What Shepherd Caster does

Shepherd Caster (legal name: Shepherd Casters) designs, manufactures, and sells caster and wheel mobility solutions for OEM markets. The company was founded in 1945 by George Shepherd and operates today as a brand under Colson Group USA, the largest operating unit of Colson Group — the world's largest manufacturer of caster and wheel products, with 1,600+ employees across 25 facilities in 14 countries. Shepherd's portfolio spans over 30 product series and 14,520+ individual SKUs covering load capacities from 40 to 1,000 pounds per caster, organized into single wheel, single wheel composite, dual wheel/low profile, twin wheel, ball/spherical, and shopping cart categories. Proprietary technologies include Performa Rubber wheels, MonoTech wheels, dual ball bearing raceways, stainless steel precision insert-molded bearings, and glass-filled nylon bodies.

Shepherd's go-to-market is sales-led with OEM-embedded distribution: U.S.-based field sales representatives and inside sales support are positioned locally, supplemented by an international distributor network and a self-service website with CAD model downloads and quote cart functionality. The company serves seven primary OEM verticals — medical/healthcare equipment, store fixtures/retail, furniture, business machines, material handling, food service/hospitality, and shopping cart manufacturers — with vertical segmentation as the core customer targeting approach. Pricing is quote-based with no public list prices; volume buyers can access the Regent High Volume Program for orders up to 10,000 units with expedited 2-week shipping.

The business model is hardware sales of physical caster products, with revenue derived from direct B2B transactions and distributor channels. Manufacturing is anchored at the Saint Joseph, Michigan headquarters and a highly automated Monette facility equipped with injection molding capacity (six new machines added). The company holds RoHS, NSF, and ICWM certifications, and operates as part of a diversified conglomerate alongside sister brands Colson, Albion, Jarvis, MedCaster, Pemco, Faultless, and Bassick — collectively representing 350+ combined years of caster innovation.

Name

Shepherd Caster

Legal name

Shepherd Casters

Website

https://shepherdcasters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Joseph

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Caster and Wheel Product Sales: Direct B2B sales of casters and wheels to OEM manufacturers, design firms, fabricators, maintenance operations, and resellers. Products include over 14,520 individual SKUs across multiple series categories.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shepherd Caster designs, manufactures, and sells light-duty and low-profile casters and wheels for OEM markets. The portfolio spans more than 30 product series across single-wheel, twin-wheel, dual-wheel/low-profile, ball/spherical, and shopping cart casters, with over 14,520 individual SKUs and load capacities from 40 to 1,000 pounds. Products are USA-made at automated injection molding facilities and serve medical, furniture, store fixture, business machine, food service, and material handling applications.

Product overview

Shepherd Caster is a leading manufacturer of casters and wheels, offering over 30 distinct product series as part of a comprehensive mobility solutions portfolio. The product lineup spans multiple categories: Single Wheel casters (Regent, Monarch, General Duty, 00 Series, BLS/BMS, Ladder, Glass Handling, Razer); Single Wheel Composite casters (Genesis, Optimus, Eclipse, Avant, Next Generation); Dual Wheel & Low Profile casters (00 Series Dual, BDS/BDR); Twin Wheel casters (Softech, Ultima, Genesis TW, Source II, GRX, Twin Med, Pacer, Chair, Self-Braking); Ball and Spherical casters (Ball Casters, Baron, Ball Soft Tread); and Shopping Cart casters (KasterKat, QuietKat, PolyKat, SuperKat). The company also provides a full range of socket and accessory products. Shepherd operates as a brand of Colson Group USA and leverages the group's 350+ combined years of caster innovation across its portfolio. Products serve diverse industries including medical, furniture, store fixtures, institutional, food service, business machines, and material handling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shepherd: A leading brand of light duty and low profile casters, pioneering innovations that have revolutionized industries.

