What Olson Industries does

Olson Industries, founded in 1945 and headquartered in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, designs and manufactures custom industrial furnaces and thermal processing equipment for steel mills, metal processing facilities, forging operations, and specialized industrial applications. The company operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nutec Bickley (Monterrey, México) following a key asset acquisition, with its operations including design engineering, fabrication, assembly, electrical work, and testing performed in-house at its Pennsylvania facility. Its product portfolio spans heat treating furnaces, specialty furnaces (including thermal oxidizers, ladle preheaters, hot-dip galvanizing lines, and sintering furnaces), batch reheating, roller hearth, and vertical hardening furnace configurations, as well as automated heat treating lines. The company also operates Deci Corporation as a wholly-owned division providing full-service engineering for plant expansion, in-plant engineering, and green-field projects.

The technical foundation rests on integrated automation and control systems designed and manufactured in-house, including PLC control systems, HMI interfaces, customized software, control panels, and burner monitoring panels. The proprietary Olson Flex Zone technology automates burner selection and multi-zone sequencing matched to loading profiles in furnace applications, supported by pre-shipment breakdown testing that minimizes field installation time. Dedicated in-house project managers serve as single points of contact from contract award through start-up.

Olson Industries generates revenue through a B2B direct sales model, primarily via an enterprise RFQ (Request for Quote) process routed through Nutec Bickley's centralized sales infrastructure following the acquisition. Pricing is project-based and not publicly disclosed, with capital equipment sales operating on multi-year contract cycles and aftermarket parts, service, and modernization work billed on a pay-as-you-go basis. The company markets itself through a professional website, industry events (Furnaces North America, ASM International), video content, and Forging Industry Association membership, serving primarily enterprise customers in the US metals, heat treating, forging, and specialty industrial thermal-processing verticals.

Name

Olson Industries

Legal name

Olson Industries

Website

https://olsonind.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Olson Industries is a US-based custom industrial furnace and thermal process equipment manufacturer serving steel mills, metal processors, forging operations, and specialized industrial buyers, operating as a subsidiary of Nutec Bickley following a key asset acquisition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Furnaces and Thermal Processing Equipment

NAICS

Industrial Process Furnace and Oven Manufacturing (333994), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Furnaces, Kilns & Thermal Processing Equipment (IMAHAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Boilers, Furnaces & Process Heating Equipment (IMAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Industrial furnace manufacturing
• Heat treating furnaces
• Thermal process equipment
• Furnace automation controls
• Specialty furnace systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Burgettstown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Furnace Manufacturing: Design and manufacture of custom industrial furnaces including heat treating furnaces, specialty furnaces, car bottom furnaces, roller hearth furnaces, batch reheating furnaces, vertical hardening furnaces, and automated heat treating lines
2. Automation and Control Systems: Sale of furnace automation and control systems including PLC control systems, HMI interfaces, control panels, and burner monitoring panels
3. Parts and Spare Components: Supply of replacement parts including cast parts, fabricated assemblies, burners, radiant tubes, furnace rolls, bearings, control valves, PLC parts, and fabricated steel and alloy parts
4. Service, Repair, and Modernization: Modernization and rebuild services, emergency repair services, combustion system tuning, compliance surveys, equipment inspection, training services, and installation services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Olson Industries designs, engineers, fabricates, and assembles custom industrial furnaces and thermal processing equipment for metal/steel and heat-treating applications. The company also produces in-house automation and control systems (PLC, HMI, Olson Flex Zone®) and provides parts, modernization, repair, and installation services through a direct enterprise sales model with RFQ-based quoting.

Product overview

Olson Industries is a manufacturer of industrial furnace and thermal process control equipment. The company operates as part of Nutec Bickley following an acquisition and offers a portfolio of products including Heat Treating Furnaces, Specialty Furnaces, Automation & Control Systems, and Service/Repair capabilities. Key product offerings include Batch Reheating Furnaces, Automated Heat Treating Lines, and Vertical Hardening Furnaces. The company also operates Deci Corporation as an engineering division. The product portfolio spans furnace systems, automation and control technologies (PLC-based systems, HMI interfaces, Olson Flex Zone), and comprehensive modernization and repair services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Deci Corporation: A division of Olson Industries providing full-service engineering firm with single-source responsibility for plant expansion, in-plant engineering or green field projects.

