Cutting Tools
Cutting Tools Inc. is a privately held industrial distributor (founded 1969) selling cutting tools, MRO supplies, and engineering services — plus managed vending-machine inventory programs at 200+ sites — to Automotive, Aerospace, Defense, Energy, Firearms, and Medical manufacturers in the U.S. Southeast.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1969
- HeadquartersLouisville, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Cutting Tools does
Cutting Tools Inc. (CTI) is a privately held industrial distributor founded in 1969 and headquartered in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, with an additional operations office in Louisville, Kentucky. The company distributes machine cutting tools, power tools, abrasives, workholding, MRO consumables, and a broad assortment of shop supplies (30+ product categories spanning milling, threading, holemaking, turning, saws, hydraulics, pneumatics, welding, and HVAC) to manufacturers in the Automotive, Aerospace, Defense, Energy, Firearms, and Medical device sectors. Its commercial motion is engineering-led consultative selling — the sales team is composed of degreed engineers and manufacturing industry veterans — supplemented by a direct e-commerce storefront at store.cuttingtoolsinc.com.
The differentiated layer of the business is its managed vending-solutions service, built on technology partnerships with Matrix and CribMaster. CTI places automated tool-dispensing machines on customer shop floors, providing real-time inventory tracking, automated reordering, and consumption reporting across 200+ customer locations. The company also delivers professional services including turn-key tool setup, CNC programming, coolant management, engineering consulting, tool reconditioning, ball screw repair, gaging, metrology, and MRO consulting — positioning itself as a productivity partner rather than a pure product reseller.
Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) product distribution (quote-based B2B sales, multi-year contracts, no public pricing); (2) managed vending services (placement, restocking, and inventory management at customer facilities); and (3) professional/engineering services. Geographic scope is domestic, with a stated focus on the U.S. Southeast. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional ownership, funding rounds, M&A activity, or leadership changes in the available data.
Cutting Tools firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cutting Tools
- Legal name
- Cutting Tools Inc. CORPORATION
- Website
- https://cuttingtoolsinc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1969
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Cutting Tools Inc. is a privately held industrial distributor (founded 1969) selling cutting tools, MRO supplies, and engineering services — plus managed vending-machine inventory programs at 200+ sites — to Automotive, Aerospace, Defense, Energy, Firearms, and Medical manufacturers in the U.S. Southeast.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cutting Tools industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Cutting Tools Distribution
- NAICS
- Cutting Tool and Machine Tool Accessory Manufacturing (333515), Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (33351)
- SIC
- Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Metal Cutting Tools, Tooling & Workholding (Cutters, Inserts, Chucks, Fixtures) (IMAHADAB)
Keywords
Where Cutting Tools is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Louisville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Cutting Tools business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Cutting Tools and Machine Solutions Distribution: Distribution of cutting tools, power tools, and industrial supplies to manufacturing customers across Automotive, Aerospace, Defense, Energy, Firearms, and Medical industries.
- Vending Solutions Services: Managed vending services with over 200 locations, including automated reordering, inventory management, and restocking of tools and PPE at customer facilities.
- Professional Services: Engineering consulting services including turn-key tool setup, CNC programming, coolant management, tool reconditioning, ball screw repair, gaging, metrology, and MRO services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | B2B distribution with custom quoting |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
Cutting Tools product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cutting Tools Inc. is a distributor and machine solutions provider for the Automotive, Aerospace, Defense, Energy, Firearms, and Medical manufacturing industries. The company distributes industrial cutting tools (milling, threading, holemaking, tooling systems, saws, deburring, turning) and related MRO supplies, supported by engineering consulting, CNC programming, tool reconditioning, metrology, and vendor-managed inventory via Matrix and CribMaster vending machines at over 200 customer locations.
Product overview
Cutting Tools Inc. is a distributor and machine solutions provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of industrial products and services. The core offering consists of cutting tools and machining supplies organized into major product categories: Milling, Threading, Holemaking, Tooling Systems, Saws, Deburring & Broaching, and Cutting Tools Spare Parts & Blanks form the primary cutting tool portfolio. Extended product categories include Power Tools, Abrasives & Finishing, Clamping/Workholding, Testing & Inspection, Fasteners, Hand Tools, Health & Safety, Turning, Lubrication, Lighting & Electrical, Material Handling, Machinery, Plumbing, Adhesives/Sealants/Tapes, Pneumatics, Shipping/Office Supplies, Raw Materials, Welding & Soldering, Power Transmission, Hardware, Hydraulics, and HVAC. Supporting the product portfolio are complementary services including tool vending solutions using Matrix and CribMaster machines, and machine solutions services covering turn-key tool setup, CNC programming, coolant management, engineering consulting, tool reconditioning, ball screw repair, gaging, metrology, MRO, and inventory management. The company serves Automotive, Aerospace, Defense, Energy, Firearms, and Medical manufacturing industries with locations in Mt. Juliet, TN and Louisville, KY.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Milling Products Milling tools including solid mills, indexable mills, and milling kits for machining operations in manufacturing environments.
- Threading Products Threading tools including taps, dies, and thread mills for creating internal and external threads on workpieces.
- Holemaking Products Holemaking tools including drills, reamers, borers, C'Bore/C'Sinks, and hole cutters for creating precise holes in various materials.
- Tooling Systems Tool holding systems including tool holders, collets, and tool holder accessories for CNC and manual machining.
- Saws Cutting saws including hole saws, bandsaw blades, circular saws, and reciprocating saws for various cutting applications.
