Stewart-warner

What Stewart-warner does

Stewart-Warner is a 115+ year-old American manufacturer of automotive gauges and instrumentation, founded in 1905 and currently operating as a brand under maximatecc within CentroMotion, which has been owned by private equity firm One Rock Capital Partners since 2019. The company produces a comprehensive portfolio of gauges (speedometers, tachometers, fuel level, voltmeters, pressure, temperature), pre-configured 5- and 6-gauge kits, hourmeters, senders, switches, and installation accessories, organized across multiple branded series including Deluxe, Wings, Green Line, Heavy Duty, Power Series, Mariner, Muscle, Catalina, Aviator, and Forged Carbon. Its core proprietary technology centers on a patented air-core movement — two copper-wound coils around a magnetized armature suspended in damping fluid to minimize pointer flutter — for electrical gauges, supplemented by bourdon tube mechanisms with vibration dampening for mechanical gauges and proprietary variable-resistance senders.

The business model is per-unit hardware sales distributed through a global network of national distributors and warehouse distributors, with prominent shelf placement at the three largest US specialty automotive aftermarket retailers — Summit Racing Equipment, Speedway Motors, and JEGS High Performance — plus a first-party e-commerce channel at stewartwarner.com serving the lower 48 US states. Individual gauges are priced roughly $54 to $222 and 5/6-gauge kits roughly $936 to $1,037. Customer segments span hot rod and custom car enthusiasts (primary), restomod and performance builders, marine/boat owners, heavy-duty/commercial truck operators, and racing/motorsport teams, addressed via a horizontal segmentation approach supported by an active SEMA charter-member trade show presence, content marketing, newsletter, and dealer-locator channel.

Name

Stewart-warner

Legal name

Stewart-Warner

Website

https://stewartwarner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1905

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stewart-Warner is a 115-year-old American manufacturer of automotive gauges, gauge kits, hourmeters, senders, and switches, sold to hot rod enthusiasts, restomod builders, marine, heavy-duty, and racing customers via specialty retailers, global distributors, and direct e-commerce under CentroMotion ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lancaster

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Automotive Gauges and Instrumentation: Direct product sales of automotive gauges including speedometers, tachometers, temperature gauges, pressure gauges, voltmeters, and fuel level gauges. Products sold individually and in complete gauge kits.
2. Aftermarket Accessories and Parts: Senders, switches, hourmeters, fuel pumps, sensors, and mounting accessories for automotive and marine applications. Replacement and service parts for existing Stewart-Warner installations.
3. OEM and Heavy-Duty Products: Deep portfolio of OEM replacement and service parts, as well as instruments and accessories used by heavy-duty market. Products used in trucks and commercial applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stewart-Warner manufactures and sells automotive gauges and instrumentation including speedometers, tachometers, fuel level gauges, voltmeters, pressure gauges, and temperature gauges. The company offers multiple branded product series (Deluxe, Wings, Green Line, Heavy Duty, Power Series, Mariner, Muscle, Catalina, Aviator, Forged Carbon) targeting hot rods, muscle cars, classic restorations, marine vessels, and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. Supporting products include hourmeters, senders, switches, gauge kits, and installation accessories.

Product overview

Stewart-Warner is a manufacturer of automotive gauges and instrumentation with over 115 years of history, offering a comprehensive portfolio of gauge products organized into distinct product lines. The core offerings include individual gauges (speedometers, tachometers, fuel level gauges, voltmeters, pressure gauges, temperature gauges) and pre-configured gauge kits available in 5-gauge and 6-gauge sets. Supporting products include senders, switches, and accessories. The product lines range from traditional series (Deluxe™, Wings™, Green Line™, Heavy Duty™, Power Series™) to modern series (Mariner, Muscle, Catalina, Aviator, Forged Carbon), catering to hot rods, muscle cars, marine applications, and heavy-duty vehicles. The company operates as a maximatecc brand under CentroMotion and focuses on physical instrumentation rather than software or AI-based solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Deluxe™: Classic gauge line with iconic SW badge, designed for accuracy and performance
• Heavy Duty™
• Wings™
• Green Line™
• Heavy Duty Plus™
• Power Series™
• Mariner
• Muscle
• Catalina
• Aviator
• Forged Carbon

Products and services

• Deluxe Gauges

Quantifiable outcome

• Premium pricing justified by 115+ years of industry leadership and patented technology
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered parent, major, industry and minor.

