The Carlisle and Finch

What The Carlisle and Finch does

The Carlisle and Finch is a Cincinnati, Ohio-based specialty manufacturer that produces marine searchlights and land security searchlights. Founded in 1894, the company operates in a narrow industrial niche serving both maritime (likely commercial shipping, naval, and recreational marine operators) and land-based security end-markets (likely perimeter security, critical infrastructure, and defense-related applications). The firm's product portfolio centers on high-intensity lighting equipment rather than broader illumination products, indicating a focus on durable, application-specific optical-electromechanical hardware rather than commodity lighting.

The company is privately held and, based on reported headcount of 51–100 employees, operates as a small-to-mid-sized specialty industrial business. No further granularity is available from the source data: the company website returned only a loading/verification page during data capture, and no revenue figures, product specifications, distribution relationships, management roster, certifications, or pricing data were retrievable. As a result, the company's business model mechanics, channel structure, customer mix, technology stack, and competitive positioning cannot be characterized beyond the high-level function stated in its short description. The 130-year operating history suggests an established industrial brand, but this cannot be independently verified against the available inputs.

Investors and acquirers evaluating The Carlisle and Finch should treat this profile as a preliminary screen: the firm has a defensible-sounding niche position and a long operating history, but the absence of contemporary disclosures on revenue, customers, products, and management materially limits due diligence depth. A site visit, direct management outreach, and primary-source financials would be prerequisites before any transaction or investment decision.

Name

The Carlisle and Finch

Website

https://carlislefinch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1894

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Carlisle and Finch is a privately held Cincinnati-based manufacturer founded in 1894 that produces marine searchlights and land-based security searchlights, serving maritime operators and security/defense end-markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine & Security Searchlight Manufacturing

NAICS

Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (3351), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine Lighting & Signaling Systems (Internal/External) (IMAJAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Airfield, Marine & Transport Signaling Lighting (Runway/taxiway, obstruction, navigation/marker lights) (IMAGAIAH), Machine Vision & Inspection Lighting (Ring lights, bar lights, backlights, strobed illumination) (IMAGAIAG)

Keywords

• Marine searchlights
• Land security searchlights
• Searchlight manufacturing
• Naval lighting equipment
• Maritime searchlight systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Core offering

The Carlisle and Finch manufactures marine searchlights and land security searchlights. The company is a Cincinnati, Ohio-based industrial equipment maker producing specialized lighting hardware for maritime and land-security applications. It sells its own manufactured searchlight products, with no evidence of additional product lines in the available data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marine Searchlights High-intensity searchlights designed for marine environments, intended for commercial maritime operators, naval/defense agencies, coast guard, and port authorities requiring long-range illumination for navigation, search, and rescue.
• Land Security Searchlights Specialized searchlights engineered for land-security applications such as perimeter surveillance, search, and security illumination for government, defense, and private-security organizations.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves1 record

Direct peers

• MaxaBeam Searchlights: Manufacturer of high-intensity short-arc searchlights used by military, maritime, and security end-users; comparable on high-performance land-security and naval searchlight applications.
• Golight Inc. Manufacturer of remote-controlled, motorized searchlights used in marine, law enforcement, and security applications — directly comparable to Carlisle & Finch's land security searchlight line.
• Phoenix Products Company: US manufacturer of specialty industrial and marine lighting, including hazardous-location and high-intensity fixtures for ports, ships, and security — overlapping with Carlisle & Finch's marine and security product lines.
• Francis Searchlights: UK-based manufacturer of marine and terrestrial searchlights, historically the closest direct competitor to Carlisle & Finch in high-intensity searchlights for naval, coast guard, and security applications.
• Perko: US-based manufacturer of marine lighting, navigation lights, and searchlights for commercial and recreational vessels — directly comparable in marine lighting category and US manufacturing footprint.
• J.W. Speaker Corporation: US specialty LED lighting maker serving marine, industrial, and security markets with high-intensity spot/searchlight products; competes with Carlisle & Finch in marine and security applications.
• Aqua Signal: Specialist in marine signal and searchlight-style lighting for vessels, with overlapping product categories in navigation, deck, and search/spot illumination used by shipyards and boatbuilders.

Broad incumbents

• Hella Marine: Marine-focused brand of the Hella lighting group, offering LED floodlights, spotlights, and searchlight-class fixtures for recreational and commercial vessels; comparable on marine lighting applications.
• Glamox: Global lighting incumbent with a dedicated marine and offshore division producing floodlights, searchlights, and navigation lights for vessels and rigs; competes with Carlisle & Finch in the marine segment at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• ACR Electronics: Provider of marine safety and survival electronics including signaling lights and distress beacons; adjacent to Carlisle & Finch's marine lighting portfolio and overlapping in maritime safety end-customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/The-Carlisle-Finch-Co-622680111110224
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-carlisle-and-finch-co.

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 The Carlisle and Finch