Pivot Point

What Pivot Point does

Pivot Point, Inc. is a privately held, fourth-generation family-owned manufacturer of non-threaded fastener solutions headquartered in Hustisford, Wisconsin. The business traces its roots to 1929, when Rein Leitzke founded Leitzke Specialties to manufacture clevises, clevis pins, cotter pins, keystock, and washers primarily for agricultural and machine-building industries; the current entity was re-established under the Pivot Point name in 1982 by Rue Leitzke. The company operates a nearly 100,000 sq ft manufacturing facility with automated equipment for cold heading, screw machining, high-speed drilling, CNC and Swiss turning, ball detenting, milling, bending, and assembly, expanded by 30,000 sq ft in October 2022.

The product portfolio spans stock and custom non-threaded fasteners organized into core families: patented quick-release pins (including SLIC Pins with spring-loaded plungers, detent pins, ball lock pins, pull pins), clevis and headless pins in hole and groove configurations, patented self-locking cotters (Bow-Tie and Rue Ring designs), wire rope and Nylon lanyards, retriever rings (split key, basic), S-hooks (including the Infinity S-hook), lynch/hitch pins, carabiners, and crimp ring retainers. Custom engineered fastening solutions are designed to customer specifications with no minimum or maximum quantity. The company holds multiple U.S. and foreign patents covering the SLIC Pin family, the Auto-Lock Safety Pull Pin, Nylon Lanyards, and proprietary cotter-pin designs.

Pivot Point monetizes through direct B2B sales (phone, email, fax), an e-commerce storefront for stock items, exclusive international distribution partnerships covering the UK, France, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Brazil, and a custom-engineered solutions channel supported by in-house application engineering. Customer verticals include Military & Defense, Aerospace, Agricultural, Construction Equipment, Transportation, Material Handling, Medical, Sporting & Recreation, Outdoor Power Equipment (with named customers including John Deere, Husqvarna, Ariens, Cub Cadet, and Toro), Food Service Equipment, and niche consumer applications. The largest customer represents only a small fraction of sales across thousands of accounts, indicating a diversified revenue base. The business is ISO 9001:2015 certified under certificate effective January 30, 2024 through January 29, 2027.

Name

Pivot Point

Legal name

Pivot Point, Inc.

Website

https://pivotpins.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pivot Point, Inc. is a fourth-generation, family-owned U.S. manufacturer of non-threaded fastener solutions (clevis pins, quick-release pins, locking cotters, lanyards, and custom engineered fastening products) sold to industrial OEMs across military, aerospace, agricultural, outdoor power equipment, and medical customers via direct sales, e-commerce, and international distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Fasteners

NAICS

Bolt, Nut, Screw, Rivet, and Washer Manufacturing (332722), Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing (33272)

SIC

Bolts, Nuts, Screws, Rivets & Washers (3452), Screw Machine Products (3451)

akta.pro primary industry

Fasteners, Anchors & Connectors (Bolts, Weld Studs, Plates) (IMADACAJ)

Keywords

• Non-threaded fasteners
• Clevis pins
• Quick-release pins
• Locking cotter pins
• Wire rope lanyards

Headquarters

HQ city

Hustisford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Standard Fastener Products: Sale of stock non-threaded fasteners including clevis pins, quick-release pins, cotter pins, rings, hooks, and clips. Products sold in bulk quantities at unit pricing. Available for immediate purchase via e-commerce and distribution partners.
2. Custom Engineered Solutions: Specialized fastening solutions designed and manufactured to customer specifications. Personalized engineered solutions for specific applications with preliminary prints and samples provided. No quantity too small or too large.
3. Wire Rope Lanyard Assemblies: Steel aircraft cable assemblies and lanyard solutions available as stock or custom products in various sizes, materials, coatings, and configurations. Sold with various end fittings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Pivot Point manufactures non-threaded fastener solutions including clevis pins, quick-release pins, cotter pins, lanyards, rings, hooks, and clips, sold as stock items and custom engineered products. Operations are housed in a nearly 100,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Hustisford, WI, supporting in-house cold heading, screw machining, CNC/Swiss-turning, ball detenting, milling, bending, and assembly. The company also delivers custom engineered fastening solutions tailored to specific customer applications with no quantity restrictions.

