American Grinding & Machine
American Grinding & Machine Company is a Chicago-based, family-owned precision metalworking shop offering flat grinding, welding, and fabrication services alongside its proprietary BRUTE heavy-duty machine base product line, serving industrial OEMs in automation, automotive, aircraft, and food production.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1941
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What American Grinding & Machine does
American Grinding & Machine Company is a Chicago-based, third-generation family-owned precision metalworking shop founded in 1941. It operates as one of the largest flat grinding operations in the United States, running 22 large surface grinding machines that deliver surface finishes down to 32 microinches across a work envelope of 192 inches by 55 inches by 63 inches and parts weighing up to 10 tons. Core services include Blanchard rotary, surface, angle, bar, way, shear blade, slot, radius, die, and large surface grinding; MIG, stick, and continuous-wire-feed welding for weldments up to 30 tons; and metal fabrication spanning CNC flame cutting (up to 14 inches thick), saw cutting, shot blasting, vibration and stress relieving, machining, and finishing — all performed in-house across two Chicago buildings. The company also manufactures and sells the proprietary BRUTE Heavy Duty Machine Base line (Models 100, 200, 300, 400, Lite, plus Robot Pedestal and Heavy Duty Cart extensions) and operates Interstate Abrasives, Inc. as a wholly owned Midwest distribution subsidiary representing over thirty abrasive manufacturers. Customers are primarily industrial OEMs in automation, automotive, aircraft, and food production, reached through a quote-based direct sales model with nationwide sales representatives, online specification request forms, own-truck Chicagoland delivery, and common-carrier shipping nationally. Pricing is fully quote-driven with no published rates and credit applications accepted for multi-year engagements.
American Grinding & Machine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- American Grinding & Machine
- Legal name
- American Grinding and Machine Company
- Website
- https://americangrinding.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1941
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- American Grinding & Machine Company is a Chicago-based, family-owned precision metalworking shop offering flat grinding, welding, and fabrication services alongside its proprietary BRUTE heavy-duty machine base product line, serving industrial OEMs in automation, automotive, aircraft, and food production.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
American Grinding & Machine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Precision Metalworking Services
- NAICS
- Machine Shops (332710)
- SIC
- Sheet Metal Work (3444), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Welding, Fabrication & Field Machining Services (On-site) (IMAIACAD)
Keywords
Where American Grinding & Machine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
American Grinding & Machine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Grinding Services: Precision flat grinding services using 22 large surface grinding machines. Services include Blanchard rotary, surface, angle, bar, way, shear blade, and large surface grinding for industrial customers.
- Welding and Fabrication Services: Precision free-hand welding services using MIG, stick, and continuous wire feed welding. Metal fabrication including saw cutting, flame cutting, shot blasting, stress relieving, and machining. Fabricates weldments from small pieces up to 30 tons.
- BRUTE Machine Base Sales: Manufacturing and sale of proprietary BRUTE Heavy Duty Machine Bases in four standard models (100, 200, 300, 400) plus Lite variant. Bases are available in six standard shapes or completely customized.
- Abrasive Products Distribution: Distribution of grinding wheels, diamond wheels, CBN wheels, coated products, and related abrasive items through subsidiary Interstate Abrasives. Represents over thirty different manufacturers of abrasive products.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom quote-based pricing for all services and products |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
American Grinding & Machine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
American Grinding & Machine Company provides precision flat grinding, welding, and metal fabrication services to industrial customers using 22 large surface grinding machines, CNC flame cutting, and comprehensive in-house finishing processes. The company manufactures a proprietary line of BRUTE Heavy Duty Machine Bases (Models 100, 200, 300, 400, and Lite variants) and custom weldments from small pieces up to 30 tons. Through its wholly owned subsidiary Interstate Abrasives, it also distributes grinding wheels, diamond wheels, CBN wheels, and related abrasive products from over thirty manufacturers.
Product overview
American Grinding & Machine Company is a precision metalworking services provider offering a portfolio of heavy-duty machine bases under the BRUTE brand, along with grinding, welding, and fabrication services. The core BRUTE product line includes four standard heavy-duty machine base models (100, 200, 300, 400) plus an economical Lite variant, all featuring welded steel construction with Blanchard ground tops. Supporting products include robot pedestals, heavy duty carts, and a steel plate warehouse stocked with A36 material. The company operates a subsidiary, Interstate Abrasives, distributing grinding wheels and abrasives from over thirty manufacturers. Services span precision grinding (surface finishes to 32 microinches), welding (MIG, stick, wire feed), CNC flame cutting (up to 14 inches thickness), and custom fabrication for components up to 14 feet and 10 tons.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BRUTE: BRUTE is a heavy-duty machine base and table product line. Available in six standard shapes or customized. Includes Models 100, 200, 300, 400, and Lite variants.
