What Stearns does

Stearns, founded in 1916 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, manufactures industrial spring-set electric motor brakes, clutches, and SINPAC electronic start switches as a division of Regal Rexnord (NYSE: RXN). The company produces solenoid actuated brakes (SAB) and armature actuated brakes (AAB) with torque ranges from 1.5 lb-ft to 1,000 lb-ft (2 to 1,356 Nm), alongside heavy-duty industrial clutches in spring-engaged and electrically-engaged configurations, and a line of non-sparking electronic start switches. Its products serve industrial manufacturing, crane and hoist, marine, mining, oil and gas, food and beverage, agriculture, elevators, precision manufacturing, tire manufacturing, and hazardous-location applications.

The company's product platform is built on spring-set, electrically released motor brakes that engage when power is interrupted, providing power-off safety holding. Stearns differentiates through an industry-first self-adjusting mechanism that automatically compensates for friction lining wear, a patented splined hub design that increases friction disc working area and improves heat dissipation, and in-house manufacturing of its own friction discs. It holds the only MSHA certification for motor brakes used in underground coal mines and ABS Type Approval for maritime and Navy applications, with ISO 9001:2015, UL, RoHS, REACH, and TSCA compliance across its product line. The company positions itself as the primary supplier to all US motor manufacturers and the market leader for solenoid brakes with over 100 years of design and manufacturing experience.

Stearns generates revenue primarily through hardware sales of motor brakes, clutches, and electronic start switches, distributed exclusively through a nationwide North American network of power transmission distributors including all major national chains. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company supports customers from its Milwaukee headquarters with application engineering and technical support for brake selection, VFD compatibility, and custom modifications, and markets through its website, digital catalog and configurator, tradeshows, webinars, and LinkedIn.

Name

Stearns

Legal name

Stearns

Website

https://stearnsbrakes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Stearns, founded in 1916, manufactures spring-set industrial motor brakes, clutches, and SINPAC electronic start switches as a division of Regal Rexnord. It serves US motor manufacturers and diverse industrial end-markets through a North American power transmission distributor network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Motor Brakes

NAICS

Mechanical Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing (333613)

SIC

Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620)

akta.pro primary industry

Brakes, Clutches & Couplings (Electromagnetic Brakes, Torque Limiters) (IMAGACAK)

Keywords

• Industrial motor brakes
• Spring-set electric brakes
• Solenoid actuated brakes
• Industrial clutches
• Electronic start switches

Headquarters

HQ city

Cudahy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Motor Brake Sales: Stearns generates revenue through the sale of spring-set motor brakes including solenoid actuated brakes (SAB), armature actuated brakes (AAB), and related brake parts and accessories. Products range from small general purpose brakes to heavy-duty industrial and hazardous location certified brakes.
2. Clutch Sales: Sale of industrial clutches including heavy-duty clutches, spring engaged and electrically engaged clutches in various sizes and torque configurations.
3. Electronic Start Switch Sales: Sale of SINPAC electronic start switches for single-phase motors with non-sparking and noise filtering capabilities.
4. Replacement Parts and Services: Replacement brake parts including friction discs, coils, hubs, and other components. Parts available through North American distribution network.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Stearns manufactures and distributes a nationally distributed line of spring-set industrial motor brakes and brake parts, including solenoid actuated brakes (SAB), armature actuated brakes (AAB), heavy-duty industrial clutches, and SINPAC electronic start switches. The company produces its own friction discs and offers a comprehensive portfolio covering NEMA C-Face, IEC, servo, small gear motor, hazardous location, and specialty application variants for safety-critical stopping, holding, and torque transmission in industrial machinery.

