Higginson Equipment

What Higginson Equipment does

Higginson Equipment Inc. is a Canadian manufacturer and distributor of fluid power equipment founded in 1945 and headquartered in Burlington, Ontario. The company designs and produces NFPA-standard hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders, including air and medium-duty hydraulic cylinders (bore sizes up to 12 inches, 1500 PSI hydraulic / 250 PSI air), heavy-duty hydraulic cylinders (up to 12 inches bore, 3000 PSI, 45,000 lbs thrust), and custom cylinders with bores up to 14 inches. It also produces EconoMAX, an industry-standard pneumatic truck and trailer cylinder, and operates Amtec Hydraclamp Inc. as a sub-brand for RFID pressure transponders. Manufacturing is supported by SOLIDWORKS CAD, MasterCAM CAM, and a Lean Six Sigma process with Kanban inventory control that has compressed standard lead times from 6–8 weeks to roughly 2 weeks.

The business functions as a one-stop distributor for fluid power and industrial components sourced from more than 20 partner manufacturers. Strategic distribution agreements include the Canadian national distributorship for Freudenberg accumulators (piston, bladder, and diaphragm types), Steed Hydraulic Technology products (valves, pumps, filters, heat exchangers), and Fabco-Air pneumatic components. Distribution is complemented by in-house service and repair capability for accumulators and cylinders, plus a web-based Cylinder Product Configurator for self-service specification.

Higginson runs a B2B field sales and inside sales model targeting industrial OEMs across manufacturing, automation, food and beverage, automotive, healthcare, packaging, and truck/trailer applications. Sales are quote-based with toll-free phone support and contact form intake; no public pricing is disclosed. The company is privately held and family-owned since founding, with no disclosed institutional investors. A 2025 Ontario Financial Services Regulatory Authority enforcement action regarding pension contributions is the only disclosed regulatory issue, and is the principal near-term overhang on the business.

Name

Higginson Equipment

Legal name

Higginson Equipment Inc.

Website

https://higginson.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Higginson Equipment Inc., founded in 1945 and headquartered in Burlington, Ontario, designs and manufactures NFPA-standard hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders and distributes fluid power components from 20+ partner manufacturers. The privately-held, family-owned firm serves industrial OEMs across Canadian manufacturing, automation, transportation, and specialty sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hydraulic & Pneumatic Cylinders

NAICS

Fluid Power Cylinder and Actuator Manufacturing (333995), Fluid Power Valve and Hose Fitting Manufacturing (332912), Fluid Power Pump and Motor Manufacturing (333996)

SIC

Pumps & Pumping Equipment (3561)

akta.pro primary industry

Hydraulic Components (Pumps, Motors, Cylinders) (IMAHAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pneumatic Components (FRLs, Cylinders, Valves) (IMAHAGAC), Hydraulic, Pneumatic & Fluid Power Systems MRO (Cylinders, Pumps, Valves, Hoses) (TLAKAHAI), Hydraulic & Pneumatic Systems Service (Liftgates, Air Systems) (TLAKABAJ)

Keywords

• Hydraulic cylinders
• Pneumatic cylinders
• Fluid power components
• NFPA standard cylinders
• Industrial automation parts

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales - Manufactured Cylinders: Design and manufacture of air and hydraulic cylinders sold directly to industrial customers. Products include standard NFPA cylinders and custom cylinder applications.
2. Product Distribution: Distribution of hydraulic, pneumatic and specialty components from partner manufacturers including Freudenberg accumulators, Steed hydraulic products, Fabco-Air products and other industrial fluid power components.
3. Repair and Service: Service and repair of fluid power equipment including accumulator rebuilding and charging, and hydraulic/pneumatic cylinder repair.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Higginson Equipment Inc. designs and manufactures hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders following NFPA standards (including custom cylinders up to 14 inch bore) using SOLIDWORKS CAD and MasterCAM CAM software, and distributes complementary fluid power components from partner manufacturers including Freudenberg accumulators, Steed hydraulic products, and Fabco-Air pneumatic components. The company also provides repair, rebuilding, and charging services for fluid power equipment.

Product overview

Higginson Equipment Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of fluid power equipment founded in 1945, headquartered in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. The company operates as a single unified offering focused on hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders and related components. Their core manufactured products include Higginson Cylinders (Air & Hydraulic), Air & Medium Duty Hydraulic Cylinders (standard bore up to 12 inches, 250 PSI air / 1500 PSI hydraulic), Heavy Duty Hydraulic Cylinders (up to 3000 PSI, 45,000 lbs thrust), Custom Cylinders (up to 14 inches bore), and EconoMAX pneumatic truck/trailer cylinders. They distribute complementary products including Freudenberg accumulators (piston, bladder, diaphragm types) as Canadian distributor, Steed hydraulic products (valves, pumps, filters, coolers), and Fabco-Air pneumatic components (Pancake cylinders, FRLs, grippers, rotary actuators). They offer a web-based Product Configurator for cylinder specification. As a Lean Six Sigma company, they emphasize rapid turnaround and quality manufacturing using SOLIDWORKS CAD and MasterCAM CAM software.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EconoMAX: Industry standard pneumatic truck and trailer cylinder manufactured by Higginson Equipment, known for withstanding 250 PSI and designed for dump truck applications.
• Amtec Hydraclamp Inc.