- Interstate Abrasives
Products and services
- BRUTE Heavy Duty Machine Base Model 100 Heavy-duty welded steel machine base with Blanchard ground top plate, available in custom dimensions with optional features including coolant troughs, bolted top plates, and Mattison ground surfaces. For industrial equipment mounting applications.
- BRUTE Heavy Duty Machine Base Model 200 Heavy-duty welded steel machine base with 4x4x1/4 tubular legs and braces, featuring larger foot pads and extra centered legs for enhanced stability. For industrial equipment mounting.
- BRUTE Heavy Duty Machine Base Model 300 Heavy-duty welded steel machine base with extra centered pads and braces for enhanced stability. For industrial equipment mounting.
- BRUTE Heavy Duty Machine Base Model 400 Robot engineered heavy-duty welded steel machine base with 1/2 inch thick side panels, vibration stress relieved, shot blasted and painted gray enamel with Blanchard ground top. For heavy industrial equipment mounting.
- BRUTE Lite Machine Base Economical machine base made with welded formed side walls construction using 11 gauge or 3/16 inch thick steel, shot blasted and painted gray enamel with standard Blanchard ground top plate. For lighter-duty industrial equipment mounting.
- BRUTE Robot Pedestal Custom built riser blocks and robot pedestals precision ground and machined to specifications, providing versatility for machine bases with optional aluminum, stainless steel, or free machining tops. For robotic equipment installations.
- BRUTE Heavy Duty Cart Heavy duty carts constructed from 2x2x1/4 angle iron with welded construction, load capacity of 5,000 pounds without casters or 2,000 pounds with casters, available in three standard sizes (24x30, 30x36, 36x42) up to 36 inches high. For industrial material handling.
- Stock Steel Plate Warehouse Steel warehousing facilities stocking A36 hot rolled steel plate from 3/16 inch to 8 inches thick in standard sizes, with four flame cutting machines running 24 hours a day and flame cutting capacities of 90 inches wide, 360 inches long, and 16 inches thick. For industrial customers needing cut-to-size steel plate.
- Grinding Services Precision flat grinding services including Blanchard rotary, surface, bar, angle, way, lathe bed, shear blade, slot, radius, die, and large surface grinding. Capabilities include surface finishes down to 32 microinches, work envelope up to 192 inches length, handling parts up to 10 tons. For industrial manufacturers requiring precision grinding.
- Welding Services Precision free-hand welding services using MIG, stick, and continuous wire feed welding technology for hot rolled and stainless steel plate and structural fabrications, with certified technicians and in-process inspections. For industrial customers needing certified welding.
- Fabrication Services Metal fabrication including saw and flame cutting (CNC capable of cutting up to 14 inches thickness), shot blasting, welding, vibration and stress relieving, and machining and finishing processes for components up to 14 feet length, 10 feet width, weighing up to 10 tons. For industrial manufacturers requiring custom metal fabrication.
- Abrasives Distribution (Interstate Abrasives) Wholesale distribution of abrasive products including grinding wheels (Vitrified Bond, Resinoid Bond, Rubber Bond, Epoxy Bond), coated products, diamond dressers, diamond wheels, diamond rolls, CBN wheels, roller dressers, and coolants from over thirty manufacturers. Operated through wholly owned subsidiary Interstate Abrasives, Inc., one of the largest abrasive distributors in the Midwest.
- Custom Abrasives Consulting Technical consulting and supply of abrasive products for industrial metalworking applications including grinding wheels for Mattison, Blanchard, centerless, creep feed, and cylindrical grinding, plus diamond dressers, CBN wheels, coolants, and fluid management equipment. For industrial metalworking customers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Surface finishes down to 32 microinches achieved consistently
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use American Grinding & Machine
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
American Grinding & Machine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
American Grinding & Machine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
American Grinding & Machine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hennig Industries: Hennig Industries (Rockford, IL) designs and manufactures industrial machine bases, enclosures, way covers, and telescopic steel covers. It is a direct comparable to American Grinding's BRUTE heavy-duty machine base product line, serving overlapping automation and heavy-equipment OEM customers.
