What Upton Industries does

Upton Industries is a privately held U.S. manufacturer of custom-engineered thermal processing equipment for the metal heat treating industry, founded in 1937 and headquartered in Roseville, Michigan. The company designs and manufactures industrial furnaces spanning salt bath furnaces (ceramic, high-speed, mar-ausquenching, internally heated, externally heated, and graphite electrode variants), specialty furnaces (bell and belt types), batch furnaces (box and car bottom), and pit type furnaces, complemented by parts washers, Scott connected transformers, and clam shell desludging mechanisms. Underlying technology centers on a submerged electrode design introduced at founding that became the industry standard for electric salt bath furnaces, a triple ceramic refractory wall construction limiting salt absorption to 5-8% versus 140-150% in competing designs, and PLC-based control systems integrated with automated material handling. The firm supports a portfolio of named sub-brands including MightyMatic, MasterMatic, HeatSaver, and ColdCar.

Upton operates from approximately 45,000 square feet of engineering, administrative, and manufacturing facilities on 7 acres in suburban Detroit, employing 11-50 people. All equipment is custom-designed to customer process and specification requirements and preassembled and fully tested prior to shipment, with on-site technical field service for installation and commissioning. Customer segments span metal heat treatment, tool and die manufacturing, aluminum processing, metal cleaning and surface preparation, specialty materials processing, and general industrial manufacturing, with use cases including austempering, marquenching, case hardening, carburizing, nitriding, aluminum dip brazing, and carbide brazing.

The business model is enterprise direct sales of high-value custom capital equipment with aftermarket revenue from spare parts and replacement components, supplemented by professional services for installation and commissioning. The company sells to industrial clients worldwide through direct engagement rather than broad digital marketing, and pricing is not publicly disclosed. Upton Industries operates as a subsidiary of Kolene Corporation, with website contact emails routed through kolene.com and footer copyright identifying Kolene as the parent entity.

Name

Upton Industries

Legal name

Upton Industries

Website

https://uptonindustries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Upton Industries is a U.S. manufacturer founded in 1937 that designs and builds custom-engineered industrial salt bath furnaces, batch furnaces, specialty furnaces, and pit type furnaces for B2B metal heat treating customers worldwide, operating as a subsidiary of Kolene Corporation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Furnaces and Thermal Processing Equipment

NAICS

Industrial Process Furnace and Oven Manufacturing (333994)

SIC

Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567)

akta.pro primary industry

Heat Treatment & Thermal Processing Furnaces (Hardening, Annealing, Induction) (IMAHADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Boilers, Furnaces & Process Heating Equipment (IMAHAKAD), Heat Transfer Equipment (Heat Exchangers, Boilers, Condensers) (IMAHAEAC)

Keywords

• Industrial furnace manufacturing
• Thermal processing equipment
• Metal heat treating
• Salt bath furnaces
• Batch furnaces

Headquarters

HQ city

Roseville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Furnace Manufacturing: Custom design and manufacture of thermal processing equipment including salt bath furnaces, batch furnaces, specialty furnaces, pit type furnaces, parts washers, and related components. Equipment is preassembled and fully tested prior to shipment to customer facilities.
2. Technical Field Services: On-site assistance during installation and commissioning phases of all Upton systems. Follow-up technical services available for all thermal process systems.
3. Replacement & Spare Parts: Supply of spare parts and custom manufacture of replacement parts per customer specification. Includes components such as flex cables, graphite extensions, graphite pushers, immersion heaters, salt pot liners, and thermocouples.
4. Scott Connected Transformers: Design and manufacture of transformers including water cooled and air cooled designs, single and three phase operation, with 100% duty cycle rating. Custom engineered power transformers for salt bath furnace applications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Upton Industries designs and manufactures custom industrial thermal processing equipment for the metal heat treating industry, including salt bath furnaces, batch furnaces, specialty furnaces, pit type furnaces, and parts washers. Equipment is engineered to customer process and specification requirements rather than offered as standard pre-designed units, preassembled and fully tested before shipment, with on-site technical field service for installation and commissioning. The product portfolio is supported by spare parts, replacement components, and Scott Connected Transformers for salt bath furnace power supply.

Product overview

Upton Industries offers a comprehensive portfolio of engineered thermal solutions, primarily consisting of industrial furnaces and thermal processing equipment. The core product line centers on Salt Bath Furnaces (available in automated, ceramic, high speed, mar-ausquenching, internally heated, externally heated, and graphite electrode configurations), supplemented by Specialty Furnaces (bell and belt types), Batch Furnaces (box and car bottom types), and Pit Type Furnaces. The company also manufactures supporting equipment including Parts Washers, Scott Connected Transformers, Clam Shell Desludging Mechanisms, and Replacement & Spare Parts. The automated salt bath systems include PLC Control Systems, Hoist Assemblies, Swing Arm Assemblies, and Load & Unload Carousels as integrated sub-products. Founded in 1937, Upton operates from approximately 45,000 square feet of facilities in Roseville, Michigan, providing custom-designed and engineered thermal process systems for the worldwide market.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mightymatic: Bridgecrane type automatic hoist assembly designed for rugged, continuous duty operation for transferring large mass loads from high heat to quenching baths.
• MasterMatic
• HeatSaver
• ColdCar
• Engineered Thermal Solutions

Products and services

• Salt Bath Furnaces Industrial molten salt bath furnaces for thermal processing of metals, available in multiple configurations including automated, ceramic, high speed, mar-ausquenching, internally heated, externally heated, graphite electrode, and cleaning/stripping designs. Used by industrial heat treating operations for austempering, marquenching, neutral hardening, tempering, case hardening, carburizing, nitriding, annealing, normalizing, stress relieving, aluminum aging, dip brazing, and solution treating.
• Automated Salt Bath Systems Custom-designed automated salt bath systems with integrated multiple process capability for continuous-duty industrial heat treating. Combines PLC control, hoist assemblies, swing arm rotary transfers, and load/unload carousels into a single automated line.
• Specialty Furnaces Electric or gas fired specialty furnaces including bell type and belt type designs, with ColdCar loading hearth, load staging transfer tables, and protective atmosphere control for industrial heat treating operations.
• Batch Furnaces Batch type furnaces with air circulation systems for temperature uniformity and triple seal door design, available as box furnaces and car bottom furnaces for industrial batch heat treating operations.
• Pit Type Furnaces Pit type furnaces in electric or gas fired configurations with stainless steel retorts and bottom mounted circulation fans, providing temperature uniformity and atmosphere integrity for vertical loading heat treating operations.
• Parts Washers Batch and continuous parts washers in electric or gas fired configurations using combinations of mechanical, spray, and air sparger agitation for industrial cleaning applications.
• Scott Connected Transformers Custom engineered Scott connected transformers for salt bath furnace power supply, available in water or air cooled designs, single or three phase operation, with 100% duty cycle rating and multiple tap secondaries for a wide range of voltages.
• Clam Shell Desludging Mechanisms Mechanized clam shell desludging units for safe removal of built-up oxides and contaminant materials from the bottom of high temperature ceramic salt bath furnaces.
• Replacement & Spare Parts Variety of spare parts and custom manufactured replacement components including flex cables, graphite extensions, graphite pushers, graphite brush connectors, immersion heaters, salt pot liners, MGO thermocouples, and Upton thermocouples for installed Upton equipment.
• Technical Field Services On-site technical field services for installation and commissioning of Upton thermal process systems, plus follow-up technical support for installed equipment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Salt absorption limited to 5-8% of bath volume vs 140-150% in dual refractory wall constructions
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/upton-industries-inc.

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 Upton Industries