Vita Needle Company

What Vita Needle Company does

Vita Needle Company, founded in 1932 in Needham, Massachusetts and currently in its fourth generation of family ownership under the Hartmann family, manufactures small-diameter stainless steel tubing, cannula needles, luer lock adapters, and custom-fabricated tubing components for medical, aerospace, oil and gas, dental, food and beverage, industrial, and instrumentation buyers. Production covers welded-and-drawn tubing, seamless tubing, hypodermic tubing, fractional and metric gauge sizes, plus custom fabrications using EDM, skiving, swaging, tube bending, and laser welding, with alloys spanning 300-series stainless steels (304, 316, 17-7, 321, 347), nickel and nickel-glass-to-metal-seal alloys, copper, brass, and aluminum. In-house heat treatment capabilities include bright hydrogen annealing at 1,950°F and vacuum annealing for lengths up to 72 inches, plus centerless grinding to ±0.0001" tolerances.

The company operates as an ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016 certified, original FDA-charter-registered contract manufacturer. Commercial model is quote-based B2B with Net 30 payment terms, FOB shipping point, no published price list, and same-day shipping offered on stock random lengths; a competitive differentiator is the company's claim of offering the industry's lowest minimum order quantities on custom work. The facility occupies a converted 1920s theater/ballroom purchased in 1997 with no loading dock or elevator, and the workforce totals roughly 35-49 employees with a median age of 73 and the large majority working part-time—an unusual demographic profile that has been the basis of repeated national media coverage rather than a typical small-manufacturing footprint.

Distribution is direct to OEM and industrial customers via phone (781-444-1780), website quote requests, and email, with marketing driven primarily by educational blog content, gauge-chart and conversion calculators, and a public compliance and brochure library. Roughly 70 customers are reported in fiber optics, photonics, and high-speed cable applications (FIMT, FIST, SST, ferrules, termini sleeves), alongside named accounts including Sea World (4-foot needles for killer whale medication) and Four Slide Products. Last disclosed revenue figure is a 2010 NPR projection of $9 million in annual sales, with the company reported to hold approximately 10% market share in tubular products at that time.

Name

Vita Needle Company

Legal name

Vita Needle Company

Website

https://vitaneedle.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1932

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vita Needle Company is a fourth-generation, family-owned U.S. manufacturer of small-diameter stainless steel tubing, cannula needles, and custom-fabricated tubing components serving medical, aerospace, oil and gas, dental, food and beverage, industrial, and instrumentation OEMs since 1932.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Needham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Stainless Steel Tubing Sales: Sale of small diameter stainless steel tubing including hypodermic, welded & drawn, seamless, fractional, and metric tubing in various alloys (304, 316, 17-7, 321, 347 stainless steel, nickel alloys). Both stock random lengths and custom fabricated parts.
2. Cannula Needles & Medical Assemblies: Manufacture and sale of reusable and disposable needles, cannula assemblies, luer locks, and adapters for medical and industrial applications.
3. Custom Fabrication Services: Value-added fabrication services including EDM fabrication, skived tubing, tube swaging, shaped tubing, cut & deburred parts, bending, and assembly operations for custom specifications.
4. Commercial Tubing & Pipe: Larger diameter commercial tubing and pipe in stainless steel, nickel, and aluminum series for industrial applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Vita Needle Company is a domestic manufacturer of small diameter stainless steel tubing and fabricated parts, including hypodermic, welded & drawn, seamless, fractional, and metric tubing. The company also produces cannula needles, syringes, luer lock adapters, and custom fabricated components using EDM, skiving, swaging, tube bending, and laser welding for medical, aerospace, instrumentation, oil & gas, dental, food & beverage, and industrial customers.

