LS Industries

What LS Industries does

LS Industries, Inc. (formerly Little Swede Industries) is a family-owned, private US manufacturer of custom industrial metal finishing and surface treatment equipment, headquartered at 710 East 17th Street, Wichita, Kansas, and in continuous operation since 1977. The company designs, builds, and assembles all equipment in-house in the United States, spanning seven core product categories: industrial parts washing systems, blasters, industrial ovens (including burn-off, curing, drying, infrared, and preheat), paint and powder coating systems, vibratory/mass finishing equipment, dust collection systems, and automation & handling systems (conveyors, monorails, HMI/PLC controls, upenders/downenders, swing arms). Adjacent offerings include shot peening systems, custom full solutions (brake equipment, grinding, honing), refurbished and rebuilt equipment, and a parts & supplies aftermarket. Technical differentiators include ultrasonic cleaning with synchronized 28 kHz generators and replaceable 1 kW transducer sets, walk-in burn-off ovens operating at 650°F-900°F with PLC-based temperature ramping and afterburner emissions control, and rotating-turntable stainless steel washers with direct-drive tables and double-lipped door seals.

The company's go-to-market is enterprise field sales, with sales engineers and product managers engaging customers from concept development through installation and ongoing operation via direct phone (800-835-0218), website request forms, and industry-specific landing pages. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time sales of custom-manufactured equipment under quote-based pricing with 50% deposit / balance-prior-to-shipment terms, supplemented by parts & supplies (consumables, wearables, accessories) and a service line that bills $950 per day plus expenses for equipment startup technicians. LS Industries serves 11 industrial verticals, with aerospace and automotive & remanufacturing as primary segments and secondary segments including die casting & stamping, ammo & firearms, forging & foundry, gas cylinder / propane / tank, metal fabrication & tooling, paint & coating, pipe / wire / rebar, structural & plate, and wheel & rim. The customer base is enterprise buyers, with no customer logos publicly disclosed, and operating geography centered on the United States with project-based international shipments. The firm is governed under Kansas law (Sedgwick County jurisdiction), has no identified parent company, institutional investors, or private equity backing, and no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or leadership transitions.

Name

LS Industries

Legal name

LS Industries, Inc.

Website

https://lsindustries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LS Industries is a family-owned, US-based manufacturer of custom metal finishing and surface treatment equipment — washers, blasters, ovens, vibratory finishers, paint systems, and automation — serving aerospace, automotive, forging, and other industrial manufacturers since 1977.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Metal Finishing Equipment

NAICS

Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (33351), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Surface Treatment & Finishing Equipment (Coating, Plating, Deburring, Shot Blasting) (IMAHADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Surface Preparation Equipment (Shot Blasting, Scarifiers, Grinders) (IMAHALAL)

Keywords

• Industrial parts washing
• Metal finishing equipment
• Thermal processing systems
• Surface treatment machinery
• Vibratory mass finishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Wichita

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Industrial Equipment Sales: Design and manufacture of custom metal finishing systems and surface treatment machinery including washers, blasters, vibratory equipment, ovens, paint/coating systems, and automation/handling equipment. Equipment is custom-built to customer specifications with pricing based on equipment complexity and requirements.
2. Parts & Supplies: Replacement parts, consumables, and supplies for LS Industries equipment including detergents, drive wheels, spray nozzles, urethane liners, timers, springs, media, and solvent pumps.
3. Service & Technical Support: Customer service and parts department providing troubleshooting, wearable and consumable items, with technician services for equipment startup at $950/day plus expenses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

LS Industries designs, manufactures, and assembles custom industrial metal finishing and surface treatment equipment, including parts washers, blasters, vibratory finishing systems, industrial ovens, paint and powder coating systems, dust collection equipment, and automation/handling systems. Equipment is custom-built to exact customer specifications in Wichita, Kansas, serving manufacturers across aerospace, automotive, metal fabrication, forging, die casting, and related industrial sectors.

