Walker Magnetics Group

What Walker Magnetics Group does

Walker Magnetics Group is an industrial magnetic equipment brand whose roots trace to Oakley S. Walker's 1896 invention of the magnetic chuck in Worcester, Massachusetts. Following a 2020 merger with Industrial Magnetics, Inc. (IMI), Walker operates as a wholly-owned brand under IMI, headquartered in Boyne City, Michigan, with a workforce in the 101–250 range. The company designs, manufactures, and sells electromagnetic and electro-permanent magnet products for industrial material handling, organized around four application pillars: heavy lifting (Rectangular and Bi-Polar Heavy Lift electromagnets, CER and BUX series), scrap handling (ScrapMaster, LiftMaster, Rectangular Scrap magnets, towable Electromagnet Sweeper), metal separation and sorting (Electromagnetic Pulley and Drum Separators), and magnetic workholding (Milling, Grinding, and Rotary Chucks plus their controllers). Technical differentiators include the Heavy Lift Battery Back-Up System providing 20 minutes of emergency power to magnets during crane power interruption, the PCCU contactor-based combination rectifier/controller, and ruggedized manganese/ally steel construction for scrap yard duty.

The business model is a direct-to-industrial-customer equipment sale with two pricing tiers: standard in-stock catalog SKUs (e.g., 24 grinding chuck variations, 16 controllers, 7 scrap magnet variants) and custom-built-to-spec configurations priced on quote. Go-to-market runs through IMI's website, a Knowledge Center with CAD downloads and technical literature, and territory-based regional sales managers covering the U.S. Southeast, Midwest, and Michigan/Ontario/Quebec. Customer segments are diversified across steel production, steel service distribution, recycling/scrap (primary verticals), plus fabrication/welding, mining/aggregate, and food/feed/grain, with industry association memberships in AD, AWRF, GEAPS, IAOM, PEMA, NASA, and ISRI supporting channel presence. Revenue is generated one-time at equipment sale, supplemented by aftermarket services including magnetic plant inspection, lift magnet testing and certification, repair and refurbishment, preventative maintenance, and trade-in upgrade programs that create a recurring service layer on the installed base.

Name

Walker Magnetics Group

Legal name

Industrial Magnetics, Inc.

Website

https://walkermagnet.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1896

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Magnetic Equipment

NAICS

Electrical Equipment Manufacturing (33531), Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing (3359)

SIC

Electronic Coils, Transformers & Other Inductors (3677), Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600)

akta.pro primary industry

Transformers & Magnetics (Power/Signal) (HDAHANAD)

Keywords

• Industrial lifting magnets
• Magnetic workholding chucks
• Metal separation equipment
• Scrap handling magnets
• Electromagnetic separators

Headquarters

HQ city

Windsor

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

Revenue model

1. Magnetic Equipment Sales: Sale of industrial magnetic products including lifting magnets, workholding chucks, metal separation equipment, and scrap handling magnets. Products are available as standard in-stock items and custom-built-to-spec configurations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Walker Magnetics designs, manufactures, and sells industrial magnetic equipment — including heavy-duty lifting electromagnets, workholding magnetic chucks (milling, grinding, rotary), scrap handling magnets, electromagnetic separators (drum and pulley), and magnet control systems — for steel production, steel service distribution, recycling/scrap, fabrication, mining/aggregate, and food/feed/grain customers in North America. The company offers both standard in-stock catalog products and custom-built-to-spec magnetic solutions engineered to specific customer applications.

Product overview

Walker Magnetics, a brand under Industrial Magnetics, Inc. (IMI), offers a comprehensive portfolio of industrial magnetic products for material handling applications. The product line includes heavy-duty lifting electromagnets (Rectangular Heavy Lift, Bi-Polar Heavy Lift, CER Series, BUXF, BUXR), scrap magnets (LiftMaster, ScrapMaster, Rectangular Scrap), magnetic separators (Electromagnetic Pulley Separators, Electromagnetic Drum Separators), magnetic workholding chucks (Milling Chucks, Grinding Chucks, Rotary Chucks), control systems (PCCU Controller, Electromagnet Chuck Controllers, Controlmaster, Heavy Lift Battery Back-Up), specialty magnets (Electromagnet Sweeper, Total Coverage Magnets), and accessories. Founded in 1896 by Oakley S. Walker, the company pioneered the magnetic chuck and has over 125 years of expertise in industrial magnet solutions. After merging with IMI in 2020, the combined entity delivers custom-designed magnetic solutions for steel production, recycling, manufacturing, and other industrial applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Walker Magnetics: Industrial magnetic products brand specializing in lifting magnets, scrap magnets, magnetic chucks, and separation equipment for industrial and manufacturing purposes.

