What E.B Horsman & Son does

E.B. Horsman & Son is a privately held, family-owned Canadian electrical distributor founded in 1900, headquartered in Surrey, British Columbia, with 251-500 employees. The company distributes a broad portfolio of industrial and commercial electrical products — automation (PLCs, drives, HMI, machine vision), controls (contactors, motor starters, relays), electrical distribution equipment (breakers, panels, transformers), process instrumentation, lighting, wire and cable, enclosures, fire alarm, data communications, and tools/PPE — alongside newer categories such as EV charging and solar products. Sourcing is anchored in long-standing supplier relationships with tier-1 manufacturers including ABB, Siemens Canada, Signify (Genlyte Solutions), Cooper Lighting, Leviton, Rittal, Southwire, and IPEX. The company also operates wholly-owned subsidiaries PAC Group (industrial automation, controls, and motion solutions) and Albrite Lighting (lighting design services), providing adjacent technical specialization on top of the core distribution business.

The company serves electrical contractors (primary), industrial customers, commercial buildings, and residential end-markets across Western Canada — British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan — through more than 20 branch locations and two distribution centers in Surrey BC and Edmonton AB. Its go-to-market is sales-led and multi-channel, combining field sales, inside sales, counter sales, and an e-commerce platform (ebhorsman.com) that supports credit-account holders with online ordering, invoice history, and real-time inventory visibility. Customers are required to apply for credit accounts to transact, indicating a B2B wholesale model rather than direct retail. Pricing is account-specific and not publicly disclosed.

Revenue mechanics rest on hardware sales of distributed electrical products with a credit-account workflow; the company does not publicly report revenue, funding, or detailed financial metrics. Beyond core distribution, the company offers value-added services including lighting design and specification support, automation and controls engineering, datacom solutions, major projects support, process instrumentation services, and EV charging infrastructure solutions. Marketing is executed through a combination of its e-commerce platform, blog content, social media (Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram), promotional email campaigns, and joint co-marketing with key suppliers such as Genlyte Solutions.

Name

E.B Horsman & Son

Legal name

E.B. Horsman & Son

Website

https://ebhorsman.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

E.B. Horsman & Son is a privately held, family-owned Canadian electrical distributor founded in 1900, serving electrical contractors, industrial, commercial, and residential customers across British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan through 20+ branch locations, two distribution centers, and an e-commerce platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electrical Distribution

NAICS

Electrical Apparatus and Equipment, Wiring Supplies, and Related Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (42361)

SIC

Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084)

akta.pro primary industry

Electrical Supplies Retail (Wiring, Switches, Breakers, Conduit) (CRAIADAE)

Keywords

• Electrical distribution
• Industrial automation
• Lighting solutions
• Wire and cable
• Process instrumentation

Headquarters

HQ city

Surrey

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices24 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Electrical Product Distribution: Sale of electrical products including automation, controls, lighting, wire & cable, distribution equipment, and related components to contractors, industrial customers, and commercial businesses across Western Canada.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

E.B. Horsman & Son is a wholesale distributor of electrical products including automation, controls, lighting, wire & cable, distribution equipment, process instrumentation, data communications, EV charging, fire alarm, enclosures, and related safety and tools products. The company sells these products to electrical contractors, industrial facilities, commercial buildings, and residential customers across Western Canada through branch locations, distribution centers, and an e-commerce platform that requires credit account approval.

Product overview

E.B. Horsman & Son is a Western Canadian electrical distributor offering a comprehensive portfolio of industrial electrical products. The company operates as a B2B wholesale distributor with an e-commerce platform, serving customers across British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan through multiple branch locations. The product portfolio spans automation (PLCs, drives, HMI, machine vision), controls (contactors, relays, motor starters, soft starts), distribution (breakers, panels, transformers), process instrumentation, lighting (LED, emergency, fluorescent), EV charging, wire & cable, enclosures, fire alarm systems, and data communications. The company also provides specialized services including lighting design solutions (Albrite Lighting), automation & controls engineering, datacom solutions, major projects support, process instrumentation services, industrial services, and EV charging solutions. Products are sourced from major suppliers including ABB, Siemens, Cooper Lighting, Genlyte Solutions, IPEX, Leviton, Rittal, and Southwire.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PAC Group: Industrial automation, controls and motion solutions subsidiary serving Western Canada industrial customers