Products and services

• Regent Series Casters Popular 1-inch wide institutional single-wheel caster series with dual ball raceways, heat-treated steel rigs, and RoHS compliant zinc plating for furniture, electronics, food service, and store fixtures.
• Monarch Series Casters Hooded 1-inch wide institutional single-wheel casters with heat-treated steel rig and extended integrated hood to prevent material entanglement, finished in attractive zinc plating.
• General Duty Series Casters Economical institutional single-wheel casters with zinc plating finish, nut-and-bolt axle for easy wheel replacement, RoHS compliant and NSF listed.
• 00 Series Single Wheel Casters Industry-leading low-profile single-wheel casters with sleek design and dual ball bearing raceways for smooth swivel.
• BLS/BMS Business Machine Casters Durable low-profile single-wheel business machine casters with heavy gauge steel for maximum capacity, trivalent zinc finish, RoHS compliant.
• Genesis Series Casters Clean and quiet covered single-wheel caster with polished glass-filled nylon body, integrated thread guards, sealed precision bearings, and soft non-marking MonoTech wheels for medical and designer furniture applications.
• Optimus Series Medical Casters Stylish economical single-wheel composite casters with Performa Rubber wheels featuring resilient non-marking round treads, nylon caster body with integrated thread guards.
• Eclipse Series Medical Casters Stylish nylon body single-wheel composite medical casters with glass-filled nylon bodies and polyurethane wheels for corrosion resistance and durability.
• Avant Series Medical Casters Sleek nylon single-wheel composite medical casters with sealed precision swivel raceway, labyrinth seals, integrated thread guards, and QuikStart non-marking floor-protective wheels; maintenance-free.
• Next Generation Series Casters Maintenance-free single-wheel composite casters made of glass-filled nylon with optional 304 stainless steel components for chemical and water resistance; stainless precision bearings insert-molded into sealed raceway.
• E-line Series Casters Economical 2-inch wide medium-duty single-wheel casters with load requirements from 300 to 1,250 pounds per caster, available in 4, 5, 6, and 8 inch wheel sizes; USA-made.
• Pacer Twin Wheel Casters Popular decorative twin-wheel casters with durable die-cast zinc body and hood, long-time choice for seating and store fixture manufacturers with multiple attractive finishes.
• Ultima Twin Wheel Casters Tough twin-wheel casters with durable nylon and urethane construction and textured finish that withstands abuse.
• Softech Twin Wheel Casters Soft rubber twin-wheel casters with highest load ratings in the twin-wheel category, non-marking high-tech thermoplastic elastomer treads, and solid riveted axles.
• Source II Twin Wheel Casters Economical twin-wheel casters with all-nylon body and wheel construction; integrated caster hood and concealed axle reduce debris entanglement for light-duty applications.
• GRX High Performance Twin Wheel Casters High-performance twin-wheel casters with strong polyamide body, patented dust and grease shield, solid riveted axles, and polyurethane wheels for floor protection.
• Twin Med Medical Twin Wheel Casters Grey-on-white medical polyurethane twin-wheel casters with soft quiet thermoplastic rubber tread, precision ball bearings, and bottom undercover for axle and bearing protection.
• Genesis TW Twin Wheel Casters Twin-wheel version of Genesis caster with soft non-marking MonoTech wheels, riveted axle with nylon caps, and fully protected caster body acting as integrated thread guard.
• Ball Casters Original Shepherd Planet Ball Caster constructed of durable die-cast zinc with self-lubricating acetyl resin bearing and no exposed axle; available in multiple attractive finishes.
• Baron Furniture Casters Decorative ball/spherical caster furniture mobility solution for light-duty applications; spherical wheels provide flexibility in movement for easy turn capabilities.
• KasterKat Shopping Cart Casters Premium shopping cart casters with molded red annular ring mixed with polyurethane between hub and tread for chemical bond and mechanical lock; smoothest rolling surface with shock-absorbing features.
• QuietKat Shopping Cart Casters Non-marking rubber wheel shopping cart casters designed to reduce noise; soft 88A Durometer thermoplastic rubber tread with excellent shock absorption, chemical and water resistance.
• PolyKat Shopping Cart Casters Versatile blue polyurethane shopping cart casters with mechanical tread lock to polypropylene core preventing tread separation; rounded tread for better maneuverability.
• SuperKat Shopping Cart Wheels Premium rubber shopping cart casters with soft natural rubber tread and round shape design that reduces flat-spotting, allowing wheel rotation even when pulled sideways.
• Chair Series Casters Injection-molded engineering-grade nylon chair casters with two pivot boss diameters and urethane tread options; available as self-braking models in compression and decompression forms.
• Self-Braking Chair Casters Self-braking chair casters that use weight to initiate integrated friction brake; injection-molded engineering-grade nylon construction.
• BDS/BDR Low Profile Casters Sleek low-profile single-wheel casters designed for business machines with low-clearance requirements; heat-treated steel provides strength and rig stability with highly-polished chrome finish.
• Ladder Casters

Quantifiable outcome

• Orders up to 10,000 units shipped within 3 days through Quick Ship Program
• +1 more outcomes

Segments8 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

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MedCaster: Colson Group USA sister brand specializing in medical casters. Direct overlap with Shepherd's medical/healthcare vertical and shares design, manufacturing, and distribution resources.
• Colson Caster: Sister brand within Colson Group USA, manufacturing casters and wheels for similar OEM and industrial channels. Same parent company, overlapping product portfolio, and shared global distribution footprint.
• Albion Casters: Colson Group USA sister brand focused on heavy-duty and specialized industrial casters. Comparable product category, shared OEM GTM, and direct overlap with Shepherd's industrial customer base.
• Hamilton Caster: Independent US caster and wheel manufacturer serving industrial, medical, and material handling OEMs. Closely comparable product portfolio, B2B GTM, and engineering customization capabilities.
• RWM Casters: US caster manufacturer serving industrial, material handling, and OEM markets. Directly comparable product breadth across light- to heavy-duty casters and similar B2B sales-led motion.
• Tente Casters: Global caster and wheel manufacturer with strong medical and institutional presence in Europe and North America. Comparable OEM embedded product strategy and broad product series portfolio.
• Bassick Casters: Colson Group USA sister brand acquired by Shepherd in 2001, focused on business machine, material handling, and MRO casters. Directly comparable product category within the same corporate family.
• Faultless Casters: Colson Group USA sister brand jointly acquired by Shepherd in 2008, serving material handling and business machine OEM markets. Same parent, overlapping customer base, complementary product line.
• Jarvis Casters: Colson Group USA sister brand. Shared parent platform and overlapping OEM customer base in industrial and institutional caster segments.

Emerging players

• HAWK International: Caster and material handling equipment supplier serving OEM and industrial markets. Comparable product category with narrower brand reach and product depth than Shepherd.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ShepherdCaster
• Facebookfacebook.com/shepherdcasters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shepherd-caster-corporation

Compliance3 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 Shepherd Caster