Hilco

What Hilco does

Hilco Inc. is a privately held manufacturer's representative firm headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia (Atlanta metro), founded in 1975 by Vernon A Hill. The firm acts as an outsourced field sales and technical support organization connecting six industrial automation manufacturers (Banner Engineering, TURCK, Puls, Fortress Interlocks, Larco, and Datalogic) with stocking distributors and end-user customers across the southeastern United States, covering Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, middle-eastern Tennessee, and the Florida Panhandle. Hilco's workforce of approximately 24 people includes 14 outside salespersons, 6 application engineers, and 4 corporate support personnel, with a stated 412 combined years of industrial control experience and professional affiliations across MANA, PTRA, CPMR, MCAA, and MRERF.

The company's underlying offering is not a product but a service: deep territory coverage backed by technically trained application engineers and a multi-line selling model. Hilco represents product lines spanning photoelectric and process sensors, RFID and fieldbus technology, IO-Link and industrial networking, machine safety light curtains and trapped-key interlocks, industrial safety mats, DIN-rail and IP67 power supplies, HMI/PLC solutions, and industrial barcode readers and laser marking systems. Sales coverage is organized into a "Hilco North" and "Hilco South" divisional structure with sub-territories mapped down to the zip-code level and supported by digital resources including a YouTube channel, manufacturer software download links, and a publicly accessible representative directory.

Hilco operates on a commission-only revenue model, earning variable compensation on sales of its manufacturer partners' products with no base salary or guaranteed payment from those manufacturers. The firm sells directly to end-users through its outside sales force and indirectly through a network of automation-focused stocking distributors, with pricing handled via quote-based engagement through the sales team rather than published price lists. Leadership is family-controlled following a 1998 management buyout by current CEO Vernon Hill Jr., supported by Doug Crowther as President of Hilco South and Lewis Stotesbury as President of Hilco North.

Name

Hilco

Legal name

Hilco Inc.

Website

https://hilco-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hilco Inc. is a privately held manufacturer's representative firm founded in 1975 and based in Sandy Springs, Georgia, that provides outsourced field sales and application engineering for six leading industrial automation manufacturers (Banner Engineering, TURCK, Puls, Fortress Interlocks, Larco, and Datalogic) across the southeastern United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sandy Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commission-based sales representation: Hilco earns commission on sales of products from its manufacturer partners. As stated in their ideology: 'We don't get compensated for our efforts unless and until we sell something.' Their set rate commissions become a variable cost to manufacturers, aligning incentives directly with sales performance. This is a commission-only revenue model with no base salary or guaranteed compensation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hilco Inc. is a manufacturer's representative firm that sells and supports industrial automation and process control products on behalf of leading-edge manufacturers (Banner Engineering, TURCK, Puls, Fortress Interlocks, Larco, and Datalogic) across the Southeastern US. The firm earns commissions on every product sold, deploying 14 outside salespersons and 6 application engineers backed by a stocking distributor channel to provide direct coverage, technical pre- and post-sales support, and multi-line automation solutions to industrial manufacturers and end-users.

Product overview

Hilco Inc. is a manufacturer's representative firm (not a product manufacturer) that serves the southeastern US industrial automation and process control market. The company represents multiple manufacturers' product lines and provides sales representation, application engineering, and technical support services. The core offering is representation services connecting industrial automation manufacturers (Banner Engineering, TURCK, Puls, Datalogic, Fortress Interlocks, Larco) with distributors and end customers. Banner provides sensors, machine safety, wireless/IIoT, barcode/vision, and industrial networking products. TURCK offers sensors, connectivity, fieldbus technology, interface technology, industrial controls/HMI/PLCs, and power supplies. Puls specializes in DIN rail and IP67 power supplies. Fortress Interlocks provides mechanical trapped key safety interlocks and industrial access control. Datalogic offers barcode readers and laser marking systems. Larco provides industrial safety mats and edge guards. The company also facilitates access to manufacturer software tools for configuration and programming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Manufacturing Representation Services Commission-based sales representation, application engineering, and technical support services that connect industrial automation manufacturers (Banner Engineering, TURCK, Puls, Fortress Interlocks, Larco, Datalogic) with industrial end-users and stocking distributors across the Southeastern US, deployable via 14 outside salespersons, 6 application engineers, and 4 corporate support personnel.
• Banner Engineering Product Line Sensors (photoelectric, fiber optic, measurement), lighting and indication (LED task lighting, tower lights, indicators), machine safety (safety light curtains, controllers, emergency stops), industrial wireless (IIoT gateways, wireless radios, condition monitoring), barcode and vision (imager readers, smart cameras, vision sensors), industrial networks and Smart I/O (IO-Link, connectivity), monitoring solutions, and Snap Signal plug-and-play data products, sold to industrial manufacturers and end-users in the Southeast.
• TURCK Product Line Sensors (inductive, capacitive, magnetic, ultrasonic, linear/rotary, inclination, pressure, temperature, flow, level), connectivity (cordsets, receptacles, splitters, junction boxes), RFID identification systems, fieldbus technology (modular I/O, block I/O, Foundation Fieldbus, Profibus PA), interface technology (safety barriers, signal conditioners, EXCOM intrinsically safe remote I/O), industrial controls/HMI/PLCs (IP67 block PLCs, IP20 programmable gateways, ARGEE-powered field logic controllers), and IP20/IP67 power supplies, sold to industrial customers in the Southeast.
• Puls Power Supplies DIN rail and IP67 power supplies including 1-phase and 3-phase power supplies, DC/DC converters, IP54/IP65/IP67 power supplies, IO-Link enabled power supplies, Power Over Ethernet injectors, DC-UPS modules, buffer modules, redundancy modules, and PISA protection modules, sold to industrial customers and OEMs.
• Datalogic Product Line Industrial barcode readers, laser marking systems, and handheld scanners for industrial automation identification and traceability applications, sold to manufacturers, warehouses, and logistics operations in the Southeast.
• Fortress Interlocks Product Line Mechanical trapped key safety interlocks including mGard (robust trapped key interlocks up to Cat. 4, PLe), amGardpro (heavy-duty configurable interlocks with network communication), tGard (customizable interlocks with control functionality), NCGARD (compact robust safety coding), FRANK (RFID access network for industrial access control), Atom (compact guard locking), Alfred (interlocks for explosive atmospheres), Osbourn (interlock blocking solutions), and Louis (hygienic interlocking range including 3-A approved food-safe interlock), sold to industrial manufacturers requiring machine safety.
• Larco Industrial Safety Products Industrial safety mats and safety Edge Guard systems used for machine safety applications in industrial and process automation environments, sold to manufacturers and end-users.