Products and services

• PCCU Combination Rectifier and Magnet Controller A contactor-based control system engineered for industrial lifting applications, used by steel mills and heavy industrial operations to control heavy-duty lifting electromagnets.
• Electromagnetic Pulley Separators Electromagnetic pulley separators for iron ore cobbing, slag processing, and mineral beneficiation applications, serving mining and aggregate operations.
• Electromagnetic Drum Separator Magnets Drums fitted with electromagnets for auto shredding, municipal solid waste, parts recovery, and iron ore cobbing applications, serving recycling and mining customers.
• LiftMaster Scrap Magnet Low-cost, lightweight scrap metal lifting magnets for lighter duty scrap-handling jobs, available in 2 variations. Suited to scrap yards and smaller industrial lifting operations.
• ScrapMaster Scrap Magnet Rugged ribbed case scrap magnet with heavy manganese steel bottom plate, welded watertight construction, and tough alloy steel chains. Available in 7 variations for industrial scrap handling.
• Rectangular Scrap Magnet Powerful scrap magnets designed to lift large volumes of scrap in and out of confined areas, used as a standard in melt shops.
• Electromagnet Sweeper Towable electromagnetic sweeper for picking up unwanted metals from construction sites, airports, dockyards, and steel service yards.
• Milling Chucks High-quality magnetic chucks designed for milling operations across various industries; available in 4 variations for fabrication and machining customers.
• Grinding Chucks Electromagnetic or permanent magnetic chucks for grinding operations; Walker Magnetics is described as a pioneer and innovator in industrial magnetic chucks. Available in 24 variations.
• Rotary Chucks Reliable rotary chucks for precision machine work using rotary tables; available in 15 variations for machining and tooling customers.
• Electromagnet Chuck Controllers Control systems for electromagnetic workholding chucks; available in 16 variations for fabrication and machining customers.
• Rectangular Heavy Lift Electromagnet WRL Series rectangular heavy lift electromagnets designed to lift plates, slabs, and billets of all sizes for steel production and steel service distribution customers.
• Bi-Polar Heavy Lift Electromagnet Bi-polar heavy lift electromagnets for handling bundles of pipe, tubing, rebar, bar stock, plate, structural shapes, castings, and forgings, used by steel service centers and fabricators.
• Controlmaster Magnet Controller Solid State Controller (SSC) compatible with all heavy duty lifting electromagnets, providing modern electronic control of magnet operations.
• Heavy Lift Battery Back-Up System Battery back-up units providing 20 minutes of emergency power to magnets in the event of power interruption to the crane, designed for safety in heavy industrial lifting operations.
• Total Coverage Magnets Total-Coverage Series magnets designed for special material handling needs in precision flame, plasma, and laser cutting applications, serving steel service and fabrication customers.
• CER Series Electro Lift Magnets CER electromagnetic lifting magnets designed to be pound-for-pound the least costly but most powerful magnets available, with deep penetration capabilities. Available in 6 variations.
• BUXF Lift Magnets Compact, mobile, self-contained lifting magnets for lifting flat loads, utilizing a heavy-duty 12-volt battery for operation. Available in 4 variations.
• BUXR Lift Magnets Compact, mobile, self-contained lifting magnets for lifting round loads, utilizing a heavy-duty 12-volt battery for operation. Available in 2 variations.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• AD (Associated Distributors)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProud member of AD (Associated Distributors), an industrial distribution organization. Membership provides access to distribution networks and industry resources.
• AWRFminorOthersProud member of AWRF (Association of Welding and Fabrication?). Membership in industry organization for networking and industry standards involvement.
• GEAPSminorOthersProud member of GEAPS (Grain Elevator and Processing Society). Membership supports presence in grain and agricultural processing industry.
• IAOMminorOthersProud member of IAOM (International Association of Operative Millers). Industry membership organization.
• PEMAminorOthersProud member of PEMA (Process Equipment Manufacturers' Association). Industry association membership.
• North American Steel AllianceminorOthersProud member of North American Steel Alliance. Industry alliance supporting steel service distribution sector.
• ISRIminorOthersProud member of ISRI (Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries). Industry membership supporting recycling sector presence.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Eriez Manufacturing: Family-owned US manufacturer of magnetic separation, vibratory, and metal detection equipment for mining, food, recycling, and process industries; the closest direct competitor to Walker Magnetics across lifting, separation, and workholding magnets.
• Bunting Magnetics Co. US-based manufacturer of magnetic separators, metal detectors, magnetic chucks, and material handling magnets serving food, recycling, mining, and industrial customers with a similar product and channel mix to Walker Magnetics.
• Industrial Magnetics Inc. (IMI): Parent entity of the Walker Magnetics brand and a direct peer across magnetic separation, holding, lifting, and stamping applications; comparable product portfolio and overlapping customer base.
• Magnetic Products Inc. (MPI): US manufacturer and distributor of industrial magnets, magnetic separators, and magnetic assemblies for material handling and processing; competes directly with Walker in separation and workholding categories.
• Master Magnetics Inc. US maker of permanent magnets, magnetic assemblies, and material handling magnets, overlapping with Walker's product line in lifting and separation for industrial and OEM customers.

Regional players

• Kanetanet (Kanetec) Co., Ltd. Japanese manufacturer of industrial electromagnets, magnetic chucks, and demagnetizers for material handling and workholding; comparable technology base with primary market presence in Asia.
• Sollau Group (including Sollau Magnetic Tools): European supplier of permanent and electro magnets for lifting, holding, and separation applications; competes with Walker in industrial accounts, primarily across EMEA.

Emerging players

• Wildeck Inc. (magnetic lifting adjacent): Industrial material handling solutions provider offering rack guards and below-the-hook lifting devices that complement or compete with magnetic lifting equipment in steel service and warehousing.
• Stearns Magnetics (Indelec): Manufacturer of electromagnetic separators, eddy current systems, and pulleys for recycling and scrap handling; meaningful overlap with Walker's separator and drum magnet range.

Broad incumbents

• Metso Corporation: Global industrial incumbent providing processing equipment, including magnetic separation and recycling solutions, as part of a broader aggregates and metals portfolio that overlaps with Walker's recycling/scrap end markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/IMImagnets
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MagVids
• Facebookfacebook.com/IndustrialMagnetics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/walker-magnetics-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/IndustrialMagnetics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Walker Magnetics Group