What Can Lines Engineering does

Can Lines Engineering (CLE) is a fourth-generation, family-owned industrial equipment manufacturer and engineering contractor founded in 1960 by Harold Koplien and headquartered in Downey, California, with a secondary office in Greenville, Wisconsin. The company designs, fabricates, and installs conveyor and material handling systems for packaging lines, producing packaged goods conveyors, case conveyors, sanitary conveyors, cable track conveyors, elevating conveyors, and heavy-duty material handling conveyors (pallet loads up to 7,000 pounds, beverage line speeds in excess of 2,400 parts per minute), as well as palletizers/depalletizers, twists and fittings, electrical panels and HMIs, operator access products, and specialty custom equipment built on Intralox ARB technology.

CLE monetizes through five revenue streams: equipment sales (custom and pre-engineered conveyor systems), engineering services (mechanical and electrical/controls design), unionized millwright installation and field services, custom fabrication (sheet metal, structural steel, plastics, and laser cutting via an Amada LC4020F1NT 6000 Watt CO2 CNC laser in a 40,500 sq ft facility), and turnkey project delivery that combines all of the above under single-point responsibility. Pricing is project-quoted, not list-based, and contracts are typically multi-year.

The company serves enterprise manufacturers in beverage (Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors, Coca-Cola Bottling, PepsiCo, Keurig Dr Pepper, Monster Energy, Niagara Bottling, Tropicana, Refresco, E. & J. Gallo), food (Campbell, ConAgra, Kraft Heinz, Amy's Kitchen, Schreiber Foods), pet food (Mars Petcare), pharmaceutical (B Braun, Baxter, Edwards Lifesciences), and other industries including Amazon, Shell, and Disneyland. Technology integration partnerships with Intralox (ARB), Rockwell Automation (Allen-Bradley OEM Machine Builder Program), and Wonderware (InTouch HMI), together with industry association memberships (PMMI, MWFPA, NFPA, MBAA) and MBE certification, anchor its go-to-market.

Name

Can Lines Engineering

Legal name

Can Lines Engineering

Website

https://canlines.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Conveyor and Material Handling Equipment

NAICS

Packaging Machinery Manufacturing (333993)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

Conveying, Feeding & Accumulation Systems (Packaging Lines) (IMAHAOAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

End-of-Line Integration & Packaging Line Systems (IMAHAOAN), Conveying, Feeding & Material Handling for Packaging Lines (IMALAOAG)

Keywords

• Conveyor systems manufacturing
• Material handling equipment
• Packaging line engineering
• Industrial fabrication services
• Turnkey line integration

Headquarters

HQ city

Downey

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment Sales: Sale of pre-engineered and custom conveyor systems, palletizers, depalletizers, and specialty material handling equipment. Products include case conveyors, packaged goods conveyors, cable track conveyors, elevating conveyors, material handling conveyors, twists, fittings, cap chutes, electrical panels, HMIs, and operator access products.
2. Engineering Services: Mechanical engineering (greenfield line layouts, equipment selection, V-curve analysis, accumulation/buffer system design, line audits, manpower/ergonomic analysis, as-built documentation, controls architecture), and electrical engineering and controls (line controls design, OEM equipment integration, control panel design, line control programming, operator interface programming, plant network design, motor control design).
3. Installation and Field Services: Unionized millwright installation services, construction management, field supervision, safety management, machinery rigging and erection, equipment installation, alignment, structural steel fabrication and erection, on-site welding, sheet metal work, electrical services, controls programming and integration, conveyor maintenance and rebuilds, plant relocations, and general plant maintenance.
4. Custom Fabrication Services: Sheet metal, structural steel, and plastic fabrication including laser cutting, CNC routing, welding, and assembly. Provides job shop services for local, out-of-state, and global customers.
5. Turnkey Project Delivery: Complete turnkey manufacturing solutions combining mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, project management, fabrication, and installation with single point responsibility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Can Lines Engineering (CLE) manufactures and installs custom industrial conveyor systems and material handling equipment (packaged goods conveyors, case conveyors, cable track conveyors, elevating conveyors, sanitary conveyors, material handling conveyors, palletizers and depalletizers, and specialty equipment such as Intralox ARB devices) for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, and industrial manufacturers. The company complements its products with full-service mechanical and electrical engineering, custom fabrication, precision laser cutting, unionized millwright installation, and turnkey project delivery from concept through commissioning.