Product overview

Stearns is a leading manufacturer of spring-set motor brakes and related power transmission products. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of industrial braking solutions including Solenoid Actuated Brakes (SAB) and Armature Actuated Brakes (AAB) across multiple product lines: General Purpose NEMA C-Face Brakes (SAB 48, 56, 81, 82, 86, 87 series), Servo Motor Brakes (AAB 310, 311), Small Gear Motor Brakes (AAB 320, 321, 322), IEC Frame Brakes (AAB 330, 331, 333, 370), Hazardous Location Brakes (Division 1 and Division 2 certified), Specialty Application Brakes (Encoder, Quiet, Thin Profile, Tire Press, Marine/Maritime/Navy), Heavy-Duty Clutches, and SINPAC Electronic Start Switches. The core platform consists of spring-set electrically released motor brakes that engage when power is interrupted (power-off safety systems), with specialized variants for servo, gear motor, IEC metric, hazardous, marine, and industrial clutch applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SAB 48 Series Motor Brake Single-disc caliper design solenoid actuated brake for general purpose NEMA C-Face applications with torque range of 1.5-6 lb-ft, used by industrial OEMs to stop and hold motor-driven loads.
• SAB 56 Series Motor Brake Closed coupled solenoid actuated brake for NEMA C-Face motors with torque range of 1.5-25 lb-ft, available in multiple enclosure types for industrial motor stopping and holding applications.
• SAB 81 Series Self-Adjusting Brake Self-adjusting solenoid actuated brake for NEMA frames 324-405TC with torque range of 125-230 lb-ft, ideal for holding-only applications featuring automatic compensation for friction lining wear.
• SAB 82 Series Self-Adjusting Brake Self-adjusting solenoid actuated brake with robust design for dynamic applications, torque range 125-440 lb-ft, featuring splined stationary disc and pressure plate.
• SAB 86 Series Self-Adjusting Brake Self-adjusting solenoid actuated brake for NEMA frames 444-505USC with torque range of 500-1,000 lb-ft, featuring double solenoid design for heavy-duty industrial applications.
• SAB 87 Series Motor Brake Non-drive end mount solenoid actuated brake for AC motors with torque range of 6-125 lb-ft, suitable for NEMA frames 182TC-286UC.
• AAB 310 Series Servo Motor Brake High performance armature actuated servo brake for holding-only applications with metric frame sizes 1.79-5.0 and torque range of 8-350 lb-in, targeting servo motor and robotics applications.
• AAB 311 Series Servo Motor Brake Compact high torque armature actuated servo brake for holding-only applications with metric frame sizes 3.38-5.0 and torque range of 75-400 lb-in.
• AAB 320 Series Small Gear Motor Brake Armature actuated brake for commercial duty small gear motors with metric frame sizes 1.2-2.8 and torque range of 3-50 lb-in.
• AAB 321 Series Small Gear Motor Brake Compact armature actuated brake for small motors with dynamic stopping capability, torque range 3-72 lb-in with IP42 rating.
• AAB 322 Series Small Gear Motor Brake Compact armature actuated brake for small motors with dynamic stopping and IP54 rating.
• AAB 330 Series IEC Frame Brake Armature actuated brake with automatic release for IEC frames 72-278, torque range 3-300 lb-ft, value priced without manual release option.
• AAB 331 Series IEC Frame Brake Basic armature actuated brake with IEC mounting patterns for drop-in replacement, available with optional manual release.
• AAB 333 Series IEC Frame Brake Armature actuated brake with torque adjust capabilities, direct interchange with European brake manufacturers.
• AAB 370 Series Thin Profile Brake Thin-profile electromagnetic spring-set pitch brake designed for harsh environment holding applications with flexible mounting options.
• Heavy-Duty Industrial Clutches Industrial clutches offered in both spring engaged (power-off) and electrically engaged (power-on) platforms for heavy-duty applications, used to transmit torque mechanically in various sizes and torque configurations.
• SINPAC Electronic Start Switches Non-sparking electronic start switches for switching start circuits in single phase motors, cadmium free to increase motor life, available in CV, 2CV, VR, 2VR, IR, and IVR variants.
• Division 1 Hazardous Location Brakes Motor brakes designed for normally hazardous locations defined by NEC, certified for Class 1 Groups C&D and Class 2 Groups E,F,&G, used in explosion-proof applications.
• Division 2 Hazardous Location Brakes Motor brakes for normally non-hazardous locations with Class 1 Groups A,B,C,&D and Class 2 Groups F&G certifications.
• Double C-Face Coupler Brakes Self-contained brake couplers between standard C-face motors and gear reducers with torque support from 1.5 to 105 lb-ft.
• Encoder Brakes Solenoid actuated brakes with internally mounted encoders for measuring motor shaft speed, direction, and angular position, offered with choice of Dynapar or BEI encoder manufacturers.
• Quiet Brakes Armature actuated brakes with dampening O-rings and unique hub design to reduce operating noise for sound-sensitive applications such as elevators and stage motors.
• Thin Profile Brakes Armature actuated brakes with thin profile design for high-temperature environments and applications with limited space.
• Tire Press Brakes High-temperature friction disc brake with sealed housing designed for tire press manufacturing with extended service life.
• Marine/Maritime/Navy Brakes Corrosion-resistant brakes for dockside, shipboard, Coast Guard, and Naval applications with highest levels of environmental protection and ABS Type Approval certification.