- Taft-Peirce Manufacturing: Taft-Peirce Manufacturing provides precision contract manufacturing including CNC machining, surface grinding, and fabrication services. It competes head-to-head with American Grinding for outsourced precision grinding and custom metal fabrication work from industrial OEMs in the Midwest.
- Advanced Machine & Engineering Co. Advanced Machine & Engineering (AME) is a precision machine shop producing workholding, engineered components, and machined parts. It serves the same industrial customer base as American Grinding with comparable tolerances and precision machining capabilities.
- Marshall Manufacturing: Marshall Manufacturing provides precision CNC machining and sheet metal fabrication for industrial OEM customers. Its combination of contract machining and fabrication services directly overlaps with American Grinding's welding and fabrication offering.
- Precision Grinding & Manufacturing: Precision Grinding & Manufacturing (PGM) provides contract precision grinding services to industrial customers, including surface and Blanchard grinding. It is a direct head-to-head competitor in American Grinding's core service line.
Emerging players
- Midaco Corporation: Midaco produces pallet changers and machine tool accessories that integrate with machining centers. Its products are often deployed alongside heavy-duty machine bases similar to BRUTE, serving overlapping CNC and automation customers.
- Abrasive Technology: Abrasive Technology manufactures diamond and CBN grinding wheels and related precision abrasive products. It is a relevant peer because American Grinding's Interstate Abrasives subsidiary distributes competing manufacturers' abrasive products to industrial grinding customers.
Broad incumbents
- Norton Abrasives: Norton Abrasives (a Saint-Gobain brand) is one of the world's largest manufacturers of bonded and coated abrasive products. It is a broad incumbent upstream supplier whose products flow through American Grinding's Interstate Abrasives distribution subsidiary.
- Saint-Gobain Abrasives: Saint-Gobain Abrasives is the global parent of Norton and a broad industrial abrasive manufacturer with a portfolio well beyond grinding wheels. Comparable to American Grinding's abrasive distribution arm as a much larger, broader incumbent in the same supply chain.
Others
- Empire Abrasive Equipment Company: Empire Abrasive Equipment manufactures abrasive blast equipment and related surface preparation systems. It is an adjacent, thematically related company in the industrial surface-finishing space, serving overlapping metalworking customers without directly competing in contract grinding.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
American Grinding & Machine social profiles
Digital presenceAmerican Grinding & Machine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
American Grinding & Machine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
American Grinding & Machine subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
American Grinding & Machine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
American Grinding & Machine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about American Grinding & Machine
What does American Grinding & Machine do?
American Grinding & Machine Company provides precision flat grinding, welding, and metal fabrication services to industrial customers using 22 large surface grinding machines, CNC flame cutting, and comprehensive in-house finishing processes. The company manufactures a proprietary line of BRUTE Heavy Duty Machine Bases (Models 100, 200, 300, 400, and Lite variants) and custom weldments from small pieces up to 30 tons. Through its wholly owned subsidiary Interstate Abrasives, it also distributes grinding wheels, diamond wheels, CBN wheels, and related abrasive products from over thirty manufacturers.
Is American Grinding & Machine a public or private company?
American Grinding & Machine is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was American Grinding & Machine founded?
American Grinding & Machine was founded in 1941. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is American Grinding & Machine based?
American Grinding & Machine is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does American Grinding & Machine make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Grinding Services are the primary driver. The others are welding and Fabrication Services, BRUTE Machine Base Sales and abrasive Products Distribution.
Who are American Grinding & Machine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hennig Industries, Taft-Peirce Manufacturing, Advanced Machine & Engineering Co., Marshall Manufacturing and Precision Grinding & Manufacturing. Emerging players are Midaco Corporation and Abrasive Technology. Broad incumbents are Norton Abrasives and Saint-Gobain Abrasives. Empire Abrasive Equipment Company is listed as an others.
Does American Grinding & Machine have an API?
No public API is recorded for American Grinding & Machine.
What industry is American Grinding & Machine in?
American Grinding & Machine's product category is Precision Metalworking Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAIACAD, Welding, Fabrication & Field Machining Services (On-site). Its NAICS code is 332710 and its SIC code is 3444.