What CRA International does

CRA International Ltd. is a privately held UK-based supplier, designer, and on-demand manufacturer of industrial hardware, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Oswestry, England. The company sells mechanical and electronic components used in enclosures, cabinets, and access systems — including locking systems, digital locks, hinges, handles, sealing profiles, gas springs, drawer slides, stainless steel fasteners and hardware (AISI 304 and 316), and accessories — into 13 vertical end markets such as enclosure manufacturers, HVAC, IT and telecoms, vehicle conversions, access hardware, pharma and food, defence and armoured vehicles, water treatment, rail, switchgear, street furniture, power and green energy, and EV charging.

CRA's core capability sits in sourcing and supply chain integration rather than in-house fabrication. It curates products from a manufacturing network spanning the UK, Europe, the Far East, the Americas, and New Zealand, and offers a "Total Supply" model that combines inventory management, tailored fulfilment, and quality assurance to deliver components aligned with customers' production schedules. The company also supports custom and adapted component development from prototyping through to serial production. Stainless steel solutions carry optional ISO 22196 antimicrobial protection for cleanroom and hygiene-sensitive applications, and sealing profiles are engineered to support IP and NEMA ratings.

Commercially, CRA operates a direct B2B model with no public e-commerce storefront. Pricing is held consultatively, with customers directed to contact the sales team by phone or email. The company states under-24-hour delivery across the UK and Ireland from its central English location. The firm is founder/owner-operated with no disclosed institutional investors, no subsidiaries, no public listing, and a headcount in the 11–50 range. Revenue, customer concentration, and ownership details are not publicly disclosed.

Name

CRA International

Legal name

CRA International Ltd.

Website

https://cra-international.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CRA International Ltd. is a UK-based industrial hardware supplier, founded in 1993 and headquartered in Oswestry, England. It sources locking systems, hinges, handles, sealing profiles, digital locks, gas springs, and stainless steel components from a global manufacturer network to serve enclosure manufacturers, HVAC, telecoms, vehicles, switchgear, and other industrial B2B customers under its Total Supply integrated fulfilment model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Hardware Product Sales: CRA International generates revenue through the sale of industrial hardware products including locking systems, hinges, handles, sealing profiles, gas springs, drawer slides, digital locks, stainless steel components, and accessories. Products are sold directly to manufacturers and industrial customers. Revenue is derived from one-time product transactions as well as recurring fulfilment under the Total Supply model where components are supplied on an ongoing basis aligned with customer production schedules.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CRA International is a UK-based industrial hardware supplier that manufactures and distributes locking systems, hinges, handles, sealing profiles, gas springs, drawer slides, digital locks, and accessories for enclosures and cabinets. The company offers a "Total Supply" model that lets industrial customers source a complete hardware kit from one supplier, drawing on a global manufacturing network to deliver standard catalogue items and custom-engineered components.

Product overview

CRA International Ltd. is a UK-based supplier, designer, developer, and manufacturer of industrial hardware solutions. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of physical products including Locking Systems, Digital Locks, Locks/Latches/Fasteners, Handles, Hinges, Sealing Profiles, Stainless Steel components, Gas Springs & Door Stays, Drawer Slides, and Accessories. Products are sourced globally from manufacturers across the UK, Europe, the Far East, the Americas, and New Zealand, and offered through a Total Supply model that integrates manufacturing, inventory management, and fulfilment. The company also provides custom component development from prototyping through to serial production for specialist applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Locking Systems Locking systems supplied for industrial enclosures and cabinets, available in standard and custom configurations for use by enclosure manufacturers and industrial OEMs.
• Hinges Industrial hinges for enclosure and cabinet doors, supplied to manufacturers across HVAC, IT, vehicle conversions, defence, and other industrial sectors.
• Handles Handles for industrial enclosures and cabinets, supplied to enclosure manufacturers and industrial OEMs as part of the total supply hardware kit.
• Sealing Profiles Sealing profiles for industrial enclosures that meet IP and NEMA protection ratings, supplied to enclosure manufacturers for environmental sealing applications.
• Gas Springs Gas springs for controlled door and panel movement on industrial enclosures and vehicle conversion cabinets.
• Drawer Slides Drawer slides for industrial cabinets and enclosures, supplied to enclosure manufacturers and OEMs requiring reliable sliding mechanisms.
• Digital Locks Digital locks with standalone or networked access control and time-based one-time password codes, supplied to enclosure manufacturers for higher-security cabinet applications.
• Accessories Supplementary accessories for industrial enclosures and cabinets, supplied alongside the core hardware range to support complete enclosure hardware kits.

Quantifiable outcome

• Delivery within 24 hours across the UK
• +1 more outcomes

Segments13 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Southco: Southco manufactures engineered access hardware — latches, hinges, locks, and electronic access solutions — for enclosures, vehicles, and industrial equipment. Closely aligned product range and similar vertical coverage, including electronic/digital access systems.
• Penn Elcom: Penn Elcom manufactures and distributes rack, flight case, and enclosure hardware including handles, latches, hinges, and corners. Comparable product range serving similar industrial/AV/rack cabinet customers with a global distribution footprint.
• EMKA (Bochem Group): EMKA is a global leader in locking systems, hinges, handles, and sealing profiles for industrial enclosures and cabinets. Directly comparable product portfolio, target verticals (enclosures, switchgear, HVAC, vehicles), and custom-component capability.
• Zeks (Zinc die-cast hardware suppliers): Zeks supplies quarter-turn latches, hinges, and access hardware for industrial enclosures, cabinets, and vehicles. Closely comparable locking/hinge product mix and similar vertical exposure to enclosure manufacturers.
• Dirak: Dirak designs and manufactures locking systems, hinges, and access hardware for enclosures and cabinets. Highly comparable in product categories and target use cases (switchgear, industrial enclosures, HVAC).
• FATH Components: FATH supplies industrial mechanical components — handles, hinges, latches, fasteners, and profile accessories — for machine building, enclosure, and automation customers. Directly comparable product mix and target customer profile.
• Elesa+Ganter: Elesa+Ganter manufactures standard machine parts including hinges, latches, handles, and access hardware for industrial machinery and enclosures. Comparable product portfolio with a global catalogue distribution model similar to CRA's approach.

Broad incumbents

• Rittal: Rittal is a large incumbent manufacturer of industrial enclosures and offers branded hardware accessories (locks, hinges, handles) integrated with its enclosure portfolio. Comparable because enclosures are CRA's primary vertical, but Rittal is vertically integrated and far larger.
• nVent (Eldon / Hoffman): nVent's enclosure brands (Hoffman, Eldon) supply industrial enclosures with proprietary hardware accessories globally. Overlaps with CRA in enclosure customer base but operates at much larger scale and across full enclosure systems rather than as a hardware specialist.

Regional players

• Camden Boss: UK-based manufacturer of enclosures and industrial hardware including locks, hinges, and cable management. Comparable product categories and overlapping customer base in UK enclosure manufacturing, but also serves as a competitor in some shared accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

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 CRA International