturing, food & beverage processing, medical manufacturing, packaging, semiconductor, and material handling, with distribution through a worldwide MDN partner network.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Tom Thumb: The original product line - small bore cylinders that provided the foundation for PHD's manufacturing capabilities, known for durability, reliability, strength, and rebuildability.
Products and services
- Cylinders Full range of pneumatic, hydraulic, and electric cylinders including NFPA tie rod cylinders (Series AS/AVS/HVS, EA/EL/EH/ES, A/AV/HV), 4-position cylinders, compact cylinders (CRS, CTS, CV, OCG, OCQ), ball screw electric cylinders (ECV, ECFA), IP69K electric cylinders (ECP), and tandem cylinders (TD). Used by OEMs and manufacturers requiring linear motion in industrial automation.
- Linear Slides Comprehensive slide actuator family including thruster slides, rodless gantry slides, high load gantry slides, compact rail slides, miniature slides, electric actuators, and slide tables. Used for linear motion positioning in industrial automation applications.
- Clamps Comprehensive clamp portfolio including workholding clamps, swing clamps, power clamps, frame clamps (PFC, PFD), pin clamps, identification stamping clamps, and shot pin actuators. Used for welding, stamping, and assembly applications in metal forming and manufacturing.
- Grippers Extensive gripper portfolio including parallel grippers, angular grippers, 3-jaw grippers, magnetic grippers, flexion grippers, and electric grippers for part handling across diverse industries including automotive, food and beverage, and medical manufacturing.
- Rotary Actuators Rotary motion actuators including miniature, heavy duty, multi-position, compact tables, high load, high force, and compact configurations for rotational positioning applications in manufacturing automation.
- Escapements Pneumatic escapement actuators (Series 160 double rod, Series LC single rod) for part singulation and transfer in manufacturing processes.
- Blow Molding Equipment Specialized actuators for stretch blow molding including stretching cylinders, needle cylinders, nozzle cylinders, and transfer arms for plastic bottle manufacturing.
- Multi-Motion Actuators Combined linear and rotary motion actuators including pneumatic/hydraulic, air/oil tandem, and multi-position configurations for complex motion sequences in manufacturing automation.
- Tri-Axis Tooling Modular tooling transfer press systems including extension tubes, arm clamps, collar clamps, finger holders, universal mounts, receiver adapters, receiver blocks, swing plates, ball clamps, and mounting components for three-axis positioning applications.
- Air On Demand Solutions Portable pneumatic air and vacuum generation solutions including Series ERDP Remote Drive, Series ERPP Pneumatic Pump, and Series ERVG Vacuum Generator for applications where traditional pneumatic systems are impractical.
- Switches & Sensors Position sensing and control components including DC inductive proximity switches, NFPA bracket switches, Hall effect switches, reed switches, solid state switches, and teachable switches for actuator position feedback.
- Unlimited - Unique Solutions Custom automation solutions service with over 35,000 unique designs created for specific customer applications across industries including volumetric pumps, grippers, cylinders, slides, and specialized actuators for applications such as dry rooms, clean rooms, explosion-proof environments, and deionized water applications. Factory application engineering team handles custom solution design and quote requests.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1-3 business day delivery on most products (industry leading)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use PHD, Inc.
Customer profileSegments7 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
PHD, Inc. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature4 records
PHD, Inc. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Yamaha RoboticsminorYamaha Robotics is the Master Distributor for Yamaha robots in North America. Since 1976, Yamaha Robotics has provided industrial manufacturing with assembly robots unsurpassed for payload, speed, and dependability. PHD products complement Yamaha's robot offerings with pneumatic, electric, and hydraulic actuators for automation applications.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
PHD, Inc. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Schunk: Schunk is a specialist in gripping systems, linear modules, and rotary modules, directly comparable to PHD's gripper, slide, and rotary actuator families serving automotive and medical manufacturers.
- Festo: Festo is a global leader in pneumatic and electric automation, offering cylinders, grippers, slides, and valve terminals that directly overlap with PHD's core product portfolio for OEM machine builders.
- IAI Corporation: IAI specializes in electric actuators and Cartesian robots, competing with PHD's expanding electric actuator (ECV, ESW, EXFA) lines targeting precision pick-and-place and assembly automation.
- Misumi Corporation: Misumi offers configurable linear actuators, grippers, and automation components via a catalog/e-commerce model with rapid delivery, similar in spirit to PHD's build-to-order, 1-3 day shipping approach.
- Bimba Manufacturing: Bimba manufactures pneumatic cylinders, rotary actuators, and grippers aimed at the same OEM and end-user machine builder segments served by PHD's standard and custom actuator lines.
- SMC Corporation: SMC is the world's largest pneumatics manufacturer with an extensive catalog of actuators, grippers, and motion control components serving the same automotive, food/beverage, and packaging OEMs that PHD targets.
- Camozzi Automation: Camozzi produces pneumatic cylinders, grippers, and proportional regulators, closely overlapping PHD's core pneumatic catalog and competing in similar industrial OEM applications.
Broad incumbents
- Emerson (ASCO Numatics): Emerson's ASCO Numatics line supplies pneumatic cylinders, valve manifolds, and motion control components, serving many of the same machine builder and process industry customers as PHD.
- Bosch Rexroth: Bosch Rexroth offers a comprehensive linear motion, pneumatics, and assembly technologies portfolio that overlaps PHD's electric actuators and slides while serving broader factory automation needs.
- Parker Hannifin: Parker's Industrial Motion & Control division competes with PHD in pneumatic cylinders and rotary actuators while also offering broader fluid power, electromechanical, and aerospace solutions.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Customer concentration
PHD, Inc. social profiles
Digital presencePHD, Inc. compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
PHD, Inc. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PHD, Inc. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
PHD, Inc. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PHD, Inc. M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PHD, Inc.
What does PHD, Inc. do?
PHD, Inc. manufactures and sells industrial automation actuators, including pneumatic, electric, and hydraulic cylinders, grippers, linear slides, rotary actuators, clamps, escapements, multi-motion actuators, and switches/sensors. The company offers more than 136 unique product series and over 35,000 custom design variations through its Unlimited - Unique Solutions program, with build-to-order products typically shipping in 1-3 business days. It sells primarily to OEMs and manufacturers across automotive, food and beverage, medical, packaging, battery, glass, and stretch blow molding industries via a 98-partner worldwide distribution network and direct inside sales.
Is PHD, Inc. a public or private company?
PHD, Inc. is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was PHD, Inc. founded?
PHD, Inc. was founded in 1957. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is PHD, Inc. based?
PHD, Inc. is headquartered in Fort Wayne, United States, in the North America region.
How does PHD, Inc. make money?
One revenue line is on record: automation Component Sales.
Who are PHD, Inc.'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Schunk, Festo, IAI Corporation, Misumi Corporation, Bimba Manufacturing, SMC Corporation and Camozzi Automation. Broad incumbents are Emerson (ASCO Numatics), Bosch Rexroth and Parker Hannifin.
Does PHD, Inc. have an API?
No public API is recorded for PHD, Inc..
What industry is PHD, Inc. in?
PHD, Inc.'s product category is Industrial Automation Actuators. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAGAG, Actuators & Motion Devices (Linear, Rotary, Electric Actuators for Motion Control), with a secondary code of IMAGACAG, Linear Motion & Actuation (Linear Motors, Electric Cylinders, Actuators). Its NAICS code is 333995 and its SIC code is 3670.