What National Cart Company does

National Cart Company is a privately held, family-owned U.S. manufacturer of material handling and storage equipment founded in 1979 and headquartered in St. Charles, Missouri, with two additional manufacturing/distribution facilities in Reno, Nevada and Olyphant, Pennsylvania. The company designs, manufactures, and distributes a broad portfolio of industrial carts, shopping cart corrals, bakery/food-service equipment, warehouse picking carts, platform trucks, and custom metal-fabricated material handling solutions; the catalog spans 70+ SKUs across cart corrals (e.g., 360, 600, 720, 900 series plus covered, ornamental, snap-together, sidewalk variants), NSF-certified food service equipment (aluminum pan racks, shelving, dollies, dunnage racks), and forklift-compatible warehouse/order-picking carts. Core product engineering relies on galvanized steel and aluminum fabrication, heavy-duty caster/polyurethane wheel systems, modular snap-together assemblies, and corrosion-resistant construction with stated 30+ year product lifespans; the company emphasizes custom engineering with on-staff engineers able to take projects from prototype to production.

Revenue is generated through hardware sales of both standard and customized industrial carts and storage solutions, with quote-based/transactional pricing (no subscription or recurring software component). The company sells directly to enterprise customers via a B2B field-sales motion, targeting grocery and food service chains, e-commerce and warehouse fulfillment operators, and home center / mass retail accounts. Publicly disclosed customer logos span more than 20 enterprise names including Walmart, Target, Kroger, Costco, Albertsons, Ahold Delhaize, Publix, Whole Foods, Amazon, Sam's Club, Trader Joe's, Meijer, H-E-B, Aldi, Wegmans, Sprouts, Hy-Vee, Giant Eagle, The Fresh Market, BJ's Wholesale Club, Bimbo Bakeries, Piggly Wiggly, Harris Teeter, Food 4 Less, and Price Chopper/Market 32. Marketing is conducted through a product-catalog website, trade shows, case studies (e.g., Spring Loaded U-Boat, curbside dolly), and email newsletters; the company's three-facility footprint is positioned as a logistics and service advantage for nationwide enterprise deployments. Quality credentials include NSF certification for food-service products (covering 20+ SKUs and requiring recurring facility inspections) and ISO 9001 certification achieved in September 2024.

Name

National Cart Company

Legal name

National Cart

Website

https://nationalcart.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

National Cart Company is a family-owned U.S. manufacturer (founded 1979) of material handling equipment — shopping cart corrals, NSF-certified bakery/food-service carts, and warehouse picking carts — serving major grocery, big-box retail, and e-commerce fulfillment customers through direct enterprise sales from three U.S. facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Material Handling Equipment

NAICS

Transportation and Warehousing (48-49)

SIC

Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537), Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk Material Handling Systems (Belt Conveyors, Feeders, Stackers, Reclaimers) (IMAHABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

E-commerce & Omnichannel Fulfillment Centers (Non-Temp Controlled) (TLALAAAC)

Keywords

• Material handling equipment
• Shopping cart corrals
• Bakery equipment manufacturing
• Warehouse carts
• Industrial carts

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Charles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Industrial Cart Sales: Sale of standardized and custom industrial carts including shopping cart corrals, bakery equipment, warehouse carts, distribution carts, fulfillment carts, and specialty material handling equipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

National Cart Company designs, manufactures, and distributes a broad line of material handling products including shopping cart corrals, food service and bakery equipment (NSF-certified), warehouse carts, platform trucks, order picking carts, totes, ladders, lawn and garden carts, and retail fixtures. Their offerings are primarily built from galvanized steel tubing and are sold to grocery, food service, fulfillment/warehouse, retail, and home center customers under brand partnerships including Toter and MUV.

