Bell and Howell

What Bell and Howell does

Bell and Howell is a privately held U.S. industrial automation company headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, operating as one of North America's largest robotics and automation service organizations with 1,001-5,000 employees and 60+ years of operating history. The business operates along two reinforcing axes: Automation Services (recurring-revenue maintenance outsourcing, remote monitoring, multi-vendor field service, parts management, operator training, OEM refurbishing, and capital financing) and Automation Solutions (one-time equipment sales of production mail inserters including the NxSTAR and Producer EVO platforms, packaging automation, automated pickup systems, and specialty solutions such as JetVision camera verification and Navigator control systems).

The company's core technology platform is Integrated 360, which combines AI-enabled Remote360 IoT remote monitoring (patent-pending for machine data extraction), SmartOps Dispatch real-time service orchestration, and a Connected Customer Portal. This platform is layered on top of a physical infrastructure footprint comprising 400+ parts-stocking locations across the U.S. and Canada, 40,000+ SKUs of OEM replacement parts, and a nationwide team of certified mechatronic service engineers targeting a 2-hour response time and a 96% first-time fix rate.

Bell and Howell serves enterprise customers in production mail, packaging and parcel, automated pickup, medical/pharmaceutical, dental/veterinary, e-commerce logistics, government (via NASPO ValuePoint contracts in 14 states), and production print. Revenue is generated through a mix of recurring service contracts (multi-year maintenance and remote monitoring subscriptions), equipment sales (one-time licenses), parts transactions (e-commerce), and managed capital financing arrangements covering up to 100% of project costs. Distribution is enterprise field-sales-led with an e-commerce parts portal and government procurement as supplementary channels. Recent operational milestones include a major customer producing 72 million mail pieces in 30 days on Bell and Howell remanufactured equipment, a customer base exceeding the 10,000-insertion milestone for installed global inserters, and consecutive-year Forbes Best Employers recognition (2025 and 2026).

Name

Bell and Howell

Legal name

Bell and Howell LLC

Website

https://bellhowell.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1907

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Bell and Howell delivers automation services and solutions — including AI-enabled remote monitoring, multi-vendor field service, parts logistics, and equipment such as NxSTAR mail inserters and Producer EVO systems — to enterprise customers in production mail, packaging, medical, dental, e-commerce, and government across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Equipment

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (33331)

SIC

General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569)

akta.pro primary industry

End-of-Line Integration & Packaging Line Systems (IMAHAOAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bagging, Pouching & Sachet Packaging Equipment (IMAHAOAH), Industrial Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) (IMAGAGAA)

Keywords

• Industrial automation
• Mail inserting equipment
• Packaging automation
• Automated pickup systems
• Mechatronic field service

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethlehem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Automation Services: Comprehensive maintenance and field service for mission-critical automation equipment including preventive/predictive maintenance, remote monitoring, installation, refurbishing, and parts management. Delivered through nationwide network of certified service engineers.
2. Automation Solutions Equipment: Sale of production mail inserters, packaging automation, automated pickup systems, and specialty solutions (inkjet printing, secure card processing, camera verification, factory automation).
3. Parts Sales: Sale of OEM replacement parts through e-commerce platform (my.bellhowell.net) with over 40,000 SKUs available. Pricing ranges from under $10 to over $10,000 per unit.
4. Capital Finance: Flexible financing solutions covering up to 100% of project costs including hardware, software, shipping, and taxes. Customized payment options including finance/capital lease, flex lease, step-up payments, deferred payments, bridge-to-budget, and milestone payments.
5. Multi-Vendor Services: Mailroom and production equipment services covering multiple manufacturers' equipment, allowing single-source service provider for diverse equipment fleets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bell and Howell designs, manufactures, and services industrial automation equipment for production mail inserting, packaging, and automated pickup, and delivers a comprehensive suite of automation services including remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, parts management, multi-vendor mailroom support, training, and equipment refurbishment for mission-critical operations across North America. The company pairs its installed base of equipment with proprietary IoT-enabled service platforms and dedicated field engineering to provide single-source responsibility for high-volume mail, packaging, distribution, and retail customers.