Quantifiable outcome

• Response times under 40ms for brakes less than 20 lb-ft, 60-80ms for larger brakes
• +2 more outcomes

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Regal RexnordcoreOthersStearns is a division of Regal Rexnord, a major industrial manufacturer. This corporate parent relationship provides Stearns with the backing and resources of a larger organization while maintaining its brand identity and specialized focus on industrial motor brakes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Eaton Corporation: Eaton is a broad industrial incumbent offering clutches, brakes, and motion control components across vehicle, industrial, and aerospace markets. While not focused exclusively on motor brakes, Eaton's industrial clutch/brake portfolio and global distribution overlap significantly with Stearns' customer base.
• Bosch Rexroth: Bosch Rexroth is a major industrial automation and motion control incumbent offering drives, motors, brakes, and integrated systems. It competes with Stearns in factory automation and servo motor applications as part of a much broader factory automation portfolio.

Direct peers

• Warner Electric: Warner Electric, also a Regal Rexnord division, manufactures electromagnetic clutches, brakes, and tension control systems. It is the closest direct peer to Stearns—same parent, overlapping product portfolio (industrial brakes/clutches), same power transmission distribution channels, and competing for many of the same OEM design wins.
• Mayr Power Transmission: Mayr is a German manufacturer of safety brakes, electromagnetic clutches, and torque limiters for industrial drives and elevators. Closely comparable product set to Stearns, with strength in elevator, crane, and industrial safety-critical holding applications—directly competing for IEC-frame and metric OEM designs.
• Kendrion (Industrial Division): Kendrion is a Dutch manufacturer of electromagnetic actuators, brakes, and clutches for industrial and automotive applications. Its industrial brake product line directly competes with Stearns in IEC-frame and metric motor brake categories across European and global OEMs.
• Carlisle Brake & Friction: Carlisle manufactures friction materials, industrial brakes, and clutches for on/off-highway, mining, and heavy industry. Directly comparable to Stearns in mining, material handling, and heavy-duty industrial brake applications, often competing for the same MSHA- and ABS-required specifications.
• Ogura Industrial Corp: Ogura is a Japanese manufacturer of electromagnetic clutches and brakes for industrial, automotive, and HVAC applications. Directly comparable to Stearns in product category (electromagnetic spring-set brakes) and serves overlapping OEM customers in industrial automation and motor manufacturing.
• Horton Airpower: Horton (a Halma/Haldex-related industrial brand) manufactures industrial air-applied brakes, clutches, and fan drives for heavy-duty and on/off-road applications. Directly competes with Stearns in industrial brake/clutch categories serving similar OEM and distributor customers.
• Pintsch Bubenzer: Pintsch Bubenzer is a German manufacturer of industrial disc and drum brakes for cranes, rolling stock, and heavy industry. Directly comparable to Stearns' heavy-duty and hazardous-location brake lines and competes for similar material handling and mining OEM customers.

Regional players

• Nidec Motor Corporation: Nidec manufactures industrial motors with integrated brake options for the Asian and global markets. While Stearns is a primary supplier to US motor manufacturers, Nidec represents the integrated-motor-and-brake alternative that competes at the OEM specification stage, particularly in IEC-frame applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/regal-rexnord

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Stearns