- Deburring & Broaching Deburring and broaching tools for removing sharp edges and creating precision shapes in machined parts.
- Turning Products Turning tools for lathe operations including external turning, internal turning, groove/turn & parting off, and thread turning products.
- Power Tools Power tools including demolition equipment, finishing and polishing tools, heat/caulk/air guns, power drills, and power fastening tools.
- Abrasives & Finishing Abrasive products including coated abrasives, grinding wheels, rotating brushes, cutoff wheels, and flap wheels for surface finishing.
- Clamping, Positioning, Workholding Workholding solutions including magnets/demagnetizers, vises, clamps, positioning equipment, and lathe chucks/centers.
- Hand Tools Manual hand tools including tool storage, wrenches, hand saws, marking tools, and scrapers & trowels.
- Machinery Industrial machinery including air compressors, blast cabinets, pipe machines, digital readouts, and air filtration equipment.
- Tool Vending Solutions (Matrix & CribMaster) Inventory vending solutions using Matrix and CribMaster machines that automate tool dispensing, track usage, and enable automated reordering at manufacturing facilities, with over 200 locations currently managed.
- Machine Solutions Services Engineering-driven services including turn-key tool setup, CNC programming, coolant management, engineering consulting, tool reconditioning, ball screw repair, gaging, metrology, and MRO and inventory management to optimize manufacturing operations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Customers have doubled and even tripled their productivity using the right cutting tools
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Cutting Tools
Customer profileSegments6 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Cutting Tools technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Cutting Tools partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- MatrixcoreMatrix vending machine manufacturer providing automated inventory management solutions. Matrix Maxi machines can hold over 700 bins, feature touchscreen interfaces, electronically-locked drawers, and real-time inventory tracking for customer facilities.
- CribMastercoreCribMaster vending solutions partner offering versatile storage options suitable for various tools and PPE. Provides comprehensive reporting and integrates with existing inventory management systems for seamless operations.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Cutting Tools competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MSC Industrial Direct: Largest U.S. metalworking and industrial supplies distributor, serving the same manufacturing customers with cutting tools, MRO supplies, and vending/inventory management solutions (e.g., MSC Vending). Directly comparable product catalog, customer base, and vending strategy to CTI.
- Fastenal: Industrial supplies distributor with a market-leading industrial vending machine footprint and onsite staffing model. Overlaps with CTI in cutting tools, MRO, and vending-based inventory management for manufacturing customers.
- Production Tool Supply: Industrial cutting tool and metalworking distributor with a comparable product breadth (cutting tools, hand tools, abrasives, workholding) and a similar customer base of machine shops and manufacturers.
- Travers Tool: Industrial cutting tool and metalworking supplies distributor with a long history and a catalog/model closely aligned with CTI's, serving machine shops and manufacturers in similar use cases.
- KBC Tools: Industrial tools and metalworking supplies distributor offering a catalog of cutting tools, hand tools, and shop supplies comparable to CTI's portfolio for machinists and manufacturers.
Broad incumbents
- Kennametal: Manufacturer of metal-cutting tools and tooling solutions for aerospace, defense, automotive, and energy customers. Overlaps with CTI's served verticals and product categories, but Kennametal is an upstream brand/supplier rather than a peer distributor.
- Sandvik Coromant: Division of Sandvik that manufactures metal-cutting tools, inserts, and tooling systems sold into the same aerospace/automotive/general manufacturing end markets CTI serves. Acts as both a competitor (in tooling solutions) and a key supplier brand to CTI.
- Grainger: Broad-line industrial MRO distributor offering cutting tools, abrasives, and safety products alongside a much larger catalog. Competes with CTI for manufacturing customers but is far broader and serves facilities management as well as production.
- Snap-on Industrial: Major tool and equipment manufacturer/distributor with an industrial division serving manufacturing customers with cutting tools, hand tools, and tool control/inventory solutions — overlapping with CTI in tool crib management and MRO.
- OSG USA: Manufacturer and direct distributor of taps, drills, end mills, and thread mills. Competes with CTI in cutting tool categories targeting automotive, aerospace, and general manufacturing customers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cutting Tools social profiles
Digital presenceCutting Tools financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cutting Tools leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Cutting Tools funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cutting Tools M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cutting Tools
What does Cutting Tools do?
Cutting Tools Inc. is a distributor and machine solutions provider for the Automotive, Aerospace, Defense, Energy, Firearms, and Medical manufacturing industries. The company distributes industrial cutting tools (milling, threading, holemaking, tooling systems, saws, deburring, turning) and related MRO supplies, supported by engineering consulting, CNC programming, tool reconditioning, metrology, and vendor-managed inventory via Matrix and CribMaster vending machines at over 200 customer locations.
Is Cutting Tools a public or private company?
Cutting Tools is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Cutting Tools founded?
Cutting Tools was founded in 1969. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Cutting Tools based?
Cutting Tools is headquartered in Louisville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cutting Tools make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Cutting Tools and Machine Solutions Distribution is the primary driver. The others are vending Solutions Services and professional Services.
Who are Cutting Tools's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MSC Industrial Direct, Fastenal, Production Tool Supply, Travers Tool and KBC Tools. Broad incumbents are Kennametal, Sandvik Coromant, Grainger, Snap-on Industrial and OSG USA.
Does Cutting Tools have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cutting Tools.
What industry is Cutting Tools in?
Cutting Tools's product category is Industrial Cutting Tools Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHADAB, Metal Cutting Tools, Tooling & Workholding (Cutters, Inserts, Chucks, Fixtures). Its NAICS code is 333515 and its SIC code is 3540.