What Clyde does

Clyde Machines, Inc. is a privately held Minnesota C Corporation founded in 1961 in Glenwood, Minnesota, that designs and manufactures aircraft ground support equipment (GSE). The company produces a catalog of more than 100 product models across 12 equipment categories, including towbars (covering Airbus, Boeing, Douglas/MD, Lockheed, Embraer, Bombardier, and Fokker aircraft), cargo pallet trailers, 20' pallet trailers, maintenance and crew stands, passenger stairs, pallet racks, baggage carts, container trailers, slave pallets, wheel and brake changers, and the LockNCart ladder storage system co-developed with LockNClimb. Underlying manufacturing capabilities housed at the single Glenwood facility include precision hydraulic motor production, CNC machining, dual-axis fiber laser cutting (a 2kW unit and a 9kW unit with automated material handling), robotic and manual welding (AWS-certified, including Mil-Spec and SAE compliance), and automated and manual powder coating. The company additionally offers custom-designed specialty products including KC-135 cargo access stands and nuclear towbars.

Clyde's customer base spans most major U.S. and foreign air carriers, ground handling service companies, and military customers across more than 30 countries on six continents. Revenue is generated through two streams: direct, quote-based sales of custom-manufactured GSE hardware, and contract manufacturing services (assembly, laser cutting, metal fabrication, powder coating, welding) sold to OEM customers in agricultural, automotive, appliance, and aircraft industries. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is determined per order; sales are managed by named personnel including President Chad Barsness and Equipment Sales Manager Thomas Larson, with distribution handled directly to enterprise buyers.

The company has been woman-owned and operated since 1971, when founder Clyde W. Olson's daughters Jennifer Barsness and Araura Nestor assumed control following his death. In 2017, the second generation transitioned to the Board of Directors and third-generation family members Chad Barsness (President) and Clay Nestor (Vice-President) took over operating leadership, preserving the woman-owned classification. Clyde Machines holds SAE, Mil-Spec, FAA, ANSI, AS, AWS, CE, DOT, and QS compliance for its products and operates from a single production site in Glenwood, Minnesota, with 51-100 employees.

Name

Clyde

Legal name

Clyde Machines, Inc.

Website

https://clydemachines.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Clyde Machines is a privately held, woman-owned manufacturer founded in 1961 that designs and builds aircraft ground support equipment—towbars, cargo trailers, passenger stairs, maintenance stands, and related GSE—for airlines, ground handlers, and military customers across 30+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aircraft Ground Support Equipment

NAICS

Industrial Truck, Tractor, Trailer, and Stacker Machinery Manufacturing (333924)

SIC

Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Airport Ground Support Equipment (GSE) Vehicle Manufacturing (IMACAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Airport Ground Support Vehicles (Tugs, Baggage Tractors, Deicers) (IMAHAIAF)

Keywords

• Aircraft ground support equipment
• Aviation ground handling
• GSE manufacturing
• Aircraft towbars
• Cargo handling trailers

Headquarters

HQ city

Glenwood

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Aircraft Ground Support Equipment Sales: Direct sales of manufactured GSE products including towbars, cargo pallet trailers, maintenance stands, passenger stairs, baggage carts, container trailers, slave pallets, and wheel/brake changers. Products are sold as one-time purchases to airlines, ground handlers, and military customers globally.
2. Contract Manufacturing Services: Provides contract manufacturing services to OEM industry and military customers including assembly services, laser cutting, metal fabrication, powder coating, and welding services. Works with various industries including agricultural equipment, aircraft, appliances, and automotive.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Clyde Machines, Inc. designs and manufactures aircraft ground support equipment (GSE) including towbars, cargo-pallet trailers, container trailers, maintenance/crew stands, passenger stairs, pallet racks, baggage carts, slave pallets, and wheel/brake changers for airlines, ground handling companies, and military customers worldwide. The company also performs contract manufacturing services—assembly, laser cutting, metal fabrication, powder coating, and welding—for OEM and military clients across aviation, agricultural, appliance, and automotive industries, supported by an in-house manufacturing facility in Glenwood, Minnesota.