• maximateccparentOthersStewart-Warner is a maximatecc brand. Maximatecc provides operator information and human-machine interface systems, and is part of CentroMotion portfolio.
• CentroMotionparentOthersStewart-Warner is part of CentroMotion, a global manufacturing company specializing in friction products, mechanical power and information systems, and thermal and motion controls. CentroMotion consists of six key global brands including CrossControl, Elliott Manufacturing, Gits Manufacturing, Power-Packer, and Weasler Engineering.
• Summit Racing EquipmentmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor automotive aftermarket retailer distributing Stewart-Warner products. Available through Summit Racing website and retail locations.
• Speedway MotorsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor automotive aftermarket retailer distributing Stewart-Warner products. Available through Speedway Motors website and retail locations.
• JEGS High PerformancemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor automotive aftermarket retailer distributing Stewart-Warner products. Available through JEGS website and retail locations.
• SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association)industryStrategic or Co-development PartnerStewart-Warner is a charter SEMA member and has been a proud exhibitor at the SEMA Show for many years. SEMA is the trade organization representing the $44.6 billion automotive aftermarket industry.
• Made in Chicago MuseumminorOthersHistorical information and images shared by The Made in Chicago Museum, which houses an archive of historical artifacts from the Chicagoland area.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Auto Meter Products: Auto Meter is the leading US performance aftermarket gauge manufacturer, offering speedometers, tachometers, and auxiliary gauges directly competitive with Stewart-Warner's core product lines across hot rod, muscle car, and racing segments.
• Dakota Digital: Dakota Digital specializes in digital and hybrid retrofit instrument systems for classic cars and hot rods, competing directly with Stewart-Warner in the restomod and custom gauge segment with a more technology-forward product range.
• Classic Instruments: Classic Instruments focuses on direct-fit and custom gauge packages for muscle cars, trucks, and hot rods — overlapping almost entirely with Stewart-Warner's restoration and restomod customer base.
• Equus (by Davis Instruments): Equus manufactures aftermarket and replacement automotive gauges sold through retail channels, competing with Stewart-Warner in the value and mid-tier gauge segment for everyday automotive repair and customization.
• Faria Beede Instruments: Faria Beede produces marine and automotive gauges for OEMs and the aftermarket, directly overlapping with Stewart-Warner's Mariner marine line and its broader gauge replacement business.
• AEM Performance Electronics: AEM makes digital displays, wideband controllers, and performance gauges targeting the same sport compact and racing enthusiast base that overlaps with Stewart-Warner's Power Series and racing product lines.
• Defi (by Nippon Seiki): Defi is a Japanese performance gauge brand offering high-end boost, temperature, and pressure gauges with digital control units, competing with Stewart-Warner in the import and JDM tuning segments of the aftermarket.
• Stack (by Auto Meter): Stack produces professional motorsport instrumentation including tachometers and data loggers, competing with Stewart-Warner's racing and high-performance product positioning in professional and club-level motorsport.
• Marshall Instruments: Marshall Instruments manufactures aftermarket automotive gauges and speedometers with strong muscle-car and vintage fitment lines, positioning itself similarly to Stewart-Warner in the restoration and customization segment.

Broad incumbents

• VDO (Continental): VDO is a major OEM automotive instrument supplier within Continental, providing gauge clusters and instrumentation to vehicle manufacturers globally — a broader incumbent that competes with Stewart-Warner primarily on commercial and heavy-duty OEM opportunities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StewartWarnerUS
• Facebookfacebook.com/StewartWarnerUS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stewart-warner-instrument-corporation

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 Stewart-warner