What Unimotion does

Unimotion is an industrial automation company specializing in linear motion technology and components. Its parent operates from Slovenia and the wholly-owned North American subsidiary, Unimotion North America, Inc., was established in 2020 and is headquartered in Willoughby, Ohio. The company designs and manufactures linear units (including the CTL linear motor-driven unit, belt-driven and ball screw-driven units), electric cylinders (PNCE ISO 15552, MCE Plug and Drive, MSCE Plug and Drive sliders), linear motors (ironless LMLA and iron-core LMCA), closed-loop stepper systems, and rail guides, with multi-axis system configurations combining these products. The portfolio is unified by a Plug and Drive philosophy with multi-protocol support (Profinet, Ethernet, EtherCAT, Pulse/direction), online sizing and calculation tools, and product certifications including ISO 3 and ISO 5 cleanroom compliance for CTL units and a 2022 German Design Award for the CTL product design.

The company sells primarily to industrial B2B buyers across ten verticals — automation, automotive, food and beverage, machining, medical, robotics, packaging, semiconductor, printing, and chemical and pharmaceutical — through a hybrid go-to-market combining enterprise field sales with technical support and a self-serve e-commerce platform that supports product configuration, 3D model generation in over 100 native formats, pricing (login required) and online ordering. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; quote-based pricing applies to custom multi-axis system configurations, while standard catalog items are available from stock. Revenue is generated almost entirely through hardware sales of linear motion components and engineered multi-axis solutions, with no software or service revenue streams disclosed.

Unimotion operates with 51–100 employees and reports its North American headquarters in Willoughby, Ohio. Its marketing combines trade show presence at major European and North American automation events (Automate, SPS, Motek, Productronica, Automatica, regional All about automation events), technical content marketing, downloadable catalogs, and web-based sizing tools. Leadership disclosed in the source data is limited to CEO Peter Grilc. No external funding rounds, public listing, or investor ownership signals are present in the available material, and the company remains privately held under its European parent.

Name

Unimotion

Legal name

Unimotion North America, Inc.

Website

https://unimotionusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Manufacturer of linear motion components and systems for industrial automation. Products include linear units, electric cylinders, linear motors, stepper systems, and rail guides serving automotive, semiconductor, medical, packaging, and pharmaceutical industries globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Components

NAICS

All Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (33399), All Other Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (333248)

SIC

General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569), Electronic Components & Accessories (3670)

akta.pro primary industry

Linear Motion & Mechanical Power Transmission (Ball/roller screws, linear guides, bearings, couplings) (IMAHAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Linear Motion & Actuation (Linear Motors, Electric Cylinders, Actuators) (IMAGACAG), Motion Control Components (Servos, Drives, Motors, Encoders) (IMAHAHAG)

Keywords

• Linear motion systems
• Industrial automation components
• Electric cylinders
• Linear motors
• Multi-axis systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Gastonia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Automation Components Sales: Direct B2B sales of linear motion products including linear units, electric cylinders, linear motors, stepper systems, and rail guides. Products sold through online shop and direct sales team with configuration tools and technical support.
2. Custom Multi-Axis Systems: Engineered multi-axis linear systems combining linear units and electric cylinders with flexible combination of accessories, providing complete system solutions with 3D drawings and technical support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Unimotion manufactures and sells linear motion components and engineered multi-axis systems for industrial automation, including linear units (ball-screw, toothed-belt, and CTL linear-motor driven), electric cylinders (PNCE, MCE, MSCE), LMLA ironless and LMCA iron-core linear motors, closed-loop stepper systems, and rail guides. Products are sold via direct enterprise sales and a self-serve online shop with 3D configuration tools, targeting OEMs and system integrators across semiconductor, medical, pharmaceutical, packaging, automotive, robotics, machining, and general automation sectors.