Product overview

Clyde Machines is a world leader in aircraft ground support equipment (GSE), offering a comprehensive portfolio of over 100 distinct product models across 12 core equipment categories plus contract manufacturing services. The product line centers on ground handling equipment including Cargo-Pallet Trailers, 20' Pallet Trailers, Towbars, Maintenance/Crew Stands, Passenger Stairs, Pallet Racks, Baggage Carts, Container Trailers, Slave Pallets, and Wheel & Brake Changers. The company also produces custom-designed specialty equipment and the LockNCart ladder storage system. Complementing the equipment portfolio is a full suite of contract manufacturing services encompassing Assembly, Laser Cutting, Metal Fabrication, Powder Coating, and Welding. All products follow applicable SAE standards and serve both civilian and military aviation customers worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LockNCart: A ladder storage cart designed to securely hold LockNClimb ergonomic safety ladders for various aircraft including Airbus A220, A300, A330, A350, Boeing 737, 757, 767, 777, 787, MD10/11, and MD 88/90 B17.

Products and services

• 20' Pallet Trailers Extended-length aircraft pallet trailers designed for larger cargo loads, including 40' models at 50,000 lb capacity (15F3925) plus 15F2925, 15F3083, and 15F2625 series for varied pallet configurations and heavy cargo transport between aircraft and terminal facilities.
• Cargo-Pallet Trailers Aircraft ground support equipment trailers that transport cargo pallets and ULD containers between aircraft and terminal facilities, with model series 15F3570 (15,000 lb capacity), 15F4680, 15F4080, 15F2710, and 15F3285 supporting LD1 through LD29 pallet and container sizes.
• Towbars Aircraft towing equipment for pushback and ground maneuvering of aircraft, with 23+ towbar models supporting Airbus (A220–A380), Boeing (717–787), Douglas/MD, Lockheed, Embraer, Bombardier, and Fokker aircraft in clamp-type and pin-type head configurations.
• Maintenance/Crew Stands Mobile elevated work platforms for aircraft maintenance, crew access, and inspections; over 20 models include standard maintenance stands (15F1900, 15F2011, 15F2698), windshield, spiral, radome, work, gear strut, folding, lav/GPU, and cargo door access stands.
• Passenger Stairs Self-propelled passenger boarding stairs for aircraft door access, including models 15F2850 (58–93 inch heights), 15F2820 (88–161 inch), 15F2830 (134–223 inch), and fully galvanized 15F4830, supporting regional jets through large commercial aircraft.
• Pallet Racks Cargo storage and handling racks for aircraft containers and pallets, including roller deck model 15F2965 (15,000 lb capacity), 15F2960, caster deck 15F2195, and 15F2005, configured for 96x125 and 88x125 inch container sizes.
• Baggage Carts Ground support equipment for baggage and cargo transport including 15F3400 (5x10 box, 8,000 lb capacity), 15F3500 open cart, 15F3450 knockdown cart, 15F3825 with HDPE panels, 15F3072 lift cart, and 15F2959 high-capacity cart, with multiple tire options.
• Container Trailers Trailers for transporting aircraft containers and ULDs in multiple model series (15F4805/4810 at 3,500 lb; 15F4885/4895 at 7,000 lb; and 15F4890/4896) available in 2-wheel and 4-wheel steering configurations.
• Slave Pallets Material handling equipment for loading and unloading aircraft containers and pallets, including end-load (15F2353), side-load (15F2525), low profile (15F3535, 15F2742), and truck system variants (15F2843, 15F3399, 15F3711) with galvanized rollers.
• Wheel & Brake Changer Aircraft wheel and brake maintenance equipment. Model 15F590 facilitates wheel and brake disc changes for Boeing, Douglas, Lockheed, and Airbus aircraft with 750 lb max lift capacity; Model 15F3141 is a tire service cart with diamond plate walk surfaces.
• Specially Designed Products Custom-engineered aircraft ground support equipment for specialized applications, including KC-135 cargo access stands, 60,000 lb capacity transition decks, mobility chair lifts, custom trailers, warehouse carts, 80,000 lb capacity cargo trailers, ball deck units, deicing stands, nuclear towbars, and other custom maintenance solutions.
• LockNCart Storage and transport cart for aircraft maintenance safety ladders, designed and built by Clyde Machines to securely hold LockNClimb ergonomic ladder packages for Boeing 757/767, 777, 787 and Airbus 220, 320 series aircraft, with an 8,000 lb capacity base frame, powder-coated structural steel rack, and 3-inch lunette for towing.
• Assembly Services Full-service contract assembly including box-build assembly, just-in-time scheduling, and application-specific test and inspection for welded structural assemblies, aircraft ground support equipment, appliances, light fixtures, mechanical subsystems, and electrical/hydraulic systems, operated under a lean manufacturing framework for OEM customers.
• Laser Cutting Services Precision contract laser cutting using two fiber lasers: a 2kW and a 9kW machine with automated material handling. Cuts aluminum, stainless steel, and steel alloys from 0.032" to 1.25" thickness, maximum sheet size 72" x 144", tolerances to ±0.001", supporting OEM, prototyping, and production-level processing.
• Metal Fabrication Services Comprehensive contract metal fabrication including CNC machining, press braking, cutting, welding, rolling, and tube bending for aluminum, stainless steel, steel alloys, nickel alloys, structural steel, and architectural metals. Equipment includes CNC vertical mills, lathes, 350-ton and 250-ton press brakes, and fiber lasers.
• Powder Coating Services Contract powder coating finishing with automated and manual spray lines and blasting booths on aluminum, stainless steel, and steel substrates. Epoxy chemistries provide durability against impact, abrasion, corrosion, and environmental conditions, with multiple color and texture options available.
• Welding Services Contract robotic and manual MIG, orbital, and spray welding with AWS certified professionals. Two robotic welding stations for high-volume repetitive work plus 26 manual MIG welding stations; supports aircraft ground support equipment, OEM, and military products with Mil-Spec and SAE compliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products used by most major U.S. and foreign air carriers in 30+ countries