Product overview

Vita Needle Company is a premier low-cost domestic manufacturer of stainless steel tubing and fabricated parts, serving customers since 1932. The company's product portfolio centers on small diameter tubing and cannula needles, with offerings organized into six main categories: Small Diameter Tubing (welded & drawn and seamless tubing including hypodermic, fractional, and metric gauges), Custom Tube Fabrication (cannula points, EDM fabrication, skived tubing, tube swaging, shaped tubing, and cut & deburred parts), Needles/Syringes/Luer Lock Adapters, Commercial Tubing & Pipe, Stainless Steel Wire, and Tubing Materials. Products are primarily manufactured from 300 series stainless steel alloys (304, 316, 17-7, 321, 347) with additional nickel alloys and non-ferrous materials available. The company operates as an ISO 9001/13485 certified FDA registered manufacturer serving medical, instrumentation, industrial, oil & gas, dental, aerospace, and food & beverage industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Small Diameter Tubing Welded and drawn tubing as well as seamless tubing for specific applications, including hypodermic tubing, fractional tube, and metric tubing gauge charts. Targeted at medical device manufacturers and industrial buyers requiring precision small diameter stainless steel tubing.
• Custom Tube Fabrication Custom fabrication services including cannula point styles, EDM fabrication, skived tubing, tube swaging, shaped tubing, and cut & deburred tubing parts for customers requiring specialized stainless steel components to specification.
• Needles, Syringes, & Luer Lock Adapters Reusable and common needle assemblies, cannula point styles, lancet point needles, disposable bottles and syringes, and hypodermic luer lock adapters and hubs for medical, laboratory, and industrial use.
• Commercial Tubing & Pipe Commercial tubing and pipe produced in both seamless and welded processes, available in stainless steel, nickel, and aluminum series for industrial and infrastructure applications.
• Stainless Steel Wire Medical stainless steel wire available in several medical grades and tempers for medical device manufacturing.
• Tubing Materials & Alloys Tubing alloys including stainless steel (304, 316, 17-7, 321, 347), nickel alloy tubing, and copper, aluminum, and brass tubing for various manufacturing applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Same-day shipping available for all stock random lengths
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Swagelok Company: Designer and manufacturer of fluid system components, including precision tubing and fittings for instrumentation and process industries. Overlaps with Vita Needle in custom stainless tubing, fittings, and instrumentation needle products.
• Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD): Global medical technology leader manufacturing hypodermic needles, syringes, and prefilled delivery systems. Competes with Vita Needle primarily in needle/cannula products but operates at vastly larger scale across thousands of SKUs.
• Teleflex Medical OEM: Large-scale OEM supplier of medical tubing, catheter components, and specialty needles. Has a much broader product portfolio but competes with Vita Needle in custom medical tubing and cannula fabrication for device manufacturers.
• Smiths Medical (ICU Medical): Multi-national medical device manufacturer producing needles, syringes, and tubing accessories for hospital and home-care markets. Overlaps with Vita Needle in hypodermic needle, luer lock, and custom tubing subassemblies.
• TUBACEX Group: Global leader in seamless stainless steel tubes for industrial and energy applications. Although more industrial-focused, it competes with Vita Needle on custom stainless tubing and shares overlap in oil & gas and instrumentation end-markets.

Direct peers

• HandyTube Corporation: Manufacturer of seamless and welded small-diameter stainless steel tubing for medical, aerospace, and chromatography applications. Directly overlaps with Vita Needle's seamless tubing product line and serves the same low-volume custom niche.
• K-Tube Corporation: Specialty manufacturer of small-diameter stainless steel and super-alloy tubing for medical, aerospace, and industrial applications. Overlaps directly with Vita Needle in miniature welded/seamless tubing and custom laser-welded subassemblies.
• MicroGroup (Molex): A division of Molex producing miniature stainless tubing and fabricated components for medical devices, instrumentation, and industrial uses. Closely aligned with Vita Needle's small-diameter tubing and custom hypodermic needle/cannula capabilities.
• Eagle Stainless Tube & Manufacturing: A U.S. manufacturer of small diameter stainless steel tubing and fabricated components serving medical, aerospace, and industrial markets. Directly comparable to Vita Needle in product line (hypodermic, fractional, metric tubing), customer base, and custom fabrication services.

Regional players

• DWK Life Sciences (Wheaton): Manufacturer of specialty glass and laboratory products for life sciences and industrial markets. Comparable to Vita Needle in that both serve lab and analytical instrumentation customers with precision components — though primarily in glassware vs Vita's stainless tubing focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vitaneedle
• Facebookfacebook.com/154740364563323

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Vita Needle Company