Adams Machinery

What Adams Machinery does

Adams Machinery is a privately held, used industrial machinery dealer founded in 1912 and headquartered in Libertyville, Illinois. The company buys, sells, and reconditions used machine tools, serving a horizontally distributed base of US manufacturing companies as its primary customer segment, alongside equipment liquidators and financial institutions. Operational footprint spans multiple states including Illinois, Michigan, Florida, New Jersey, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Texas, supporting both regional sourcing and resale reach.

The firm's business model combines direct equipment resale with adjacent service lines: machinery appraisals performed by AMEA-certified staff, auction and liquidation facilitation, surplus-equipment purchasing, and customer financing made available through a partnership with DirectCapital. Inventory management is digitized via the Machine Hub platform, and the firm holds membership in the MDNA (Machinery Dealers National Association), leveraging the MDNA 30-Day Return Privilege as a buyer-facing risk-reduction mechanism. Product mix has historically centered on conventional machine tools, with an expansion in the 2020-2021 timeframe into Universal Robots UR-series collaborative robots.

Go-to-market is sales-led and direct: the company website, inbound phone, and email channels drive buyer engagement. The firm operates with a small team of 11-50 employees, with no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or leadership changes in the available record. No proprietary technology, software products, or AI/ML capabilities are associated with the business; competitive positioning rests on longevity, certified appraisal expertise, trade-body memberships, and a multi-state footprint rather than on technology differentiation.

Name

Adams Machinery

Legal name

Adams Machinery Company

Website

https://adamsmachinery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Privately held used machine tools dealer founded in 1912 and based in Libertyville, Illinois. Adams Machinery buys, sells, and reconditions industrial machinery for US manufacturing companies, equipment liquidators, and financial institutions across multiple states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Used Industrial Machinery

NAICS

Machine Shops (33271), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Machine Tools, Metal Cutting Types (3541), Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

Workshop Tools, Equipment & Lift Systems Distribution (TLAKAOAM)

Keywords

• Used machine tools
• Used industrial equipment
• CNC machinery resale
• Machine tool dealer
• Industrial machinery broker

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Bluff

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Inventory Acquisition, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Used Machinery Sales: Primary revenue from buying, selling, and reconditioning quality used machine tools. Individual machine sales through website inventory with 'Request a Quote' pricing model.
2. Equipment Appraisals: Professional appraisal services provided to lenders, manufacturers, and attorneys with certified appraisers and AMEA membership. Offers prompt turnaround times.
3. Auctions & Liquidations: Manages sale of large groups of equipment or entire plants through managed liquidations, sealed bid events, and live or on-line auctions.
4. Financing Facilitation: Provides financing options through preferred partner DirectCapital for equipment purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Adams Machinery Company is a family-owned dealer of used machine tools and industrial equipment, founded in 1912 and based in Libertyville, Illinois. The company buys, sells, and brokers pre-owned CNC machinery, lathes, machining centers, grinders, and industrial robots from leading brands. It also provides complementary services including equipment appraisals, auctions and liquidations, surplus equipment purchasing, and equipment financing facilitation.

Product overview

Adams Machinery Company is a used machinery dealer established in 1912, specializing in buying, selling, and reconditioning quality used machine tools. Their product portfolio centers on industrial manufacturing equipment including CNC lathes (Swiss type, turret, flat bed), machining centers (horizontal and vertical), various grinders (cylindrical, tool & cutter, centerless, surface), industrial and collaborative robots (Universal Robots UR series, ABB IRB series), presses, gear processing equipment, and other specialized manufacturing machinery. The company offers complementary services including equipment appraisals (AMEA certified), auctions and liquidations for plant sales, equipment financing through partners, and surplus equipment purchasing. Their inventory is selectively curated and most machines undergo reconditioning in their facility before sale, backed by the MDNA 30-Day Return Privilege.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Used CNC Lathes Pre-owned CNC lathes sourced from leading manufacturers, offered to manufacturing buyers seeking cost-effective turning capacity. Inventory is browsable online and included in the company's downloadable PDF catalog.
• Used Machining Centers Pre-owned vertical and horizontal machining centers available for purchase by machine shops and manufacturers needing milling capacity at a lower price point than new equipment.
• Used Grinders Pre-owned industrial grinders, including surface and cylindrical grinders (e.g., Studer S20), offered to manufacturers and tool rooms needing precision grinding capacity.
• Used Industrial Robots Pre-owned industrial robots from major brands such as Universal Robots (UR Series) and ABB (IRB6600), sold to manufacturers seeking automation at lower acquisition cost.
• Used Machine Tool Inventory (Studer, Schneeberger, Rush and other brands) Brand-specific used machine tool listings including the Studer S20 grinder, Schneeberger Norma 75 grinder, and Rush FC 500D lathe, providing buyers access to specific high-demand models from recognized manufacturers.
• Equipment Appraisals Professional appraisal service for used machine tools and industrial equipment, providing certified valuations for buyers, sellers, lenders, and tax/insurance purposes.
• Auctions & Liquidations Turnkey auction and liquidation services for plants, machine shops, and large equipment lots, helping clients monetize surplus or obsolete machinery through structured sales events.
• Equipment Financing Facilitation Financing facilitation service that helps buyers arrange funding for used machine tool purchases, lowering the upfront capital barrier to acquiring production equipment.
• Surplus Equipment Purchase Outright purchase of surplus, idle, or obsolete machinery from manufacturers and machine shops, providing a cash disposition path for unneeded equipment.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MDNA (Machinery Dealers National Association)coreOthersMember of the Machinery Dealers National Association, providing the MDNA 30-Day Return Privilege to customers. This membership provides buyer protection and industry credibility.
• AMEA (Association of Machinery & Equipment Appraisers)coreOthersActive members with certified appraisers on staff. Provides professional appraisal services to lenders, manufacturers, and attorneys.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Resell CNC: Online-focused reseller of pre-owned CNC machinery including lathes, machining centers, and grinders — direct competitor to Adams in the used CNC machine tool segment.
• Industrial Assets: Industrial auction and used machinery dealer running plant liquidations, online auctions, and appraisals — directly comparable to Adams' used machine tool dealer + auction/liquidation business model.
• Perfection Global: Used CNC machinery and metalworking equipment dealer with global buyer reach — direct competitor in CNC lathes, machining centers, and grinders.
• Prestige Equipment Corp: Long-established used machine tool dealer specializing in CNC, grinding, and metalforming equipment — directly comparable size, focus, and customer base to Adams.
• Productivity Inc: Machine tool dealer offering new and used metalworking equipment, automation solutions, and support services — comparable product mix in CNC machinery and shop automation.
• Fortune Machinery: Used machinery dealer focused on CNC and metalworking equipment with reconditioning services — directly comparable inventory curation and reconditioning approach to Adams.

Broad incumbents

• Surplus Record: Leading online marketplace for used industrial machinery and equipment — overlaps with Adams' metalworking inventory listings but operates at much broader category and audience scale.
• HGR Industrial Surplus: Large used industrial equipment dealer operating from a warehouse showroom with broad category coverage — overlaps with Adams on metalworking and CNC inventory but at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Machine Hub: Online used machinery marketplace and inventory management platform — currently a partner/integrator for Adams, but increasingly a marketplace competitor that could disintermediate traditional dealers.

Regional players

• R.A. Buhr & Associates / T&R Machinery Brokers: Smaller regional used machinery brokers and appraisers — comparable niche dealer model focused on appraisals and curated inventory across specific US regions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AdamsMachinery
• Facebookfacebook.com/adamsmachinery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adams-business-machines-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Adams Machinery