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• LockNClimbminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClyde Machines designed and built the LockNCart product, a ladder storage cart specifically designed to hold LockNClimb ergonomic safety ladders for aircraft maintenance. The LockNCart securely stores ladders produced by LockNClimb for Boeing and Airbus aircraft series.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TLD Group: TLD is one of the world's largest manufacturers of aircraft ground support equipment, producing tugs, belt loaders, tractors, and cargo handling equipment that directly overlap with Clyde's product portfolio in serving the same airline and ground-handling customers.
• JBT AeroTech: JBT AeroTech is a leading global supplier of GSE including cargo loaders, deicers, and air unit devices. It competes directly with Clyde in the airline ground handling equipment segment and shares many of the same major airline customers.
• Tronair: Tronair manufactures aircraft towbars, jacks, maintenance equipment, and ground support tools — a product set that overlaps closely with Clyde's towbar and maintenance stand lines, serving the same MRO and airline customer base.
• Mallaghan: Mallaghan is a global manufacturer of airport ground support equipment including passenger stairs, baggage carts, catering trucks, and deicers. It competes with Clyde in nearly every product category and serves the same international airline and ground-handling customer segments.
• Global Ground Support (GGS): Global Ground Support manufactures GSE including baggage tugs, belt loaders, and towbars for the aviation industry. It is a like-sized direct competitor to Clyde in the production of airport ramp equipment for airlines and ground handlers.

Broad incumbents

• Textron GSE (TUG, Safeaero, Premier): Textron's GSE brands (TUG Technologies, Safeaero, Premier) produce a broad range of airport ground support vehicles including baggage tractors and towbar tugs. As part of the diversified Textron portfolio, they compete with Clyde across multiple GSE categories globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Clyde