The Charles Machine Works Inc.

What The Charles Machine Works Inc. does

The Charles Machine Works, Inc. (CMW) is a privately held U.S. industrial manufacturer founded in 1902 and headquartered in Perry, Oklahoma, operating across five equipment brands: Ditch Witch®, Radius®, American Augers®, Subsite®, and HammerHead®. The company's core competency is the design and manufacture of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) equipment, trenchless technology tools, auger boring machines, and electronic guidance/locating systems used to install underground utilities without surface excavation. End-use applications span telecommunications and fiber optics, oil and gas, water, electrical, and transportation infrastructure — addressing the contractor demand for trenchless installation that minimizes surface disruption and environmental impact versus traditional open-cut excavation.

The technical offering spans the full HDD workflow: drilling rigs and directional systems (Ditch Witch®, Radius®, American Augers®), electronic guidance and locating equipment (Subsite®), and trenchless pipe installation/rehabilitation tools including pipe bursting and moling equipment (HammerHead®). The company holds registered trademarks across all five brand families and maintains a published patent portfolio covering HDD equipment technologies. Products are sold globally through an authorized dealer and reseller network reaching enterprise utility installation contractors, with quote-based pricing on capital equipment rather than disclosed list pricing.

CMW is a privately held corporation with no public ticker, no disclosed parent company, no venture capital backing, and no disclosed ownership changes in the available source data. Headcount sits in the 1,001–5,000 range. The company maintains a corporate website, careers portal, and social media presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube for brand awareness and dealer support. No revenue, funding rounds, M&A activity, leadership changes, product launches, or geographic expansions were documented in the provided sources.

Name

The Charles Machine Works Inc.

Legal name

The Charles Machine Works, Inc.

Website

https://charlesmachine.works

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Charles Machine Works, Inc. is a privately held U.S. manufacturer of horizontal directional drilling and trenchless equipment, operating five brands (Ditch Witch®, Radius®, American Augers®, Subsite®, HammerHead®) sold globally through dealers to utility installation contractors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Underground Construction Equipment

NAICS

Construction Machinery Manufacturing (33312), Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing (3331)

SIC

Construction Machinery & Equip (3531), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Drilling Rigs & Drill Systems (IMAHAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Attachments & Work Tools (Buckets, Augers, Hammers) (IMAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Horizontal directional drilling
• Trenchless construction equipment
• Underground utility installation
• Directional drilling rigs
• Pipe bursting equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Perry

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Charles Machine Works Inc. manufactures horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and trenchless construction equipment under five brands: Ditch Witch®, Radius®, American Augers®, Subsite®, and HammerHead®. The company produces drills, boring equipment, electronic guidance/locating systems, bits, reamers, pipe bursting tools, and accessories used by contractors to install underground utilities such as telecommunications, fiber optics, water, gas, and electrical infrastructure with minimal surface disruption.

Product overview

The Charles Machine Works Inc. is a manufacturer of underground construction equipment with a multi-brand portfolio. The company operates five distinct product brands—Ditch Witch®, Radius®, American Augers®, Subsite®, and HammerHead®—each serving specific segments of the horizontal directional drilling, trenchless technology, and underground utility installation markets. These brands collectively provide a comprehensive range of equipment for drilling, boring, pipe installation, and utility placement across telecommunications, oil and gas, water, and transportation infrastructure sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ditch Witch®: Brand of horizontal directional drilling and trenchless equipment
• Radius®
• American Augers®
• Subsite®
• HammerHead®

Products and services

• Ditch Witch®
• Radius®
• American Augers®
• Subsite®
• HammerHead®

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Caterpillar Inc. Largest diversified construction and mining equipment OEM globally. Overlaps with Charles Machine Works on selected underground utility construction equipment and competes via scale, dealer network, and financing capabilities.
• Komatsu Ltd. Global diversified construction and mining equipment manufacturer. Overlaps with Charles Machine Works in earthmoving and underground utility equipment with broader product portfolio.
• John Deere (Construction & Forestry): Diversified equipment manufacturer with construction segment that competes in adjacent earthmoving and utility installation equipment markets. Larger dealer network and balance sheet than Charles Machine Works.
• The Toro Company: Diversified outdoor and underground construction equipment manufacturer whose portfolio includes trenchers and compact construction equipment overlapping with Ditch Witch® offerings for utility contractors.
• Astec Industries: Manufacturer of equipment for infrastructure markets including road construction, mining, and utility installation. Comparable as a multi-brand industrial equipment company serving similar contractor end markets.

Direct peers

• TRACTO-TECHNIK: German-based manufacturer of HDD rigs, trenchless equipment, and moling tools. Direct peer in HDD and trenchless technology with similar application focus on utility installation.
• McLaughlin Group (Vermeer): Manufacturer of HDD accessories, boring tools, and vacuum excavation equipment; now part of Vermeer. Directly comparable as a specialist supplier to HDD contractors.
• Barbco Inc. Manufacturer of auger boring machines and large-diameter directional drilling equipment. Direct competitor in the large-diameter HDD and auger boring segments where American Augers® competes.
• Vermeer Corporation: Vermeer is the most direct competitor in horizontal directional drilling and trenchless equipment, offering a competing portfolio of HDD rigs, trenchers, and horizontal grinders. The two companies have historically competed head-to-head across utility installation contractors in North America.
• TT Technologies: Manufacturer of trenchless equipment including pipe bursting, ramming, and HDD tooling. Overlaps directly with the HammerHead® brand portfolio at Charles Machine Works.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQAgWlX9bRuiHdOUmErmphg
• Facebookfacebook.com/CharlesMachineWorks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-charles-machine-works-inc-

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 Charles Machine Works Inc.