Quantifiable outcome

• Standard cylinder lead time reduced from 6-8 weeks to 2 weeks
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Freudenberg Sealing TechnologiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHigginson Equipment awarded the Canadian national distributorship for Freudenberg Accumulators. Full product line including piston, bladder and diaphragm accumulators. Company provides sales, service, repair and charging capabilities for all Freudenberg accumulator products.
• Steed Hydraulic TechnologycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Steed Hydraulic Technology, a leading Asian manufacturer of hydraulic valves, pumps, filters, heat exchangers and accessories. Steed is noted as the fastest growing fluid power manufacturer in the market since establishment in 2011.
• Fabco-AircoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Fabco-Air pneumatic products including the Original Pancake compact air cylinder, H-Series stainless steel disposable cylinders, air actuators, air preparation, air presses, FRLs, grippers, multi-power cylinders, rod locks, rotary actuators, slides, sensors and valves.
• SMC PneumaticsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for SMC Pneumatics products.
• Dynex HydraulicsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Dynex hydraulic products.
• CPV ManufacturingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for CPV Manufacturing products.
• AAA Products InternationalminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for AAA Products International products.
• Humphrey ProductsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Humphrey Products pneumatic components.
• Motion Controls LLCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Motion Controls LLC products.
• Lehigh Fluid PowerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Lehigh Fluid Power products.
• DeublinminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Deublin rotating unions - world leader in precision rotating unions for machine tool coolant applications.
• Gusher PumpsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Gusher Pumps products.
• Aldon CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Aldon Company products including industrial derail equipment.
• DynatectminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Dynatect products.
• EFDYNminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for EFDYN products.
• John C. ErnstminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for John C. Ernst products.
• LinemasterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Linemaster foot switches and wireless controls. Over 30 years of distribution with stock of over 20 standard units.
• Oil-Rite CorporationminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Oil-Rite Corporation products.
• WintersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Winters products.
• BurkertminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Burkert products.
• MagnaloyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Magnaloy products.
• Canadian Fluid Power Association (CFPA)minorOthersMember of the Canadian Fluid Power Association.
• International Fluid Power Society (IFPS)minorOthersMember of the International Fluid Power Society.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Festo: Leading pneumatic components and automation supplier offering cylinders, valves, FRLs and actuators; directly comparable product mix to Higginson's pneumatic offerings.
• SMC Corporation: World's largest pneumatics manufacturer offering cylinders, valves, air preparation and actuators; Higginson is also an authorized distributor of SMC products and competes in adjacent pneumatic applications.
• Fabco-Air: Specialty pneumatic cylinder and component manufacturer including the Pancake, H-Series and F-Series cylinders; directly comparable product overlap and an active distribution partner of Higginson.
• Bimba Manufacturing: Manufacturer of pneumatic, hydraulic and electric actuators and cylinders; directly comparable in product category and OEM customer profile to Higginson's cylinder manufacturing business.
• Milwaukee Cylinder: US-based hydraulic and pneumatic cylinder manufacturer offering NFPA tie-rod and custom cylinders; comparable custom and standard NFPA cylinder focus to Higginson.
• Dynex Hydraulics: Manufacturer of high-pressure hydraulic pumps, motors and valves; comparable fluid power category and an active distribution partner of Higginson.

Broad incumbents

• Parker Hannifin: Global motion and control leader with extensive hydraulic and pneumatic cylinder, valve and pump lines; directly comparable product overlap but vastly larger scale and broader industrial portfolio than Higginson.
• Bosch Rexroth: Major manufacturer of hydraulic cylinders, pumps, valves and pneumatics serving industrial and mobile equipment OEMs worldwide; comparable cylinder and fluid power offering at much greater scale.
• Eaton: Industrial manufacturer with broad hydraulics, pneumatics and motion control portfolio including cylinders and valves; comparable product category but operates at global incumbent scale.

Emerging players

• Hydroline: European manufacturer of hydraulic cylinders and custom actuator solutions for mobile and industrial machinery; comparable custom and heavy-duty hydraulic cylinder niche to Higginson's custom cylinder line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/higginsonequip
• Facebookfacebook.com/higginsonequipment
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/higginson-equipment-sales

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Higginson Equipment