Product overview

Unimotion is a provider of industrial automation solutions offering a comprehensive portfolio of motion control products organized into five main categories: Linear Units (including CTL linear motor driven units, ball screw and belt driven units), Electric Cylinders (PNCE ISO 15552, MCE Plug & Drive, MSCE Plug & Drive sliders), Linear Motors (LMLA ironless motors and LMCA motors), Stepper Systems (Plug & Drive closed-loop systems), and Rail Guides. The portfolio is unified through a common Plug & Drive philosophy enabling easy integration with standardized motors, drives, and communication protocols (Profinet, Ethernet, EtherCAT). Supporting tools include online sizing/calculation tools for linear units, electric cylinders, linear motors, and linear guides. Multi-axis systems solutions combine multiple products into 1-axis, 2-axis, and 3-axis configurations. Products serve industries including automation, automotive, food & beverage, machining, medical, robotics, packaging, semiconductor, printing, and chemical/pharmaceutical sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Linear Units (ball-screw and toothed-belt driven) Compact linear units with toothed-belt or ball-screw drive providing high speeds, accuracy, and repeatability for industrial automation OEMs and system integrators; available in standard and mini sizes for assembly lines, material handling, packaging and general automation.
• CTL Linear Units (linear-motor driven) Linear units with an integrated Unimotion linear motor drive providing high accuracy, high dynamics and backlash-free operation for cleanroom and high-precision automation; intended for semiconductor, pharmaceutical, medical technology and other demanding automation applications.
• MGBS Mini Linear Units (ball-screw driven) Ball-screw driven mini linear units with preassembled motor for plug-and-play installation; designed for price-sensitive automation applications requiring standardized lengths available from stock.
• MGTB Mini Linear Units (toothed-belt driven) Toothed-belt driven mini linear units with zero backlash and high load capacity for moving payloads at high speeds in horizontal and vertical orientations; intended for cost-efficient, standardized automation.
• PNCE ISO 15552 Electric Cylinders Electric cylinders based on the ISO 15552 standard with a pneumatic-cylinder-like envelope for drop-in replacement; suited to OEMs needing pneumatic-to-electric conversion with industry-standard mounting dimensions, including corrosion-resistant and food-industry variants.
• MCE Plug & Drive Electric Cylinders Plug & Drive electric cylinders in sizes 25, 32 and 45 with travel speed up to 0.75 m/s, max stroke up to 200 mm (MCE45 extended up to 350 mm), max axial load 695 N; pre-lubricated for maintenance-free operation. Designed for compact, plug-and-play electric actuation in industrial automation.
• MSCE Plug & Drive Electric Sliders Mini linear drive combining an integrated linear guiding system, aluminum slide and preassembled motor into a Plug & Drive ready electric slider; suited for OEMs needing compact, ready-to-mount linear motion.
• LMLA Ironless Linear Motors Ironless linear motors without an iron core delivering extremely high precision, high dynamics, zero cogging force, and no attractive force between motor and magnetic plate; intended for laser cutting, semiconductor and other precision applications requiring clean, cogging-free motion.
• LMCA Linear Motors (iron-core) Iron-core construction linear motors for precision applications such as laser cutting and general industrial automation requiring high continuous and peak force.
• Stepper Systems (closed-loop Plug & Drive) Closed-loop stepper motors and drives in sizes 28, 42 and 56 with Profinet, Ethernet, EtherCAT and Pulse/Direction communication; no gain tuning required and brake control included. Designed for OEMs needing cost-effective, easy-to-integrate stepper-based motion with closed-loop reliability.
• Rail Guides Linear guide rails, BGR rails and guide blocks with a wide range of mounting attachments and accessories; for OEMs and machine builders needing supported, high-rigidity linear guidance in custom machine designs.
• Multi-Axis Systems Engineered 1-axis, 2-axis and 3-axis multi-axis linear systems combining Unimotion linear units and electric cylinders with flexible accessory configurations; delivered with 3D drawings and project-level technical support. Targets OEMs and integrators needing ready-specified multi-axis subsystems rather than discrete components.

Quantifiable outcome

• Repeatability up to ±0.001mm
• +5 more outcomes

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bosch Rexroth: Global leader in factory automation offering linear motion systems, ball screws, linear guides, and electric drives. Directly competes with Unimotion across linear units, electric cylinders, and motion control components for industrial OEMs.
• Festo: Major German automation supplier with a comprehensive electric and pneumatic linear motion portfolio, including linear axes, electric cylinders, and stepper/servo systems. Directly comparable to Unimotion in product scope and end-market focus.
• THK Co., Ltd. Pioneer of linear motion guides and ball screws with a globally dominant position in linear guides and LM guides. Directly comparable to Unimotion's rail guides and linear unit offerings for factory automation.
• HIWIN Corporation: Taiwanese manufacturer specializing in linear guides, ball screws, linear motors, and linear stages. Directly competes with Unimotion across mechanical linear motion transmission and linear motor products.
• SMC Corporation: Global leader in pneumatic and electric automation, including electric cylinders and linear actuators. Directly comparable to Unimotion's electric cylinder portfolio for industrial automation customers.
• Parker Hannifin: Large industrial motion and control conglomerate with electromechanical linear motion, drives, and actuators. Directly overlaps with Unimotion's electric cylinders, stepper systems, and multi-axis solutions.
• NSK Ltd. Major manufacturer of ball screws, linear guides, and mechatronic linear motion products. Directly comparable to Unimotion's linear units, ball-screw-driven axes, and rail guides for industrial automation.
• Schaeffler (INA): Through its INA brand, Schaeffler offers linear guides, ball screws, and linear actuators for industrial automation. Directly comparable to Unimotion's rail guides and linear motion components across factory automation use cases.
• Ewellix (SKF): Specialist in linear motion and actuation including electric linear actuators, ball screws, and linear guides, now part of SKF. Directly comparable to Unimotion's electric cylinders and linear motion portfolio.
• Rollon Group: Specialist in linear motion solutions including linear guides, telescopic rails, and linear actuators for industrial automation. Directly comparable to Unimotion's linear units, rail guides, and multi-axis systems offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Unimotion