Quantifiable outcome

• Combined 412 years of industrial control experience across the sales and application engineering team
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Banner EngineeringcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanner Engineering is a specialist in sensors, connectivity, fieldbus technology, RFID systems, interface technology, HMI, PLC solutions, and process automation products. Hilco represents Banner's full product line including photoelectric sensors, machine safety, industrial wireless, barcode and vision, and connectivity technology across the southeastern US territory.
• TURCKcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTURCK is represented by Hilco for its range of sensors, connectivity, RFID, fieldbus technology, interface technology, industrial controls/HMI/PLCs, power supplies, and process automation products across the southeastern US.
• PulscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPuls is a DIN rail and IP67 power supplies manufacturer represented by Hilco in the southeastern US. Product line includes 1-phase and 3-phase power supplies, DC/DC converters, IP54/65/67 power supplies, power supplies with IO-Link, PoE injectors, DC-UPS, buffer modules, redundancy modules, and PISA protection modules.
• Fortress InterlockscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFortress Interlocks specializes in mechanical trapped key and industrially rugged heavy-duty safety interlocks and industrial access control in manufacturing. Hilco represents their full product line including mGard, amGardpro, tGard, NCGARD, FRANK access control, Atom, Alfred, Osbourn, and Louis product ranges.
• LarcocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLarco manufactures industrial safety mats and safety edge guard systems. Hilco represents Larco's safety products across the southeastern US territory.
• DatalogiccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDatalogic provides industrial barcode readers, laser marking systems, and handheld scanners. Hilco represents Datalogic products in the southeastern US territory. Product line includes industrial barcode readers, laser marking systems, and handheld scanners.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Datalogic: Core principal represented by Hilco, manufacturing industrial barcode readers, machine vision, and laser marking systems. Comparable as a global automation OEM whose products Hilco distributes in the southeast.
• Rockwell Automation: Largest pure-play industrial automation manufacturer (~$8B revenue) and a benchmark for the principals Hilco represents. Comparable because Rockwell's control/sensor portfolio competes with the Banner/TURCK lines Hilco sells.
• WESCO International: Fortune 500 industrial distribution giant (~$22B revenue) serving as both a competitor to Hilco's distributor partners and a comparable broad-line industrial channel. Hilco's rep model is a structural alternative to WESCO's direct distribution.
• TURCK: Core principal represented by Hilco and a global manufacturer of sensors, connectivity, RFID, interface technology, and IP67 PLCs. Comparable because the same product categories flow through Hilco's southeastern channel.
• Banner Engineering: Core principal represented by Hilco and a major direct manufacturer of sensors, machine safety, IIoT, and vision products globally. Comparable as a dominant industrial automation supplier operating in the same product categories Hilco sells.
• Puls Power Supplies: Principal represented by Hilco, specializing in DIN-rail and IP67 industrial power supplies. Comparable as a focused industrial automation OEM whose full product line Hilco carries across the southeast.
• Pepperl+Fuchs: Global industrial sensor and explosion-protection manufacturer competing directly with TURCK and Banner in the same product categories Hilco represents. Comparable because it is an alternative principal for industrial customers in the southeast.
• Sonepar USA: Global electrical and industrial distribution leader with major US operations, including the southeast. Comparable as a broad-line distributor whose coverage and catalog offerings overlap with Hilco's stocking distributor network.
• Fortress Interlocks: Principal represented by Hilco, manufacturing trapped-key and heavy-duty safety interlocks for industrial access control. Comparable as a niche automation safety OEM distributed through Hilco's channel.
• Graybar Electric Company: Large private industrial distributor focused on electrical, comm/data, and automation products with strong southeastern US presence. Comparable as a competing channel that Hilco's stocking distributor partners also sell against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzTAQL5Kp9VeRmnmvoxlLeg/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/HilcoInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hilco-inc

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 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 Hilco