What Phelps Industries does

Phelps Industries, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned manufacturer of heavy industrial bulk materials handling equipment headquartered at 1700 E. 9th Street, Little Rock, Arkansas. Founded in 1927 initially to produce pneumatic loading systems, the company expanded in the early 1970s into truck dumpers, hoppers, and hydraulic power units, and began manufacturing its own multi-stage telescopic hydraulic cylinders in 1980. The company serves enterprise, mid-market, and government customers across the United States and 29 other countries, with more than 950 dumpers in service globally and operational lifespans exceeding 40 years on early units.

The core product line centers on truck dumpers (available in standard pivot, extended arm, portable, and semi-portable configurations, with platform lengths from 21 to 75 feet and tilt angles from 36 to 63 degrees), supported by hydraulic power units (60 to 2,000 gallon reservoirs, 2,000 PSI), custom live-bottom and corn receiving hoppers, container tilters/loaders for intermodal freight, low-profile landfill tippers, and the Backrake hopper-discharge attachment. All equipment is custom engineered and fabricated in-house at the Little Rock plant, which is certified to AWS D1.1 structural welding and employs submerged arc, gas metal arc, and flux cored arc welding processes. Differentiated engineering includes fully welded telescopic cylinder construction with generous stage overlap, extended-pivot-radius dumper platforms for higher lifting capacity and fatigue life, and patented designs on the Low Profile Landfill Trailer Tipper (US Patents 5,080,548; 5,344,271; 5,458,451) and the Container Tilter.

The business model is direct sales of custom-engineered, one-time equipment sales with no disclosed list pricing. Sales engineers (including family members John Phelps, Drew Certain, and Daniel Darcey) consult with customers on application parameters such as truck/trailer length, gross vehicle weight, and material handled before engineering and manufacturing a configured solution. Revenue is generated through equipment sales complemented by turn-key installation partnerships for complete facility delivery. Customer segments span wood and biomass processing, waste management and recycling, agricultural produce handling, food and commodity processing, industrial raw materials, and intermodal container handling, with named end users including Cascade Pulp, Woodville Renewable, Kettle Foods, Texas Citrus Exchange, and the City of Springfield. No subscription, recurring service, or aftermarket revenue stream is documented.

Name

Phelps Industries

Legal name

Phelps Industries, Inc.

Website

https://phelpsindustries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1927

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Phelps Industries is a family-owned Arkansas manufacturer, founded in 1927, that designs and builds custom heavy industrial truck dumpers, telescopic hydraulic cylinders, hoppers, and landfill tippers for bulk materials handling customers in 30 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Bulk Materials Handling Equipment

NAICS

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

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Bulk Solids Handling & Processing Equipment (Conveying, Silo, Feeders) (IMAHAEAG)

Keywords

• Truck dumpers
• Bulk materials handling
• Telescopic hydraulic cylinders
• Industrial hoppers
• Landfill tippers

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Industrial Equipment Manufacturing: Phelps Industries manufactures custom heavy industrial equipment including truck dumpers, hoppers, cylinders, and power units. Equipment is custom-built to customer specifications based on application parameters including truck/trailer length, gross weight, and product handled. Revenue is generated through one-time equipment sales with custom engineering and manufacturing services.
2. Custom Engineering and Fabrication Services: Custom equipment design and fabrication services for specialty needs. Engineering department designs custom telescopic hydraulic cylinders from one to five stages. Turn-key project installations available through partner companies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Phelps Industries designs, engineers, and custom-manufactures heavy industrial bulk materials handling equipment, with truck dumpers as its core product, alongside proprietary telescopic hydraulic cylinders, hydraulic power units, receiving hoppers (including corn hoppers), landfill tippers, semi-portable dumpers, container dumpers/loaders, and the Backrake hopper attachment. Every piece of equipment is custom-built to customer specifications, fabricated entirely at the company's Little Rock, Arkansas plant using AWS D1.1 certified welding, and test-assembled before shipping.

