Thierica Automation & Equipment

What Thierica Automation & Equipment does

Thierica Automation & Equipment is a privately-held custom industrial equipment manufacturer founded in 1945 in Grand Rapids, Michigan by Ted and Harry Szczepanski, originally producing fabricated paint masks for appliance and automotive customers. The company designs, engineers, fabricates, and installs custom automated finishing systems, paint and coating application equipment, assembly automation, and industrial panels, operating from an 84,000 sq ft purpose-built Grand Rapids headquarters that includes a coatings laboratory for process validation. All systems are run-tested on the facility floor prior to shipping, and the equipment is modular by design to support relocation and reconfiguration as production requirements change. Proprietary technology includes patented hard coat finishing and paint & laser etch technologies, and Thierica operates as a full-service FANUC robot integrator alongside partnerships with ATI Industrial Automation, Kremlin Rexson & Sames, Heraeus, Airtech Equipment, Allied Conveyors, and Cool Clean Technologies.

The company serves over 100 named enterprise customers across aerospace (Boeing, Safran, Orbital ATK/Northrop Grumman, Raytheon), automotive (Ford, Magna International, Flex-N-Gate), appliances (Whirlpool), and office furniture (Steelcase), with a marquee 2019 contract to build a clean-room paint facility for Boeing's 777X interior products. Revenue is generated primarily through quote-based, custom-engineered equipment sales with multi-year project cadences, supplemented by recurring service streams including robotic programming and service, equipment relocation, system upgrades, preventive maintenance, spare parts, and 24-hour support. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales via regional sales engineers in Grand Rapids and Detroit, with a wholly-owned subsidiary, Thierica de Mexico, providing localized fabrication and service support in Monterrey for the Latin American market.

Name

Thierica Automation & Equipment

Legal name

Thierica Automation & Equipment Co.

Website

https://thiequip.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Thierica Automation & Equipment is a privately-held custom industrial finishing systems and assembly automation manufacturer founded in 1945, serving aerospace, automotive, appliance, and furniture OEMs including Boeing, Ford, Whirlpool, and Steelcase with custom-engineered paint and coating equipment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Finishing Equipment

NAICS

Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (3334)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Industrial & Commercial Fans & Blowers & Air Purifing Equip (3564)

akta.pro primary industry

Ventilation, Ducting & Air Distribution Equipment (IMAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Custom finishing systems
• Industrial automation equipment
• Paint coating systems
• Robotic finishing integration
• Assembly automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Equipment Manufacturing: Design, fabrication, and installation of custom automated finishing systems, assembly automation equipment, and industrial panels. Equipment is built in-house with complete control over quality, fit, finish, and operation. Systems are run on the facility floor prior to shipping.
2. Service & Support: Robotic programming and service, relocation services, equipment upgrades, preventive maintenance, repair and spare parts, air balancing, and 24-hour support services.
3. Parts & Spare Parts: Replacement and spare parts sales for equipment and industrial panels.
4. Process Development & Testing: Laboratory testing and process confirmation services using Thierica's test lab to develop and validate customer processes prior to production.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Thierica Automation & Equipment designs, fabricates, installs, and services custom automated finishing systems, assembly automation equipment, and industrial panels for OEM manufacturers. Equipment is built in-house with complete control over quality, fit, finish, and operation, with systems run on the facility floor prior to shipping. The company's portfolio spans paint and coating application systems, spray booths, cure ovens, robotic painting systems, conveyors, environmental control systems, and proprietary hard coat and paint & laser etch technologies serving aerospace, automotive, appliance, and furniture manufacturers.