Products and services

• Heat Treating Furnaces Industrial furnaces for heat treating and thermal processing applications, including car bottom furnaces (annealing, tempering, forging), in/out batch type, Steckel, roller hearth, reheating continuous, hot dip galvanizing, recirculating, and preheating. Designed for steel mills and metal processing facilities.
• Specialty Furnaces Furnace systems for specialized applications including thermal oxidizers, ladle preheaters, vertical pit tempering, strip coating, drying applications, hot-dip galvanizing lines, mould drying ovens, oil and water quenching systems, sintering furnaces, fuel-fired kilns, and slot forge furnaces.
• Automation & Control Systems Furnace automation and control systems including PLC control systems, HMI interfaces, customized software, control panels, burner monitoring panels, and the Olson Flex Zone® system for automated burner selection and multi-zone sequencing.
• Service, Repair and Modernization Modernization, rebuild, and repair services including engineering and redesign, furnace linings, advanced control systems, burner assemblies, heat recovery systems, spare parts, combustion system tuning, compliance surveys, equipment inspection, and training services. Includes supply of replacement parts such as cast parts, fabricated assemblies, burners, radiant tubes, furnace rolls, bearings, control valves, PLC parts, and fabricated steel and alloy parts.
• Batch Reheating Furnace Industrial batch reheating furnace for thermal processing applications.
• Automated Heat Treating Line Automated heat treating production line for continuous thermal processing operations.
• Vertical Hardening Furnace Vertical furnace for hardening applications in thermal processing.
• Deci Corporation Engineering Services Full-service engineering firm (a division of Olson Industries) providing single-source responsibility for plant expansion, in-plant engineering, and green field projects, with design and project management capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pre-shipment testing reduces field erection and installation time, keeping installation costs to a minimum

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Nutec BickleycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNutec Bickley (Monterrey, México), an international furnaces manufacturer and leader in industrial furnaces, ovens, kilns, and combustion systems, acquired Olson Industries through a key asset acquisition. Bryan Kraus (President and Owner of Olson Industries) will be engaged in Nutec Bickley's Metals BU, providing guidance in technical sales and engineering activities. This acquisition consolidates Olson Industries under Nutec Bickley while maintaining continuity.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Nutec Bickley: Olson's parent company and a global manufacturer of industrial furnaces, ovens, kilns, and combustion systems headquartered in Monterrey, Mexico. Operates as a broad incumbent across the same product categories as Olson with wider international reach.
• Tenova: Italy-based global supplier of industrial furnaces and thermal processing solutions for the metals industry, including heat treating, reheating, and continuous casting. Competes with Olson on larger integrated furnace line projects worldwide.

Direct peers

• Wisconsin Oven: Manufacturer of industrial batch and conveyor ovens and furnaces for heat treating, curing, and drying applications. Comparable mid-sized US competitor with similar B2B custom-engineered sales model.
• Despatch Industries: Manufacturer of industrial ovens and furnaces for heat treating, curing, and thermal processing across metals, aerospace, and electronics. Comparable to Olson's specialty furnace and thermal process control product lines.
• Ipsen: Manufacturer of industrial heat treatment furnaces, atmosphere furnaces, and vacuum furnaces for aerospace, automotive, and tool steel applications. Closely comparable to Olson's heat treating furnace and automation/controls portfolio.
• SECO/WARWICK: Global supplier of heat treatment furnaces and metallurgy equipment serving steel, aluminum, and forging customers. Directly comparable to Olson in product line (heat treating, specialty, vacuum furnaces) and customer base, but at substantially larger scale.
• Gasbarre Products: US-based OEM of industrial heat treating furnaces, presses, and powder compaction equipment. Comparable niche-scale competitor to Olson in batch and continuous heat treat furnace manufacturing.
• Surface Combustion: Designs and builds industrial heat treating furnaces, atmosphere generators, and process control systems for the metalworking industry. Overlaps directly with Olson's car bottom, batch, and continuous furnace offerings.

Emerging players

• Ajax Manufacturing: Erie, PA-based manufacturer of induction and electric resistance melting and holding furnaces for metal casting and forging. Adjacent competitor to Olson's fuel-fired melting, preheating, and forging furnace lines.
• Inductotherm Group: Global manufacturer of induction melting, heating, and holding systems serving metals and forging customers. Adjacent competitor to Olson's fuel-fired forging and heat treating furnaces via electric induction technology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Olson Industries