Product overview

Can Lines Engineering (CLE) is a fourth-generation family-owned industrial equipment manufacturer established in 1960, offering a comprehensive portfolio of conveyor systems and material handling equipment. The core product line includes multiple conveyor types (packaged goods, case, sanitary, cable track, elevating, and material handling conveyors), palletizers/depalletizers, twists and fittings, electrical panels/HMIs, operator access products, and specialty custom equipment. These products are complemented by full-service engineering capabilities including turnkey systems, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and controls, installation/field services, custom fabrication, and laser cutting services. The company serves food, beverage, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, and industrial markets with pre-engineered, made-to-order solutions designed for reliability and long-term durability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conveyors Pre-engineered, made-to-order industrial conveyor systems for material handling, packaging, and production efficiency, including packaged goods, sanitary, case, cable track, elevating, and material handling variants for food, beverage, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Cable Track Conveyors Economical single-file container transportation system for steel, aluminum, or plastic containers using 5/16 inch steel braided cabling with nylon cover, capable of conveying up to 300 feet on a single drive with lightweight, few-moving-parts design.
• Packaged Goods Conveyors (11002 Series) Pre-engineered modular conveyor (11002 Series) for sealed food and beverage items in dry-to-medium duty wash-down environments, handling seamed cans, wine/beer bottles, glass jars, PET bottles, IV bags, and pharmaceutical vials/bottles/cartons, available in widths from 3-1/4 to 48 inches and lengths from 3 to 75 feet.
• Case Conveyors Robust bolt-together modular conveyors for transferring case-packaged items from packaging to palletizing areas, available in lighter duty options for empty boxes or extra-light products, with optional stainless steel for corrosion resistance.
• Elevating Conveyors Elevating conveyors for raising and lowering products, including mat-top/table-top high-friction chain conveyors (up to 25 degree inclination), flighted/shelved conveyors, dual gripper chain conveyors, magnetic bed conveyors, vacuum conveyors, and spiral incline conveyors.
• Material Handling Conveyors Stainless steel Chain Driven Live Roller (CDLR) and JCT pallet conveyors for heavy loads up to 7000 pounds, including drag chain conveyors, turntables, jump chain transfers, and transfer trolleys for pallet transport.
• Sanitary Conveyors Sanitary conveyor systems designed for extreme wash-down environments in meat and poultry, non-sealed dairy, and pharmaceutical applications.
• Palletizers / Depalletizers (Stack / Destack) Semi and fully automatic palletizing, depalletizing, stacking, and destacking systems using magnetic head, sweep, or pneumatic suction cup technologies, with current models featuring servo-motor technology and updated electro-mechanical systems for higher rates.
• Twists, Fittings & Cap Chute Custom-fabricated twists, fittings, and cap chutes for containers (cans, bottles, caps, small paper containers, lids, plastics), including 90-degree twists, 180-degree twist inverters, gravity straights, gravity spiral declines, gravity curves, and gravity rinser fitting assemblies.
• Electrical Panels and HMIs Industrial control packages including electrical control panels (stainless steel 4X or painted), touch-screen HMI interfaces, distributed drive systems, local motor disconnects, light curtains, life-lines, operator pushbutton stations, sensors, and cables for power, control, and communication.
• Operator Access Products OSHA-standard industrial safety and access items including custom-engineered structural platforms, operator platforms, cross-overs, ships ladders (fixed or retractable), duck-unders, ergonomic lift tables, bollards, fork truck guarding, and overhead warning bumpers.
• Specialty Custom Equipment Custom specialty equipment including Intralox Activated Roller Belt (ARB) technology, bi-directional accumulation tables, in-line accumulation tables, multi-twist infeed systems, gripper elevators/lowerators, box pushers and rejects, zero-pressure full pallet conveyors, high-speed packer infeeds, pressureless combiners, decel tables, can orientators, and laners.
• Turnkey Systems Complete turnkey project solutions combining mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and controls, project management, and expert millwright installation for packaging line and material handling system projects from concept through commissioning with single-point responsibility.
• Mechanical Engineering Mechanical engineering services including green-field line layouts, equipment selection, V-curve analysis, accumulation/buffer system design, existing line audits, manpower and ergonomic analysis, controls system architecture, and bid package documentation.
• Electrical Engineering and Controls Electrical engineering services including line controls design, OEM equipment integration, control panel design (NEMA, UL508A, ESA/CSA), PLC programming on Allen-Bradley and Modicon platforms, HMI programming on FactoryTalk View and Wonderware InTouch, plant network design, and motor control design.
• Installation and Field Services Unionized millwright crew and construction management services for equipment installation, plant relocations, machinery rigging and erection, structural steel fabrication and erection, electrical services, controls programming and integration, decommissioning, and ongoing plant maintenance under a Class A General Engineering Contractor license.
• Custom Equipment & Fabrication Services Sheet metal, structural steel, and plastic fabrication services including in-house laser cutting, CNC router for custom plastics, weld shop with licensed welders, and 40,500 sq ft assembly and testing area with 3-ton bridge crane for factory acceptance testing.
• Laser Cutting Services High-precision, high-repeatability laser cutting job shop services using the Amada LC4020F1NT 6000 Watt CO2 CNC laser system, cutting up to 1-1/4 inch mild steel, 3/4 inch stainless steel, and 5/8 inch aluminum, with over $250,000 in raw steel inventory for quick turnaround.