Product overview

Thierica Automation & Equipment is a custom industrial equipment manufacturer founded in 1945, offering a comprehensive portfolio of automated finishing and coating solutions. The company operates as a single unified product platform with multiple integrated offerings: Custom Finishing Systems (paint coating systems) serve as the core product, supported by in-house Engineering Services and Laboratory & Testing Services for process validation. Service offerings include Robotic Programming & Service, Equipment Relocation Services, System Upgrades, and Replacement & Spare Parts. The product line encompasses industrial panels, UV clearcoats, hard coat technology, and paint & laser etch technologies. Equipment sub-products include spray booths, ovens, conveyors, temperature/humidity control equipment, robotic systems, electroformed nickel masks, tooling/racks, fluid delivery equipment, washing systems, and powder coat application equipment. The company operates Thierica de Mexico as a sub-brand providing localized fabrication and service in Latin America. All systems are built in-house with modular design enabling relocation and modification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Finishing Systems

Quantifiable outcome

• Increased output through controlled automated processes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• FANUC RoboticscoreTechnology or IntegrationFANUC is the robotics industry leader with over 100,000 robots installed in the Americas and 220,000 robots installed worldwide. Thierica is a full service FANUC robot integrator providing programming, installation, and service.
• 3DT's Plas madynesupportingTechnology or IntegrationProvides reliable solutions for adhesion of glues, coatings, laminates, paint, ink and other hard-to-bond materials without the need for solvents.
• Airtech EquipmentsupportingTechnology or IntegrationIntegrators of high-quality heating, filtration and cooling solutions including heat exchangers, chillers, control systems, pumps, tanks, boilers, and filters.
• ATI Industrial AutomationcoreTechnology or IntegrationThe leading engineering-based world developer of robotic accessories and robot arm tooling.
• Cool Clean TechnologiessupportingTechnology or IntegrationBrings innovation to cleaning and cooling systems utilizing environmentally friendly CO2.
• Heraeus / Fusion UVsupportingTechnology or IntegrationProvides ultra-violet lamps, cure systems, process designs and service for UV-cured inks, coatings and adhesives onto wood, glass, metal, plastic and paper.
• Kremlin Rexson & SamescoreTechnology or IntegrationOffers the broadest range of pumps and equipment for the protection of materials and application of powder, paint, sealant, and adhesives.
• Allied ConveyorssupportingTechnology or IntegrationIndustry leader in the design, manufacture, and installation of premium quality materials handling systems.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carlisle Fluid Technologies: Owner of legacy finishing brands (Binks, DeVilbiss, Ransburg, MS Powder) supplying spray guns, pumps, and powder coating equipment. Directly comparable to Thierica's fluid delivery equipment and powder coat product lines.
• Gema Switzerland (a Nordson business): Specialized manufacturer of powder coating application equipment and complete powder coating lines. Directly comparable to Thierica's powder coat application equipment product line for industrial customers.
• Dürr AG: Global market leader in automotive painting, sealing, and finishing systems. Directly comparable to Thierica's custom finishing systems business, particularly for automotive OEM customers like Ford and Magna, though Dürr operates at much larger scale globally.
• Graco Inc. Manufacturer of fluid handling equipment for industrial finishing, including spray guns, pumps, and 2K equipment — directly competing with the fluid delivery lines Thierica distributes (and partially manufactures) for paint application.
• Yaskawa Motoman: Supplier of painting robots and integrated painting systems to industrial finishing markets. Competes with Thierica's robotic painting integration offering, particularly in automotive tier suppliers.

Emerging players

• CMA Robotics: Italian specialist manufacturer of painting robots and integrated painting systems for industrial finishing. Comparable niche focus on automated painting cells overlapping with Thierica's robotic integration offering, particularly for tier-2 OEMs.

Broad incumbents

• ABB: Global supplier of industrial automation including paint robots and complete painting packages. Comparable as a robotics painting competitor to Thierica's FANUC-integrated robotic painting systems.
• Nordson Corporation: Diversified precision application equipment manufacturer including powder coating (Gema) and liquid finishing. Overlaps with Thierica's powder coat and liquid paint fluid equipment offerings, but Nordson is a much larger, public diversified industrial.
• Illinois Tool Works (ITW): Diversified industrial parent of multiple finishing brands including DeVilbiss and Ransburg. Comparable on the spray finishing and fluid application product side, though ITW operates a vastly broader industrial portfolio.

Others

• FANUC America: Partner of Thierica as a full-service robot integrator, but also competes in the supply of painting robots and integrated painting cells. Comparable on the robotic application technology side even though Thierica positions FANUC as a technology partner rather than competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thiequip

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

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 Thierica Automation & Equipment