Mid-States Manufacturing & Engineer

What Mid-States Manufacturing & Engineer does

Mid-States Manufacturing & Engineering is a privately held, U.S.-based manufacturer of non-powered material handling equipment, founded in 1966 in Milton, Iowa by Jack Dixon and Dale Snyder and currently owned by Audra and Kevin Early (since 2004). The company operates from a single 70,000-square-foot manufacturing facility with 50+ employees and produces a horizontal catalog spanning hand trucks, dollies, platform trucks, wagons and fifth-wheel steer trailers, stack racks, coil racks, modular storage racks, parts bins, pry trucks, semi-live platform trucks, barrel dollies, and a full line of stainless steel products for food processing and pharmaceutical applications. Underlying technology is conventional metal fabrication, with in-house engineering for custom design, multiple wheel-type options (phenolic, polyurethane, rubber, steel, pneumatic), and use of American-made parts where feasible.

The business model is build-to-order hardware sales with standard 2-3 week lead times, executed exclusively through a nationwide network of authorized industrial distributors and local dealers rather than direct-to-end-user channels. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is set per quote through the dealer network, with no SaaS, subscription, or recurring revenue component. Customer segments are horizontal, covering industrial warehouses and distribution centers as the primary use case, food processing and sanitary industries as a secondary vertical, and custom applications for non-standard requirements; the only named historical end customer is Armour-Dial Company, a 1960s-1978 stainless steel meat tank contract, with current demand diffused across the dealer channel. The company carries no external institutional investment, has no subsidiaries or M&A history, and reports no patents, certifications, or regulatory actions in the available data.

Name

Mid-States Manufacturing & Engineer

Legal name

Mid-States Manufacturing & Engineering

Website

https://mid-states1.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mid-States Manufacturing & Engineering is a privately held, 60-year-old Iowa-based OEM of non-powered material handling equipment — hand trucks, dollies, racks, trailers, and stainless steel sanitary products — sold exclusively through a nationwide industrial distributor and dealer network via a build-to-order model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Material Handling Equipment

NAICS

Material Handling Equipment Manufacturing (33392), Industrial Truck, Tractor, Trailer, and Stacker Machinery Manufacturing (333924), Motor Vehicle Body and Trailer Manufacturing (33621)

SIC

Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537), Truck & Bus Bodies (3713), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Truck Body & Upfitting Manufacturing (Box Bodies/Service Bodies/Cranes/Liftgates) (IMACABAI)

Keywords

• Material handling equipment
• Non-powered material handling
• Industrial hand trucks
• Warehouse storage racks
• Stainless steel equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Milton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Material Handling Equipment Sales: Manufacture and sale of non-powered material handling equipment including hand trucks, dollies, wagons, stack racks, trailers, and custom products. Standard product lead time is generally 2-3 weeks from receipt of purchase order from authorized dealer. Custom products have lead times based on order-by-order basis.
2. Custom Product Design & Engineering: In-house engineering and sales departments offer custom design and engineering services to meet specific customer needs. Custom projects include shelf trucks, skids, cab shipping racks, mobile stack racks, divider trucks, caster steer trailers, cabinet carts, cantilever racks, and stainless steel mobile tanks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mid-States Manufacturing & Engineering designs and manufactures non-powered material handling equipment, including hand trucks, dollies, platform trucks, fifth wheel steer trailers, caster steer trailers, stack racks, coil racks, modular storage racks, parts bins, and stainless steel equipment for sanitary environments. The company operates a build-to-order model with in-house engineering to deliver both standard catalog products and custom-engineered solutions for industrial customers worldwide.

Product overview

Mid-States Manufacturing & Engineering is a material handling equipment manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of non-powered equipment. The core product line includes hand trucks, dollies, platform trucks, wagons and trailers (fifth wheel steer trailers and caster steer trailers in light/medium/heavy duty), and rack/storage solutions (stack racks, coil racks, modular storage racks, and parts bins). Additional products include pry trucks, semi-live platform trucks, barrel dollies and handlers, and a full line of stainless steel products for food/pharmaceutical industries. The company also offers custom engineering services for bespoke solutions. Accessories include trailer couplers and press-on wheels. Products are sold through a nationwide dealer network and are built to order with a standard lead time of 2-3 weeks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hand Trucks Standard hand trucks for warehouse and industrial material handling, available in various configurations including stainless steel variants.
• Dollies

Quantifiable outcome

• 1-year warranty against defects beyond normal wear
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Nationwide Dealer NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProducts sold through nationwide network of industrial distributors and local dealers. Dealer types include: HUGOS INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY INC, STOR-QUIP SYSTEMS INC, CASTERS OF OKLAHOMA INC, MOTION INDUSTRIES, MATRIX MATERIAL HANDLING INC, CISCO-EAGLE INC, MEDLEY MATERIAL HANDLING INC, AMERICAN CASTER, TOTAL TOOL SUPPLY INC, HANTOVER INC, ULTRA TOOL CORP, STORAGE EQUIPMENT COMPANY, BUBLITZ MATERIAL HANDLING. Dealers cover various states including Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, and beyond.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hamilton Caster: Direct competitor: manufactures casters, wheels, and material handling equipment for industrial use. Overlaps Mid-States' trailer and wheel-product lines.
• Valley Craft: Direct competitor: family-owned US manufacturer of hand trucks, platform trucks, drum handling equipment, and material handling products — close structural and product analog.
• Harper Trucks: Direct competitor: produces platform trucks, hand trucks, and folding handle carts used across warehouses and distribution. Overlapping product mix, similar dealer-based go-to-market.
• NewAge Products: Direct competitor: manufactures storage and material handling solutions (shelving, carts, workbenches). Adjacent but overlapping product mix for warehouse and light-industrial buyers.
• Bishamon: Direct competitor: manufactures lifting, positioning, and material handling equipment including scissor lifts, stackers, and pallet positioners. Comparable niche industrial-handling portfolio.
• Magliner (Little Giant): Direct competitor: manufactures hand trucks, conversion trucks, and related non-powered material handling equipment. Closest analog in Mid-States' core carts & trucks category.
• Wesco Industrial Products: Direct competitor: manufactures industrial material handling equipment including hand trucks, platform trucks, dollies, and stacking equipment. Comparable mid-sized private manufacturer.

Broad incumbents

• Toyota Material Handling: Broader incumbent: leading global supplier of forklifts and material handling equipment with extensive dealer network. Adjacent to Mid-States' non-powered category, dominates powered industrial truck market.
• Crown Equipment Corporation: Broader incumbent: one of the world's largest forklift and warehouse equipment manufacturers. Competes for the same industrial buyer's material-handling budget; broader portfolio and deeper R&D.
• Hyster-Yale Materials Handling: Broader incumbent: major global manufacturer of forklifts, warehouse trucks, and material handling equipment. Same end markets and dealer ecosystem; far larger but adjacent category (powered rather than non-powered).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/midstates1/?fref=ts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Mid-States Manufacturing & Engineer