Product overview

Bell and Howell offers a comprehensive portfolio of automation services and automation solutions spanning production mail inserting, packaging automation, and automated pickup technologies. The core product portfolio includes the NxSTAR mail inserting platform (including NxSTAR PRO advanced version), Producer EVO roll-fed inserting systems, and various specialty solutions like JetVision camera verification, Navigator control systems, and iQ Software Suite. The company provides extensive service offerings including maintenance outsourcing, remote monitoring via Remote360, dispatch optimization through SmartOps Dispatch, and the Integrated 360 technology platform. With over 40,000 parts SKUs and capital financing options, Bell and Howell delivers integrated automation solutions backed by AI-enabled service technologies for mission-critical operations across retail, pharmaceuticals, packaging, mail production, ecommerce, and manufacturing sectors. More than 10,000 inserters have been deployed worldwide over 60+ years of industry presence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NxSTAR Mail Platform Modular production mail inserting platform that consolidates inserting, camera verification, and control software into a flexible mail-assembly system for high-volume mail producers.
• Producer EVO Mail Inserter High-volume, roll-to-roll mail inserting system deployed to multiple enterprise customers including GlobeNewswire, a fintech payments firm, for transaction-document fulfillment.
• 3D Automated Packaging Three-dimensional automated packaging system that forms, fills, and seals custom-fit boxes around each product for e-commerce and distribution fulfillment operations.
• Bagging Solutions Automated bagging systems for polybag, reclosable, and specialty mailer applications in fulfillment and distribution environments.
• Padded/Jiffy Mailers Automated systems that produce and pack cushioned and rigid mailers for fragile-item shipping in e-commerce operations.
• Grocery Automated Pickup Automated order pickup lockers and pickup systems designed for grocery click-and-collect operations handling temperature-sensitive and ambient items.
• High Volume Automated Pickup High-throughput automated pickup systems for retail, big-box, and quick-service restaurant click-and-collect operations.
• High Security Automated Pickup Secure automated pickup lockers built for controlled-access fulfillment such as pharmacy, healthcare, firearms, and regulated-item distribution.
• Inkjet Printing Solutions Industrial inkjet printing systems for variable-data addressing, personalization, and track-and-trace marking on mail and packaging lines.
• Secure Card Processing Automated secure card personalization, embossing, and processing systems for financial, identification, and credentialing applications.
• Factory Automation Solutions Custom robotics and mechatronic automation systems designed, integrated, and supported for manufacturing and industrial production environments.
• Maintenance Outsourcing Services Full outsourcing of maintenance operations for industrial automation equipment, providing single-source responsibility for production environments.
• Remote Monitoring and Repair IoT-enabled remote condition monitoring, diagnostics, and repair support that detects equipment anomalies and resolves issues without on-site dispatch where possible.
• Preventative and Predictive Maintenance Scheduled preventative maintenance combined with AI-driven predictive analytics to anticipate component failure and reduce unplanned downtime.
• Data Analytics, Reporting and Performance Consulting Performance dashboards, operational analytics, and consulting engagements that benchmark equipment output and recommend throughput improvements.
• Customer Service Call Center 24/7 customer service desk providing technical support, service coordination, and escalation management for automation customers across North America.
• Parts Management and Logistics End-to-end spare-parts sourcing, inventory management, and reverse logistics to keep mission-critical automation equipment running.
• Operator and Technical Training Structured operator and technical training programs that certify customer staff to run and maintain automation equipment safely and productively.
• OEM Equipment Refurbishing Factory refurbishment of OEM automation equipment to extend service life and restore original performance specifications.
• Serviceability Reviews On-site engineering audits that assess equipment condition, identify reliability risks, and recommend corrective service actions.
• Project Management Dedicated project management for automation deployments, upgrades, and multi-site rollouts led by Bell and Howell engineering leads.
• Installation Services Turnkey installation of new automation equipment including site readiness, rigging, commissioning, and acceptance testing.
• Field Equipment Upgrades/ECOs Field-deployed engineering change orders and upgrades that retrofit installed automation equipment with new capabilities and components.
• Mailroom Multi-Vendor Services Multi-vendor mailroom management service that operates and maintains mixed-fleet inserting, printing, and document-processing equipment on the customer's site.
• Bell and Howell Capital Finance Direct equipment financing program offering capital leases, finance leases, and flex leases for qualified automation customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% first-time fix rate through Remote360 remote diagnostics
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature9 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Quadient: Quadient (formerly Neopost) is a direct peer in mail/document automation hardware and software, including folder-inserter systems, mailing solutions, and customer communications management, with comparable enterprise customer base across BPO, banking, insurance, and government.
• ProMach: ProMach is a packaging automation equipment and services provider serving consumer goods, e-commerce, food, and medical end-markets, directly comparable to Bell and Howell's packaging automation, bagging, and padded mailer solutions.
• Böwe Systec: Böwe Systec is a direct peer in mail inserting systems, document automation, and plastic card production equipment, serving BPOs and high-volume mail operators in Europe and North America with overlapping production mail use cases.
• Pitney Bowes: Pitney Bowes is a direct competitor in mail/document inserting equipment, shipping solutions, and outsourced mail services for enterprise customers; it offers SendPro, Relay, and similar production mail platforms alongside equipment financing, closely overlapping Bell and Howell's NxSTAR and Producer EVO offerings.
• BlueCrest: BlueCrest is a direct competitor in high-volume production mail inserting, sorting, and printing equipment for enterprise mail operations, and operates an integrated services and supplies business parallel to Bell and Howell's automation services arm.

Broad incumbents

• Sealed Air: Sealed Air is a global incumbent in protective packaging automation and materials, with broader product portfolio including food packaging and cryovac solutions; comparable to Bell and Howell's padded/jiffy mailers and bagging solutions within packaging automation.
• ATS Corporation: ATS Corporation is a broad industrial automation services and equipment provider with lifecycle services, IT/OT integration, and recurring service revenue streams; comparable to Bell and Howell's mission-critical automation services and mechatronics service organization.
• Barry-Wehmiller Companies: Barry-Wehmiller is a broad industrial automation and packaging machinery platform with paper converting, packaging, and lifecycle services; comparable in scale and customer profile to Bell and Howell's automation services + solutions combination.
• Honeywell Intelligrated: Honeywell Intelligrated is a broad incumbent in warehouse, fulfillment, and industrial automation including mechatronics services for large enterprises; competes with Bell and Howell's e-commerce and packaging automation customers and shared automation services approach.

Emerging players

• DOCUMENT AUTOMATION SOLUTIONS / Kodak Alaris: Kodak Alaris and adjacent document automation specialists overlap with Bell and Howell in document capture, mail/document processing, and production print services; narrower in mail inserting but comparable in document workflow automation for enterprise customers.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bowe-bell---howell

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Bell and Howell