Messersmith

What Messersmith does

Messersmith Manufacturing, Inc. is a privately held, employee-owned U.S. industrial OEM that designs, fabricates, installs, and services biomass-fired boiler systems for commercial and industrial heating customers. Founded by Gailyn Messersmith around an original 1978 patented sawdust burner design and formally incorporated in Michigan in 1982, the firm operates from a manufacturing headquarters at 2612 F Road, Bark River, Michigan, with an additional service technician location in Northfield, Vermont. Messersmith has installed systems across 26 U.S. states and Canadian provinces and serves vertical customers in education (schools, universities), healthcare (hospitals), government facilities, forest products and sawmills, greenhouses, and broader industrial operations.

The product portfolio centers on industrial-scale biomass combustion systems ranging from 1 to 60 million BTU per hour in output, producing either hot water (30–100 psi) or steam (15–400 psi). Two combustion platforms are offered: dry fuel systems (3%–45% moisture tolerance, 10:1 turndown) using stationary grates with multizoned underfire/overfire air manifolds, and green fuel systems (up to 50% moisture) using sloping grates with no moving parts and reported combustion efficiency above 99%. Material handling is built around the firm's proprietary Traveling Auger System (5 HP, handles up to 20 feet of material without filters, seals, or hydraulic fluid), supplemented by belt conveyors, screw conveyors, storage and metering bins. Controls are standardized on Horner automation with optional Allen Bradley upgrade, integrated with building DDC systems and remote monitoring. Emissions compliance is addressed via cyclones/multi-cyclones for sub-10 MMBTU/hr systems and electrostatic precipitators or baghouses for larger installations to meet EPA particulate requirements. Supporting offerings include a comprehensive replacement parts catalog, custom fabrication of ancillary equipment (ash containers, catwalks, railings, ladders, exhaust gas stacks), a wood-fired forced air furnace product line in market since 1985, and the Biomass Combustion Systems product line acquired in 2017 from Worcester, Massachusetts.

Messersmith's revenue model is overwhelmingly hardware-led: it sells complete biomass boiler systems and material handling equipment as engineered project bids, augmented by a recurring replacement parts business and a services stream covering engineering design, installation, commissioning, operator training, and ongoing maintenance packages (boiler tuning, system cleaning, inspection). GTM is direct enterprise field sales — the same craftsmen who build the systems also install them — targeting architects, engineers, and facility managers during the project design phase, primarily in the United States and Canada. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; quotes are handled via [email protected]. Ownership is held by co-owners Matthew Colburn and Jeremy Mortl following a 2016 transition from the founders; the firm has 11–50 employees and no disclosed institutional investor or private equity backing.

Name

Messersmith

Legal name

Messersmith Manufacturing, Inc.

Website

https://burnchips.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Messersmith Manufacturing, Inc. is a privately held Michigan-based OEM that designs, fabricates, installs, and services industrial-scale biomass-fired boiler systems for institutional and industrial heating customers across 26 U.S. states and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Biomass Boiler Systems

NAICS

Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing (33241), Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414)

SIC

Fabricated Plate Work (Boiler Shops) (3443), Heating Equipment, Except Electric & Warm Air Furnaces (3433)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomass Combustion & Boiler Island Technology (Grates, Fluidized Bed, Burners) (EUAAAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biomass Heating Systems (Commercial/Institutional Boilers) (EUAAAGAE), Industrial Boilers, HRSGs & Steam Generators (IMAHAFAF), Industrial Steam Systems Decarbonization (Boiler Upgrades, Condensate Recovery, Steam Optimization) (EUABAJAK)

Keywords

• Biomass boiler systems
• Industrial heating equipment
• Combustion systems
• Material handling equipment
• Emissions control equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Bark River

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Biomass Boiler System Sales: Design, manufacture, and installation of complete biomass boiler systems ranging from 1 to 60 million BTU per hour output. Systems include combustion systems, material handling equipment, controls, and emissions equipment.
2. Custom Fabrication: Custom fabrication of ash containers, catwalks, railings, ladders, and exhaust gas stacks.
3. Replacement Parts: Sales of replacement parts including grates, floor tiles, refractory, gearboxes, blowers, motors, damper actuators, soot blowers, bearings, sprockets, gaskets, seals, boiler controls, sensors, augers, conveyors, belting, and sight glass.
4. Services: Engineering design, installation, start-up/commissioning, operator training, equipment capital assessment, and ongoing service packages including boiler tuning, system cleaning, and inspection.
5. Wood Fired Forced Air Furnace: Sale of wood fired forced air furnaces for commercial and industrial heating applications. Compact all-steel construction designed to last since 1985.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Messersmith designs, manufactures, and installs industrial-scale biomass boiler systems (1 to 60 million BTU per hour output) for institutions and industrial facilities. The integrated offering includes combustion systems (dry and green fuel), material handling equipment, boiler controls, emissions equipment, and supporting services such as engineering design, installation, commissioning, and operator training.