Quantifiable outcome

• High-speed beverage lines capable of speeds in excess of 2400 parts per minute
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers29 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IntraloxcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntralox ARB (Activated Roller Belt) technology partner. CLE is a licensed Intralox ARB builder and fabricates on-the-fly diverts utilizing Series 400 ARB chain for continuous flow conveyor line splits, continuous motion or indexing merges, and sortation type conveyors. Also purchases, integrates and installs Intralox proprietary equipment such as perpetual merges, Series 7000 multilane diverts, and DARB rejects.
• Rockwell AutomationcoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial member of Rockwell Automation OEM Machine Builder Program. Engineers interact with Rockwell Automation for new products and design reviews to ensure best automation solutions. Provides direct access to technical support engineers. Platforms include Allen-Bradley ControlLogix, Compactlogix, Micrologix, SLC, PLC-5, and related automation products.
• PMMI (Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association membership for packaging machinery manufacturers. Provides industry networking, standards development, and trade show participation.
• MWFPA (Midwest Food Products Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional industry association membership for Midwest food and beverage producers. Provides industry connections and regional market access.
• MBE (Minority Business Enterprise)minorOthersCertified Minority Business Enterprise designation, enabling participation in minority supplier programs with major corporate customers.
• MBAAminorOthersIndustry certification (likely Midwest Bottlers Association or similar). Listed in certifications and partnerships page.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nercon Engineering & Fabrication: Wisconsin-based conveyor and material handling equipment manufacturer serving food, beverage, and consumer goods packaging lines with custom-engineered conveyors and integrated systems. Closely comparable to CLE in product breadth, customer base, and mid-market turnkey delivery model.
• Dorner Manufacturing: Specializes in industrial conveyor systems for packaging, manufacturing, and processing applications, with pre-engineered and custom configurations. Comparable to CLE's packaged goods and material handling conveyor lines, though Dorner is more catalog/standardized while CLE leans custom.
• mk North America: Manufactures conveyors and material handling equipment for industrial and packaging applications across automotive, food/beverage, and pharmaceutical verticals. Overlaps directly with CLE's conveyor portfolio and project-based delivery to mid-market manufacturers.
• Flexible Steel Lacing Company (Flexco): Provides conveyor belt lacing, splicing, and cleaning products plus engineered conveyor solutions for bulk material and packaging handling. Comparable industrial customer base and packaging-line adjacency to CLE.
• Bastian Solutions: Material handling systems integrator offering conveyor, robotic, and warehouse automation solutions to food, beverage, and consumer goods manufacturers. Competes with CLE on turnkey packaging-line integration, though Bastian's scale and robotics focus make it a larger incumbent.
• Intralox: Direct technology partner and ARB conveyor platform licensor to CLE; also competes as a conveyor belt and integrated solution provider to packaging lines globally. Overlaps with CLE in high-speed sortation and merge applications across beverage, food, and pharma.
• TGW Systems: Supplies conveyor and material handling systems for distribution, manufacturing, and packaging operations, including turnkey line integration. Comparable customer verticals and turnkey delivery model, though TGW skews larger in scale.

Broad incumbents

• Krones AG: Global packaging and bottling line incumbent offering complete turnkey beverage processing, filling, and packaging systems including conveyors and material handling. Competes indirectly with CLE by offering fully integrated line solutions to the same beverage customers.
• Honeywell Intelligrated: Large-scale material handling automation provider within Honeywell offering conveyor, sortation, and warehouse execution systems for distribution and manufacturing. Adjacent incumbent competing for the same enterprise conveyor and integration budgets as CLE.
• Beumer Group: Global supplier of intralogistics systems including conveying, palletizing, and packaging-line equipment for food, beverage, and consumer goods industries. Overlaps with CLE in palletizers/depalletizers and packaging-line material handling, though at significantly larger scale and global footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cle-can-lines-engineering-official

Compliance7 records

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 Can Lines Engineering