Kirby Lester
Kirby Lester is a privately held pharmacy automation manufacturer founded in 1971 in Lake Forest, Illinois, producing counting and dispensing equipment for retail, hospital, and mail-order pharmacies under founder and CEO Rod Lester.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1971
- HeadquartersLake Forest, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Kirby Lester does
Kirby Lester is a pharmacy automation hardware manufacturer founded in 1971 and headquartered in Lake Forest, Illinois. The company produces a full line of pharmacy automation and counting technology — specifically dispensing equipment used by retail, hospital, and mail-order pharmacies. As a 50+ year incumbent in a defined niche of the pharmacy automation value chain, Kirby Lester occupies a focused position supplying the mechanical pill-counting and dispensing infrastructure relied on inside pharmacy operations.
The product portfolio addresses the physical handling and dispensing layer of pharmacy workflows. Customers span three distinct pharmacy channels — retail, hospital, and mail-order — indicating the equipment is engineered for cross-setting compatibility rather than channel-specific specialization. Founder Rod Lester remains active as founder and CEO, and the company operates as a privately held entity with 11-50 employees, reflecting a small, founder-led operating model focused on a defined product niche rather than a venture-backed scale-up.
Material data gaps constrain commercial assessment. The company website was inaccessible at time of collection, displaying a verification/loading page. No revenue, pricing model, go-to-market motion, distribution channels, named customers, partnership data, certifications, patents, or management team details beyond the founder were available. No AI/ML capability, digital platform, or software-led offering is disclosed. As a result, the business model mechanics — including how Kirby Lester prices, sells, and supports its installed base — cannot be characterized from available evidence, and any investment-grade assessment requires primary diligence on revenue mix, customer concentration, and channel economics.
Kirby Lester firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kirby Lester
- Website
- https://kirbylester.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1971
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kirby Lester is a privately held pharmacy automation manufacturer founded in 1971 in Lake Forest, Illinois, producing counting and dispensing equipment for retail, hospital, and mail-order pharmacies under founder and CEO Rod Lester.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kirby Lester industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pharmacy Automation Equipment
- NAICS
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)
- SIC
- Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Pharmacy Information Systems (PIS) & Dispensing Workflow (HLACAKAC)
Keywords
Where Kirby Lester is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lake Forest
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Kirby Lester business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Kirby Lester product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kirby Lester manufactures and supports pharmacy automation and counting technology, including tablet counters and dispensing equipment for retail, hospital, and mail-order pharmacies. The company sells hardware designed to automate and safeguard the medication counting and dispensing workflow in pharmacy settings.
Product overview
Kirby Lester is a pharmacy automation company that manufactures dispensing equipment for retail, hospital, and mail-order pharmacies. However, specific product details are not available in the provided source data, as the website was displaying a loading/verification page during content collection.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pharmacy automation and counting technology Hardware product line encompassing Kirby Lester's pharmacy automation and counting devices, including tablet counters and dispensing equipment sold to retail, hospital, and mail-order pharmacies for automated medication counting.
- Pharmacy dispensing equipment Dispensing equipment manufactured by Kirby Lester for retail, hospital, and mail-order pharmacies, used to automate the medication dispensing workflow.
- Service and support for pharmacy automation and counting technology
Companies that use Kirby Lester
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Kirby Lester technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Kirby Lester partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves2 records
Kirby Lester competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Omnicell: Major pharmacy automation and medication management vendor offering dispensing, packaging, and analytics across retail and hospital pharmacies; competes with Kirby Lester in pharmacy counting/dispensing workflow at the enterprise end.
- BD (Becton Dickinson): Large medical technology company with a pharmacy automation and dispensing portfolio serving hospitals and health systems; directly competes with Kirby Lester in medication dispensing hardware.
- Swisslog Healthcare: Healthcare automation provider with hospital pharmacy dispensing, packaging, and transport automation; broader portfolio but overlaps with Kirby Lester in pharmacy dispensing hardware for hospitals.
- McKesson: Pharmaceutical distributor and pharmacy services company with technology/automation offerings for its pharmacy customers; competes indirectly with Kirby Lester where customers bundle automation with distribution contracts.
Direct peers
- ScriptPro: Specialized pharmacy automation vendor providing robotic dispensing, counting, and workflow systems to retail and outpatient pharmacies; closest direct competitor in dispensing technology focus.
- ARxIUM: Pharmacy automation company offering dispensing, packaging, and IV workflow solutions; competes with Kirby Lester in hospital and central-fill pharmacy counting/dispensing.
- Parata Systems: Pharmacy automation vendor specializing in counting, vial-filling, and adherence packaging for retail pharmacies; competes head-to-head with Kirby Lester in dispensing workflow hardware.
- RxSafe: Provider of automated pharmacy dispensing and storage solutions for retail pharmacies; recently acquired by Illinois Tool Works, indicating strategic interest in this exact niche where Kirby Lester competes.
- Innovation Associates: Pharmacy automation vendor offering robotic dispensing and packaging solutions primarily to hospital and central-fill pharmacy operators; comparable technology and customer base to Kirby Lester.
Regional players
- Yuyama: Japanese pharmacy automation manufacturer producing tablet counting/packaging and dispensing equipment; comparable product category but primarily serving Asia-Pacific rather than the US market where Kirby Lester operates.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Kirby Lester social profiles
Digital presenceKirby Lester financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kirby Lester leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Kirby Lester funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kirby Lester 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 Kirby Lester
What does Kirby Lester do?
Kirby Lester manufactures and supports pharmacy automation and counting technology, including tablet counters and dispensing equipment for retail, hospital, and mail-order pharmacies. The company sells hardware designed to automate and safeguard the medication counting and dispensing workflow in pharmacy settings.
When was Kirby Lester founded?
Kirby Lester was founded in 1971. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kirby Lester based?
Kirby Lester is headquartered in Lake Forest, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Kirby Lester's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Omnicell, BD (Becton Dickinson), Swisslog Healthcare and McKesson. Direct peers are ScriptPro, ARxIUM, Parata Systems, RxSafe and Innovation Associates. Yuyama is listed as a regional player.
Does Kirby Lester have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kirby Lester.
What industry is Kirby Lester in?
Kirby Lester's product category is Pharmacy Automation Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLACAKAC, Pharmacy Information Systems (PIS) & Dispensing Workflow. Its NAICS code is 3345 and its SIC code is 3841.