Product overview

Messersmith is a biomass boiler system manufacturer offering a comprehensive, integrated portfolio of products and services. The core offering consists of Combustion Systems (for both dry fuel with 3-45% moisture and green fuel with up to 50% moisture), Material Handling Equipment (including the patented Traveling Auger System, belt conveyors, and metering bins), Boiler Control Systems (with Horner automation standard and Allen Bradley upgrade option), and Emissions Equipment (cyclones, multi-cyclones, electrostatic precipitators, and baghouses). These products are complemented by Replacement Parts, Custom Fabrication services, and Wood Fired Forced Air Furnaces. The company also acquired the Biomass Combustion Systems (BCS) product line in 2017. Services include complete project delivery from engineering design through installation, start-up/commissioning with operator training, and ongoing maintenance packages. Messersmith's systems range from 1 to 60 million BTU per hour output, producing hot water (30-100 psi) or steam (15-400 psi), with a 10:1 turndown ratio. All products are designed, manufactured, and installed by the company's craftspeople based in Bark River, Michigan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Combustion Systems (Dry Fuel Systems) Industrial biomass combustion systems featuring multizoned grate underfire air technology and stationary grates with overfire air for clean burning. Burns dry wood fuels with moisture content from 3% to 45% with turndown ratios of 10 to 1.
• Combustion Systems (Green Fuel Systems) Biomass combustion systems designed to efficiently burn wood-based fuels with moisture content up to 50%, featuring sloping grates with no moving parts, underfire and overfire combustion air systems, and combustion efficiency typically greater than 99%.
• Material Handling Equipment Complete material handling solutions including the Messersmith Traveling Auger System, belt conveyors, screw conveyors, material storage bins, and metering bins for automated fuel delivery to biomass boiler systems.
• Boiler Control Systems Boiler control systems with Horner automation controls as standard and optional Allen Bradley controls upgrade. Manages fuel feed, combustion air, motor protection, low water protection, and building DDC integration with remote monitoring and troubleshooting via computer or smartphone.
• Emissions Equipment Particulate emissions control equipment including cyclones and multi-cyclones for systems under 10 MMBTU/hr input, and electrostatic precipitators (ESP) or baghouses for systems over 10 MMBTU/hr to meet EPA particulate emissions requirements.
• Replacement Parts Replacement parts inventory including grates, floor tiles, refractory, gearboxes, blowers, motors, damper actuators, soot blowers, bearings, sprockets, gaskets, seals, boiler controls, sensors, augers, conveyors, belting, and sight glass.
• Custom Fabrication Custom fabrication of ash containers (barrels or dumpsters), catwalks, railings, ladders, and exhaust gas stacks, built to specification by Messersmith's craftsmen.
• Wood Fired Forced Air Furnace (Shop Heater) Wood fired forced air furnace designed for commercial and industrial buildings. All-steel cylindrical firebox with afterburner chamber for virtually smoke-free operation and front/rear maintenance access.
• Engineering, Installation, and Start-Up Services Full-service capabilities including engineering design assistance, fabrication, installation, start-up/commissioning with combustion tuning and operator training, and ongoing service packages including boiler tuning, system cleaning, and inspection.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 ton of dry wood equals 85 gallons of heating oil, 120 gallons of propane, 115 therms of natural gas
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

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

One partnership is on record.

• Biomass Combustion Systemsmajor_acquisitionStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Acquired by Messersmith Manufacturing in 2017 to expand product and service offerings. Based out of Worcester, Massachusetts, BCS had a 25-year history selling primarily to sawmills and private sector companies. Manufacturing of BCS equipment was brought in-house to Messersmith's Bark River, MI facility. This acquisition expanded Messersmith's customer base and product capabilities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hurst Boiler & Welding Company: Hurst Boiler manufactures a broad line of biomass, solid fuel, and hybrid boiler systems for industrial and commercial applications. Like Messersmith, Hurst sells complete packaged boiler plants with material handling and controls to schools, institutions, and industrial customers in North America.
• Biomass Combustion Systems: BCS was an independent biomass boiler system manufacturer serving sawmills and private-sector companies for 25 years before being acquired by Messersmith in 2017. The product line now operates as a Messersmith brand, but BCS systems historically competed directly with Messersmith's own offerings in the sawmill segment.
• Chiptec Wood Energy Systems: Chiptec designs and manufactures wood-chip-fired boiler systems for institutional and industrial heating, closely overlapping Messersmith's education, healthcare, and government customer base. Both companies offer turnkey biomass heating solutions with material handling and emissions control.
• Froling: Froling is an Austrian manufacturer of biomass heating systems (wood chip, pellet, log boilers) for commercial and industrial users. While Froling primarily serves the European market, its product range and target customers directly overlap Messersmith's biomass boiler portfolio.
• ETA Heiztechnik: ETA manufactures biomass boilers and heating systems for commercial, industrial, and institutional applications across Europe. ETA's product line and customer segments parallel Messersmith's biomass boiler offerings, though ETA's primary market is European district and institutional heating.

Broad incumbents

• Babcock & Wilcox: B&W is a large established boiler manufacturer serving power generation and industrial steam customers worldwide. While not biomass-focused, B&W competes for large industrial steam system projects where Messersmith also bids, particularly in pulp, paper, and biomass power applications.
• Cleaver-Brooks: Cleaver-Brooks is a leading North American manufacturer of industrial boilers and integrated boiler room solutions with a national dealer and service network. Its product breadth includes firetube, watertube, and condensing boilers that overlap Messersmith's industrial hot water and steam boiler range.
• Victory Energy Operations: Victory Energy manufactures industrial firetube and watertube boilers for process steam and heating applications across North America. While not biomass-specialized, Victory Energy competes in the same institutional and industrial steam system market as Messersmith.
• Viessmann: Viessmann is a large German heating technology manufacturer offering commercial and industrial biomass heating solutions alongside its broader HVAC portfolio. Viessmann's commercial biomass boilers compete with Messersmith in institutional and district heating applications globally.

Regional players

• Thermax Limited: Thermax is an Indian conglomerate manufacturing industrial boilers and heating systems including biomass-fired boilers for process industries. While primarily serving Asian and emerging markets, Thermax's biomass boiler portfolio directly parallels Messersmith's offerings in technology and customer use cases.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Burnchips
• Xx.com/burnchips49807

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Messersmith