Product overview

LS Industries (Little Swede Industries) is a family-owned industrial equipment manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of custom metal finishing and surface treatment machinery. The core product line encompasses seven main categories: Automation & Handling Systems (conveyors, monorails, upenders, swing arms), Blasters (air blast, tumble, spinner hanger, rotary table, blast rooms, and specialized blasters for cylinders, crankshafts, wheels, and pipes), Dust Collection (baghouse collectors, cartridge collectors, cyclone separators, downdraft tables, sanding booths), Industrial Ovens (burn-off, curing, drying, infrared, preheat, and thermal cleaning systems), Paint & Powder Coating Systems (paint booths, powder booths, mixing rooms), Vibratory/Mass Finishing Equipment (bowl finishers, tub finishers, centrifugal barrel, corn cob dryers), and Industrial Parts Washing Systems (flow-through washers, immersion washers, rotary table washers, ultrasonic washers, tumble washers). Additional offerings include Shot Peening Systems, Custom/Full Solutions (brake equipment, grinding, honing), Refurbished Equipment, and Parts & Supplies (consumables, wearable parts, accessories). All equipment is designed, built, and assembled in-house in Wichita, Kansas, with full customization capabilities to meet specific customer production requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Automation & Handling Systems Complete automation solutions including conveyors, transfer systems, monorails, upenders/downenders, and swing arm systems designed to move, load, and position parts with precision in manufacturing and finishing processes.
• Blasters Industrial blast equipment including air blast systems, blast rooms, continuous flow blasters, crankshaft blasters, cylinder blasters, drum/container blasters, pipe/tube blasters, wheel/rim blasters, spinner hanger, rotary table, and tumble blasting systems for surface preparation and cleaning.
• Dust Collection Systems Air filtration equipment including baghouse dust collectors, cartridge dust collectors, cyclone separators, downdraft tables, and sanding booths designed to capture airborne particles and maintain clean industrial workspaces.
• Industrial Ovens Thermal processing systems including burn-off ovens, curing ovens, drying ovens, infrared (IR) ovens, preheat ovens, and thermal cleaning systems for removing coatings, drying parts, curing finishes, and processing composites.
• Paint & Powder Coating Systems Finishing equipment including paint mixing rooms, industrial paint booths, and powder coating booths for applying liquid paint, powder coating, and E-coat finishes to metal parts.
• Vibratory (Mass Finishing) Equipment Mass finishing systems including centrifugal barrel finishers, corn cob drying systems, rotary disc finishers, vibratory bowl finishers, and vibratory tub finishers for deburring, polishing, and surface finishing of industrial parts.
• Industrial Parts Washing Systems Industrial cleaning equipment including continuous flow parts washers, gas cylinder washing systems, immersion washing systems, manual spray wash cabinets, rotary table parts washers, specialty washing systems, and tumble washers for cleaning, degreasing, rinsing, and drying components.
• Shot Peening Systems Shot peening equipment designed to improve fatigue resistance and stress corrosion cracking resistance of metal components through controlled compressive stress induction.
• Custom / Full Solutions Bespoke industrial equipment including brake equipment, industrial grinding systems, industrial hone equipment, and platen grinders built to customer specifications for unique metal finishing requirements.
• Refurbished & Rebuilt Equipment Reconditioned vibratory bowls and vibratory tub equipment providing cost-effective alternatives for businesses seeking quality finishing equipment at reduced pricing.
• Parts & Supplies Consumable and wearable replacement parts including blaster parts, shaker parts (liners, springs, timers, media, pumps), washer parts (detergents, drive wheels, spray nozzles), and accessories for maintaining LS Industries equipment.
• Ultrasonic Washers High-frequency sound wave cleaning systems available in 25 to 3,080 gallon capacities featuring stainless steel construction, 28 kHz generators, multilingual touchscreen controls, and automatic oil separation for precision cleaning of intricate parts.
• Walk-In Burn-Off Ovens Large-capacity walk-in burn-off ovens with controlled temperatures between 650°F-900°F (343°C-482°C) designed for thermal cleaning of oversized parts, racks, fixtures, and assemblies without damaging base metal.
• Stainless Steel Washers Economic line stainless steel washers with rotating turntables providing 360-degree cleaning for engine heads, blocks, and components, featuring 60-minute cycle timers, 4.9-18kW heating elements, and optional one-stage to seven-stage configurations.
• Service & Technical Support Customer service and parts department providing troubleshooting, wearable and consumable items, and on-site technician services for equipment startup at $950/day plus travel, meals, and lodging expenses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Extends the life of racks, tooling, and production equipment through proper cleaning and maintenance
• +3 more outcomes

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wheelabrator Group: A global leader in surface preparation technology, particularly shot blasting and airblast equipment, with a comparable offering of blast rooms, tumble blast, spinner hanger, and table-style systems serving automotive, aerospace, and foundry customers — directly overlapping LS Industries' blaster product line.
• Pangborn Group: Specializes in shot blasting and surface preparation equipment for cleaning, deburring, and finishing metal parts. Pangborn serves the same automotive, forging, and metal fabrication verticals with directly comparable blast equipment and integrated material handling.
• Rösler Oberflächentechnik: A leading manufacturer of mass finishing and vibratory equipment (vibratory bowls, tubs, centrifugal barrel finishers) plus shot blasting and surface treatment systems. Highly comparable product overlap with LS Industries' vibratory and blasting categories.
• Guyson International: Manufactures industrial blast cabinets, automated blast systems, and ultrasonic cleaning equipment. Directly competes with LS Industries in ultrasonic washing, air blast, and tumble blasting for precision cleaning applications.
• Rackers Equipment Company: US-based manufacturer of industrial parts washing systems, including aqueous and ultrasonic cleaning equipment. Closely comparable to LS Industries' industrial parts washing product line for automotive and industrial customers.
• Midwest Finishing Systems: Designs and manufactures powder coating systems, paint booths, and conveyorized finishing lines. Direct peer in the paint and powder coating segment, serving similar industrial and automotive customers with comparable integrated solutions.
• Vulcan Engineering: Custom manufacturer of thermal processing equipment, foundry systems, and shot blast installations. Comparable to LS Industries' burn-off ovens, thermal cleaning, and integrated finishing line work, particularly for foundry and casting customers.

Broad incumbents

• Nordson Corporation: Global precision technology company with a major industrial coating systems division (powder coating, liquid painting, and E-coat equipment). Overlaps with LS Industries' paint and powder coating systems but operates at much greater scale across broader end markets.
• Illinois Tool Works (ITW): Diversified industrial manufacturer with surface finishing and material handling brands (e.g., Simco-Ion, ITW Finishing). A broad incumbent whose finishing divisions overlap with LS Industries' powder coating, parts washing, and automation/handling offerings.
• Graco Inc. Global manufacturer of fluid handling equipment, including industrial spray, coating, and finishing systems. Adjacent to LS Industries' paint systems and parts washing operations, with much broader scale and end-market diversification.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/industriesls

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 LS Industries