What Forkardt Hardinge does

Forkardt Hardinge is a precision workholding manufacturer serving CNC machine tool operators across aerospace, automotive, medical, semiconductor, defense, and agriculture industries. The company designs and produces collets, collet chucks, manual and power chucks, mandrels, milling solutions, static and rotating cylinders, specialty quick-change systems, jaws, accessories, and the CoolJet EcoClean cyclonic coolant filtration system, marketed under a portfolio exceeding 200,000 SKUs. Core technology centers on high-tolerance mechanical gripping (FlexC systems achieve up to 0.0004 TIR with sub-10-second changeovers, and Swiss-style collets are inspected on Hardinge SUPER-PRECISION headstocks at 0.000015 TIR), with over 90% of products manufactured in-house across three facilities in Elmira NY, Traverse City MI, and Reutlingen Germany.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market combining regional business development managers for enterprise accounts, an inside sales team, a 24/7 e-commerce storefront, and a global distributor network. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of standardized catalog products plus custom-engineered workholding solutions designed by in-house engineers for complex geometries, with operations supported by a sub-1% defect return rate and a 95%+ same-day delivery standard. The company is privately held by Centre Lane Partners following the September 2024 take-private of Hardinge Inc., and expanded its product surface through the June 2025 acquisition of ATS Systems (machine tool accessories, coolant management, bar feeders, automation). Leadership is in active transition, with a new CEO effective May 2026 and a new VP of Operations & Engineering appointed in November 2025.

Name

Forkardt Hardinge

Legal name

Hardinge Inc.

Website

https://forkardthardinge.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Forkardt Hardinge designs and manufactures precision workholding solutions (collets, chucks, mandrels, cylinders, and coolant systems) for CNC machine tool operators across aerospace, automotive, medical, semiconductor, defense, and agriculture, distributing globally via direct sales, e-commerce, and a distributor network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Elmira

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Workholding Products and Accessories: The company designs, manufactures, and distributes workholding solutions and machine tool accessories. Product categories include collets, collet chucks, manual chucks, power chucks, precision chucks, ID gripping solutions, milling solutions, rotating cylinders, specialty solutions, jaws, and accessories. With over 200,000 SKUs, products support manufacturers across aerospace, automotive, medical, semiconductor, defense, agriculture, and other precision manufacturing sectors.
2. Custom Engineered Solutions: The company designs, manufactures and tests custom workholding solutions for complex manufacturing challenges. Engineering capabilities address out-of-round parts, challenging geometries, unconventional materials, and specialty applications. Custom solutions are designed by experienced sales and design engineers.
3. Machine Tool Accessories (via ATS Systems Acquisition): Following the June 2025 acquisition of ATS Systems, the company expanded capabilities to include workholding, coolant management systems, bar feeders, and automation. ATS Systems is a nationally recognized supplier of machine tool accessories with over 30 years of experience installing thousands of machine tool accessories and automation systems.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Forkardt Hardinge designs, manufactures, and distributes precision workholding devices and machine tool accessories including collets, collet chucks, manual and power chucks, ID gripping solutions, milling solutions, rotary tables, and specialty solutions for CNC machining operations such as milling, turning, and grinding. With over 200,000 SKUs, the company also offers custom engineered workholding solutions for complex manufacturing challenges and coolant management systems (CoolJet EcoClean).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ATS Systems: Machine tool accessories, engineering, and automation solutions including workholding, coolant management systems, and bar feeders.

Products and services

• Collets & Collet Chucks Precision collets and collet chucks for CNC lathes and grinding machines. The product family includes Swiss-style collets, guide bushings, 5C and 16C expanding collets, and other collet types for various machining operations.
• Manual Workholding Solutions Manual chucks designed for precision workpiece holding during machining. Suitable for various lathe and machining applications.
• ID Gripping Solutions Internal diameter (ID) gripping solutions including mandrels for securely holding workpieces from the inside during machining operations.
• Milling Solutions Milling-specific workholding solutions designed to securely hold workpieces during milling operations on CNC machining centers.
• Power Chucks Power chucks for CNC lathes and turning centers providing automated, high-precision workpiece clamping for high-production manufacturing environments.
• Precision Chucks Precision chucks including diaphragm and pitch-line chucks designed for high-accuracy workpiece holding in precision grinding and machining applications.
• Static & Rotating Cylinders Hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders used to actuate power chucks in rotating, static, or specialty applications across production and job shop environments. Includes Third Port, Fast Acting, and Variable Pressure configurations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 19x faster changeover compared to traditional lathe collets or 3-jaw chucks with FlexC Quick-Change system
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Schunk: Schunk is the largest German workholding and clamping technology specialist, offering stationary and rotating chucks, mandrels, and gripping systems for CNC machine tools. It is the most direct competitor to Forkardt Hardinge in precision workholding for turning, milling, and grinding.
• Kitagawa: Kitagawa is a leading Japanese manufacturer of power chucks, cylinder chucks, and workholding solutions for CNC lathes and machining centers. It directly competes with Forkardt Hardinge in power chucks and precision workholding for global machine tool OEMs.
• Röhm: Röhm is a German workholding specialist offering power chucks, manual chucks, and tool clamping systems, now part of the Hainbuch Group. It is a direct competitor to Forkardt Hardinge across manual and power workholding product lines serving European precision machining customers.
• Hainbuch: Hainbuch is a German workholding specialist known for stationary chucks, mandrels, and centering devices for turning and milling applications. It directly competes with Forkardt Hardinge's precision chuck and ID gripping product categories.
• Gressel: Gressel is a Swiss manufacturer of precision clamping systems and centric vises for milling and grinding. It overlaps with Forkardt Hardinge's milling solutions and specialty clamping product lines for high-precision machining customers.
• Lang Technik: Lang Technik is a German workholding manufacturer specializing in quick-point and Makro•Grip clamping systems for 5-axis machining centers. It competes with Forkardt Hardinge's quick-change and specialty workholding solutions for automated and high-mix production.
• Chick Workholding Solutions (CMW): CMW is a US-based workholding manufacturer offering power chucks, manual chucks, and specialty workholding. It is a direct competitor to Forkardt Hardinge's North American workholding business, particularly in general-purpose lathe and milling chuck categories.
• Pratt Burnerd International: Pratt Burnerd is a UK-based manufacturer of power chucks, faceplates, and rotary tables for lathes and machining centers. It competes directly with Forkardt Hardinge in power chucks and rotary tables used in precision turning applications.

Broad incumbents

• Sandvik: Sandvik is a Swedish industrial conglomerate with a leading metal cutting tools division that supplies tooling to CNC machining customers. While it does not specialize in workholding, it overlaps indirectly through its tooling-and-workholding ecosystem offerings to the same manufacturing customer base as Forkardt Hardinge.
• Kennametal: Kennametal is a US-based industrial tooling manufacturer supplying metal cutting tools, inserts, and toolholding systems. As a broader tooling incumbent, it serves many of the same aerospace, automotive, and general machining customers as Forkardt Hardinge, though it does not specialize in standalone workholding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/forkardthardinge
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forkardthardingeamericas

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Forkardt Hardinge