Product overview

National Cart Company is a material handling equipment manufacturer offering a broad portfolio of industrial carts and storage solutions. The product line encompasses shopping cart corrals (including 360, 361, 600, 601, 602, 603, 720, 721, 900, and 901 series, plus specialty variants like covered, ornamental, snap-together, and sidewalk corrals), bakery and food service equipment (including pan racks, dunnage racks, shelving, cooling racks, preparation tables, and utility carts with NSF certification), and warehouse/fulfillment equipment (including order picking carts, platform trucks, U-boat carts, forklift-compatible carts, and material handling carts). The company operates three manufacturing facilities and serves grocery, fulfillment/warehouse, and home center/retail industries with both standard and custom-designed solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cart Corrals A full line of shopping cart corrals (also called cart racks) in galvanized steel for grocery, big-box retail, and home center stores. Available in standard, wide, double-wide, heavy-duty, and eco-friendly models. Used by retailers to organize shopping carts in parking lots.
• Bakery Equipment (NSF-Certified) NSF-certified bakery racks, dollies, sheet pan racks, and bakery handling equipment designed for in-store grocery bakeries and commercial food service operations.
• Food Service Equipment Commercial-grade food service equipment including storage racks, transport dollies, and handling carts for restaurants, commissaries, and food service operators.
• Warehouse Equipment Warehouse equipment including platform trucks, picking carts, stock trucks, and material handling carts designed for distribution centers, fulfillment centers, and warehouse operations.
• Fulfillment Carts Specialized fulfillment and order picking carts designed for e-commerce distribution and warehouse order processing workflows.
• Distribution Carts Heavy-duty distribution carts designed for moving bulk goods through distribution facilities and warehouses.
• Order Picking Carts Order picking carts designed for warehouse order fulfillment operations, supporting efficient order assembly and movement.
• Industrial Carts Heavy-duty industrial carts for material handling in manufacturing plants, warehouses, and industrial facilities.
• Forklift Compatible Carts Carts engineered to be safely moved by forklifts in warehouse and distribution operations.
• Store Pick Up Carts Carts designed for retail click-and-collect and curbside store pick-up operations.
• Tote Pick Carts Carts engineered to transport and pick totes in warehouse and fulfillment environments.
• Towable Carts

Quantifiable outcome

• Cart corrals designed to last 30+ years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fort Zumwalt School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership with local school district to offer pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs combining classroom learning with paid on-the-job training in skilled trades and advanced manufacturing. Has helped more than 50 students complete youth apprenticeships with approximately 2,000 hours of training each.
• Climate Action Pathways for Schools (CAPS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration to expand apprenticeship tracks focused on sustainability and clean economy skills, preparing students for careers as energy technicians, sustainability specialists, and manufacturing roles supporting the clean economy.
• IWSI AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Intermediary partner helping National Cart expand apprenticeship programs and connect with students interested in clean energy and sustainable manufacturing careers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Magline (Magliner): Manufacturer of hand trucks, platform trucks, and material handling equipment used in grocery, retail, and warehouse settings. Directly comparable product categories (delivery and material-handling carts) and overlapping customer base (grocery chains and retailers).
• Lakeside Manufacturing: NSF-certified manufacturer of stainless steel carts, utility trucks, pan racks, and foodservice material handling equipment. Highly comparable in product line, certifications, and customer verticals.
• New Age Industrial: Manufacturer of NSF-certified aluminum carts, dollies, pan racks, and shelving for foodservice and grocery operations. Closely overlaps National Cart's bakery and food-service product range.
• Hamilton Caster & Manufacturing: Industrial caster and cart manufacturer serving material handling, retail, and warehouse customers. Comparable product mix including heavy-duty platform trucks and custom industrial carts.
• Wanzl (Technibilt / Wanzl North America): Global manufacturer of shopping carts, cart corrals, and retail material handling solutions (operates the former Technibilt brand in the US). Direct competitor in the cart corral category.
• Husky Rack & Wire: Manufacturer of warehouse rack systems, wire shelving, and material handling products. Comparable to National Cart's warehouse equipment and storage solutions businesses.
• Steel King Industries: US manufacturer of industrial storage racks, pallet rack systems, and material handling structures. Overlaps in warehousing and industrial storage categories.
• Nashville Wire Products: Manufacturer of wire shelving, carts, and material handling products serving grocery, retail, and warehouse customers. Comparable in product breadth and customer verticals.
• Creative Storage Systems: Manufacturer of specialty carts, material handling equipment, and storage solutions for retail and industrial customers. Comparable niche-custom orientation in the material handling category.

Broad incumbents

• Interroll: Public global supplier of material handling equipment including conveyors, rollers, and drum motors. Operates at much larger scale across the same material-handling category National Cart serves, but with a broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 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 National Cart Company