Product overview

Phelps Industries manufactures heavy industrial bulk-handling equipment, primarily truck dumpers and related material handling systems. The core product line centers on truck dumpers (available in standard, extended arm/yoke, portable, and semi-portable configurations) complemented by hydraulic power units and proprietary telescopic cylinders that power the dumpers. Supporting products include receiving hoppers (standard and corn-specific), container tilters for loading/unloading intermodal containers, landfill tippers, and the Backrake attachment for hopper discharge optimization. All products are custom manufactured at the company's Little Rock, Arkansas facility with in-house engineering and manufacturing capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Truck Dumpers Heavy-duty rigid truck dumpers with platform lengths from 21' to 75', tilt angles of 36°, 45°, 55°, and 63°, built with heavy I-beams, formed beams, and four-way plate floor construction. Designed for permanent or portable installation at industrial bulk-handling facilities.
• Landfill Tipper Low profile landfill trailer tipper with self-contained diesel-powered hydraulic power unit for over-the-road transportation and on-cell relocation in landfill operations. Approximately 15 minutes required for in-cell relocation. Licensed under U.S. Patents 5,080,548; 5,344,271; and 5,458,451.
• Semi Portable Dumpers Portable truck dumpers equipped with axles, wheels, and tires for over-the-road transport, available in standard elevated and low profile designs for facilities needing relocation flexibility.
• Container Dumper (Unloading) Hydraulic tilters designed to unload 20 to 40 foot intermodal containers, working with flatbed trailers or transfer car rail systems, with elevation angles from 30 to 65 degrees.
• Container Loader (Loading) Patented hydraulically operated container tilter for loading intermodal containers, featuring slide gate technology to secure containers during the loading process. Positions Phelps Container Tilter as the only patented container tilting device made in the USA.
• Telescopic Hydraulic Cylinders Multi-stage single-acting telescopic hydraulic cylinders manufactured in-house by Phelps since 1980, with five standard series ranging from 5" to 10" smallest stage O.D. and custom sizes up to 15.125". Rated at maximum 2,000 PSI.
• Hoppers Custom manufactured live-bottom receiving hoppers with a 4,400 cubic foot standard capacity, available with drag chain or reciprocating floors. Designed to convey wood chips, bark, sawdust, shavings, and wood waste at 150 tons per hour, 24/7 operation.
• Corn Hopper Hydraulically operated receiving hopper for bulk corn deliveries from self-dumping trucks, with reciprocating floor, variable volume power unit with remote speed control, and a portable design that can be moved between receiving stations by two forklifts.
• Hydraulic Power Units Custom industrial hydraulic power units with reservoir sizes from 60 to 2,000 gallons, featuring JIC standards, internal baffles, oil level gauges, manway access, and an exclusively designed aluminum block manifold for flanged mounted valves. All units rated at 2,000 PSI.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 950 dumpers in service across United States and 29 countries
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Turn-Key Installation PartnersminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPhelps Industries is involved with a few companies that can offer dumper and hopper installations as a turn-key project. These partners handle complete facility setup and installation services.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heil Trailer International: Manufactures refuse truck bodies, dump bodies, and bulk-material handling trailers. Directly comparable to Phelps in producing heavy-duty dump bodies and bulk-handling equipment for the waste, aggregate, and agricultural industries.
• Knapheide: Manufacturer of truck bodies, utility bodies, platform bodies, and dump bodies for commercial fleets. Comparable to Phelps on custom-built truck-mounted bulk handling and dumping solutions for commercial/industrial customers.
• McNeilus Truck & Manufacturing: A major manufacturer of refuse truck bodies and concrete mixer chassis, with related bulk material handling equipment. Overlaps with Phelps on truck-mounted dumper and bulk-handling systems for waste and construction applications.
• Superior Industries: U.S. manufacturer of bulk material handling equipment including conveyors, feed systems, crushing and screening equipment. Directly comparable to Phelps in bulk solids handling systems and process equipment for aggregate, mining, and industrial customers.

Emerging players

• Masaba Inc. Manufacturer of bulk material handling and processing equipment including conveyors, hoppers, feeders, and portable equipment for aggregate and mining industries. Comparable to Phelps in custom bulk-handling systems with a focus on aggregate and mining use cases.

Regional players

• Marathon Equipment: Manufactures waste and recycling balers, compactors, and transfer station equipment. Adjacent to Phelps' landfill tipper business in serving municipal solid waste and recycling facilities, though focused on compaction and baling rather than dumping.

Broad incumbents

• Terex Corporation: Global manufacturer of lifting and material processing equipment including aerial work platforms, cranes, and materials processing machinery (crushers, screens, washers). Comparable to Phelps as a heavy industrial equipment maker serving bulk materials handling applications, but at vastly larger scale and broader product portfolio.
• Caterpillar: World's largest heavy equipment manufacturer, with material handling and bulk earthmoving product lines. Tangentially comparable to Phelps via construction and mining-oriented material handling equipment, but vastly larger and broader portfolio.
• Liebherr: Family-owned global manufacturer of heavy equipment including earthmoving, mining, and material handling machinery (cranes, hydraulic excavators). Comparable as a privately held, broad industrial equipment manufacturer with overlap in heavy lifting and bulk handling.
• Konecranes: Global leader in lifting equipment, cranes, and material handling solutions, including port and industrial applications. Comparable in heavy-duty lifting and bulk-handling systems, though Phelps operates at a much smaller scale and more custom niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Phelps Industries