Products and services

• Automation Products Industrial automation components including drives, PLCs (small, medium, large), HMI, industrial PC, machine vision, measurement & inspection, servo & motion control, field bus, industrial ethernet, identification systems, and automation software, sold to industrial customers and contractors.
• Controls Industrial control components including contactors & coils, control transformers, motors, starters, soft starts, relays & overloads, timers, counters & clocks, encoders, disconnect & interlock switches, terminal blocks, power supplies, panel meters, and pushbutton/pilot devices, sold to contractors and industrial customers.
• Distribution Equipment Electrical distribution equipment including breakers (Blue Line, bolt-on, branch breakers), panels, panel boards, transformers, capacitors, generators, meters & meter bases, bus bar, and switches & disconnects, sold to electrical contractors and commercial/industrial customers.
• Process & Instrumentation Process control and measurement equipment including pneumatic valves & actuators, flow measurement, level measurement, temperature measurement, pressure measurement, gas monitoring, analytical sensing, and process controllers, sold to industrial and process plant customers.
• Lighting Products Lighting products including LED fixtures, emergency lighting, fluorescent lighting, incandescent lighting, and associated mounting accessories, sold to electrical contractors and commercial/industrial customers.
• EV Charging Solutions Electric vehicle charging products including EV chargers, load control systems, inverters & controls, solar panels, and backup systems for residential and commercial applications, sold to contractors and commercial/residential customers.
• Wire & Cable Electrical wire and cable products including AC90, ACWU, NMD, NMWU, Teck cable, TEW, welding cable, fire alarm cable, data copper, data fiber, coax, and instrumentation wire, sold to electrical contractors and industrial customers.
• Enclosures Electrical enclosures including junction boxes, modular & freestanding enclosures, current transformer enclosures, and climate control products (coolers, air conditioners, heaters, fans), sold to electrical contractors and industrial customers.
• Fire Alarm Systems Fire alarm systems including fire alarm panels, fire & smoke detectors, pull stations, and door holders, sold to electrical contractors and commercial building customers.
• Data Communications Data and communication products including AV & home automation, video surveillance (IP cameras, analog cameras, recording devices), hubs/switches/routers, racks & cabinets, connectors, patch cords, and intercom systems, sold to contractors and commercial customers.
• Tools and Protective Equipment Professional tools and safety equipment including hand tools, power tools, test equipment (circuit testers, clamp meters, GFCI testers), personal protective equipment, ladders, and portable generators, sold to electrical contractors and trade customers.
• Albrite Lighting Design Services Lighting design solutions provided through the Albrite Lighting subsidiary, offering specialized lighting specification and design services for commercial and industrial customers.
• PAC Group Industrial Automation Solutions Industrial automation, controls and motion solutions provided through the PAC Group subsidiary, serving industrial customers across Western Canada with affiliated locations in Alberta and BC.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ABBcoreTechnology or IntegrationMajor supplier partner providing industrial automation products, electrical distribution equipment, and Star Teck fittings for Teck cable terminations.
• Siemens Canada LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationKey supplier of automation, controls, PLCs, industrial PCs, and SITRAIN training courses for professional development.
• Genlyte Solutions (A Signify Business)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint promotional campaigns including Drive to Win F1 Mexico City promotion. Supplier of commercial and industrial lighting solutions.
• Cooper LightingcoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier partner providing commercial and industrial lighting fixtures and solutions.
• Leviton ManufacturingcoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier partner for wiring devices, electrical outlets, switches, and related products.
• Rittal LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier partner for enclosures, enclosure accessories, and climate control solutions for industrial applications.
• Southwire CanadacoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier partner providing wire and cable products including industrial cable, building wire, and portable power cables.
• IPEXcoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier partner for conduit, fittings, and cable management products. Joint participation in community events like Cloverdale Rodeo.
• PAC GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAffiliated distributor network with locations in Alberta and BC, operating under the E.B. Horsman umbrella for expanded regional coverage.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• W.W. Grainger: Global industrial MRO distributor offering electrical products alongside broader maintenance and operations supplies. Adjacent competitor for contractor and facility maintenance spend, particularly in commodity electrical lines and small-order purchasing.

Direct peers

• Guillevin International: One of Canada's largest electrical distributors with a comparable mix of automation, controls, lighting, wire & cable, and datacom products sold to contractors and industrial customers. Closest direct competitor in product breadth and Canadian B2B customer base.
• Westburne (Rexel Canada): Major Canadian electrical distributor operating under Rexel, serving contractors and industrial customers with a deeply overlapping product catalog in automation, distribution equipment, lighting, and wire & cable. Direct head-to-head competitor in Western Canadian markets.
• Gescan (Sonepar): Sonepar-owned Canadian electrical distributor with a similar contractor- and industrial-focused product portfolio across automation, controls, lighting, and datacom. Directly comparable in go-to-market and customer segments.

Regional players

• Acklands-Grainger: Canadian industrial MRO distributor and Grainger subsidiary serving contractors, industrial, and institutional customers across Canada. Comparable in B2B go-to-market and Western Canadian footprint, but with a broader MRO product mix extending beyond pure electrical.
• McNaughton-McKay Electric Company: Regional US electrical distributor serving industrial, contractor, and utility customers with automation, controls, and electrical supplies. Comparable in product mix and customer segmentation, but focused on US Midwest/Southeast rather than Western Canada.

Broad incumbents

• WESCO International: Fortune 500 global distributor of electrical, communications, and utility products with comparable contractor and industrial customer base. Operates at much larger scale with broader MRO, datacom, and utility-adjacent capabilities.
• Rexel: Global electrical distribution leader whose Canadian operations (Westburne) directly overlap EB Horsman's product lines and customer segments. Offers broader international sourcing, larger contract capability, and stronger digital procurement tools.
• Graybar Canada: Canadian arm of Graybar, a leading North American electrical, communications, and data networking products distributor. Directly competes in wire & cable, distribution equipment, lighting, and datacom — though with stronger emphasis on commercial and utility-scale accounts.
• Sonepar Canada: Canadian arm of Sonepar, the world's largest electrical distributor, operating multiple banners including Gescan. Competes broadly across all of EB Horsman's product categories but at national scale and with significantly greater purchasing power and digital infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EBHORSMAN
• Facebookfacebook.com/EBHorsman
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ebhorsman
• Instagraminstagram.com/ebhorsman

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 E.B Horsman & Son