Product overview

Pivot Point is a manufacturer of Non-Threaded Fastener Solutions, offering a comprehensive portfolio of stock and custom industrial fasteners. The product line centers on pins (including SLIC Pins®, clevis pins, quick-release pins, detent pins, and pull pins), cotter pins (hair pins, Bow-Tie Locking Cotters™, Rue Ring Locking Cotters™), lanyards and tethering solutions (wire rope lanyards, Nylon Lanyards™), rings, hooks, and clips (Infinity S-Hooks™, carabiners, split key rings), and heavy-duty fasteners (lynch pins, wire lock pins, hitch pins). The company also provides custom engineered fastening solutions and operates under ISO 9001:2015 quality standards. Manufacturing capabilities include cold heading, screw machining, high-speed drilling, CNC/Swiss-turning, ball detenting, milling, bending, and assembly operations. Pivot Point holds multiple patents including SLIC Pins® (US Patent No. 6,872,039, 7,147,420), Unitary Plunger Design (US Patent No. 11,542,977), and Auto-Lock Safety Pull Pins (US Patent No. 8,821,061).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clevis Pins Clevis pins in multiple configurations including SLIC Pins, with holes (cotter pin hole), with grooves (retaining clip groove), detent clevis pins, headless pins with holes or grooves, bent arm/hitch pins, and ring pins in various collar styles. Manufactured in-house from carbon, alloy, stainless steel and aluminum with multiple finishes; available in stock and custom designs for OEM and industrial applications.
• SLIC Pins Self Locking Implanted Cotter Pin — patented one-piece locking clevis pin with spring-loaded plunger that functions as pin and cotter all-in-one; plunger retracts during insertion and springs back to lock the pin in place. Covered by US Patents 6,872,039 and 7,147,420 with the newer Unitary Plunger Design covered by US Patent 11,542,977. Installation is at least 2.5x faster than hair pin cotters and eliminates the need for separate cotters, bolts, nuts and clips. Used in OEM applications across military, exit devices, ski bindings, food service and marine markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• SLIC Pin installation is at least 2.5x faster than Hair Pin Cotters
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Clarendon Specialty FastenerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for United Kingdom located at Unit D Seymour Wharf, Steamer Quay Road, Totnes, Devon, UK TQ9 5AL. Phone: +44(0) 1803 868 677. Serves UK market with Pivot Point fastener products.
• EPCI EngineeringcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for France, Spain, and Belgium located at ZA Les Portes du Vexin, 34.3 rue Ampère, 95300 ENNERY, France. Phone: +33 (0)1 34 48 34 10. Serves France, Spain, and Belgium markets.
• Daniel Gruppe GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Germany located at Daimlerstrasse 17, 32312 Lübbecke, Germany. Phone: +49 (5741) 3480-55. Contact: Christoph Nieder-Entgelmeier. Serves German market.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Winzeler Gear: US-based specialty manufacturer of clevis pins, cotter pins, and custom engineered fasteners serving OEMs in agriculture, material handling, and industrial markets. Direct overlap with Pivot Point's core clevis pin and quick-release pin product lines, and a comparable custom-engineering, mid-size private business profile.
• Hayes Manufacturing: Manufacturer of cotter pins, hitch pins, and specialty fasteners with a long operating history serving industrial and agricultural customers. Highly comparable product mix (cotter pins, hitch pins, custom pins) and similar small-to-mid US manufacturer profile to Pivot Point.
• Spirol International: Engineered fastening solutions manufacturer offering coiled pins, spring pins, alignment dowels, and specialty inserts with global operations. Overlaps with Pivot Point in custom-engineered pin solutions and serves the same OEM design-in use cases, though larger and broader in scope.
• Precision Brand Products: Manufacturer of precision pins, shims, and custom metal stampings sold through industrial distribution. Comparable in offering precision pins and shim products alongside fasteners, and serving similar industrial customer base via catalog distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Böllhoff Group: Global manufacturer of fasteners and assembly technology including threaded inserts, rivets, and specialty fastening systems with worldwide operations. Comparable in fastener manufacturing and OEM design-in model but operates at much larger scale and broader product scope than Pivot Point's non-threaded fastener niche.
• Würth Group: Global market leader in fastener distribution and manufacturing with extensive catalog of pins, clips, and specialty fastening products across automotive, construction, and industrial channels. Massive scale incumbent competing for the same OEM fastener spend as Pivot Point but with vastly broader product line and global reach.
• Fastenal Company: Public US industrial distributor with extensive fastener, pin, and clip product lines sold through vending machines, on-site locations, and traditional distribution channels. Competes with Pivot Point in stock pin/cotter/clip categories but as a broad-line distributor rather than a specialized manufacturer.
• McMaster-Carr: Major US industrial supply distributor with deep catalog of pins, clips, retaining rings, and fastener products for OEM and MRO buyers. Competes with Pivot Point's stock product line via same-day e-commerce distribution but does not manufacture specialized non-threaded fasteners or offer custom engineered solutions.
• Bossard Group: Swiss-headquartered global fastener specialist offering engineering services, custom kitting, and Smart Factory logistics to industrial OEMs. Comparable in serving OEM design-in fastening applications but with global footprint and significantly broader product portfolio than Pivot Point.

Emerging players

• Misumi Group: Japan-based configurable components manufacturer and distributor with growing industrial fastener catalog including pins, clips, and custom machined parts. Competes with Pivot Point via low-cost catalog distribution but specializes more in configurable standard parts than engineered specialty fasteners.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PivotPointPins
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PivotPointIncorp
• Facebookfacebook.com/PivotPointInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1916546

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Pivot Point