What Progressive Products does

Progressive Products Inc. is a U.S.-owned, private industrial manufacturer founded in 1979 and headquartered in Pittsburg, Kansas, where it operates a 70,000 sq. ft. production facility. The company designs, fabricates, and sells specialized abrasion-resistant components — primarily elbows, fittings, diverters, lump breakers, airlocks, compression couplings, and repair compounds — for pneumatic conveying systems that move dry bulk materials. Its core technology is a proprietary ceramic compound (marketed as Ceram-Back®) inspired by NASA space shuttle heat shield tiles, with Mohs hardness of 9+ that extends component life by 8–40x versus bare metal alternatives; in 2025 the company layered a wired wear-monitoring product (WearSmart™) on top of the ceramic platform.

The company serves four primary verticals — Heavy Industry (coal-fired power, mining, cement, paper mills, wastewater), Grain, Plastics, and Food/Pet Food — with documented use cases spanning fly ash, whole soybeans, PVC pellets, pet food kibble, and other abrasive or friable bulk solids. Revenue is generated through three channels: a quote-based direct sales team handling custom fabrication and enterprise accounts; industrial resellers serving mid-market customers; and the standalone PneuComponents e-commerce storefront (pneucomponents.com) for standard components sold to SMB and retailer buyers. Pricing is primarily consultation-based and quote-driven for custom work, with one-time hardware sale economics; services include in-house certified welding, plasma and waterjet cutting, painting, machine services, and airlock rebuilding. The company has produced over 1,000,000 elbows cumulatively, serves 1,000+ companies across 1,000+ facilities worldwide, and reports a 94% customer satisfaction score; ownership remains with founders/management (CEO Todd Allison, son of founder Bob Allison), with no disclosed institutional investor backing.

Name

Progressive Products

Legal name

Progressive Products Inc.

Website

https://progressiveproductsinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Progressive Products Inc. is a private, U.S.-owned manufacturer founded in 1979 that designs and fabricates proprietary ceramic-coated elbows, fittings, diverters, lump breakers, and airlocks for pneumatic conveying systems serving heavy industry, grain, plastics, and food/pet food customers across 1,000+ facilities worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pneumatic Conveying Components

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (333310), Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (4234)

SIC

Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084), Wholesale-Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (5080)

akta.pro primary industry

Hoses, Tubing & Fittings (Hydraulic/Pneumatic Lines & Connectors) (IMAHAGAH)

Keywords

• Pneumatic conveying components
• Abrasion resistant elbows
• Bulk material handling
• Ceramic coated fittings
• Industrial conveying equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Pittsburg

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, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Pneumatic Conveying Components: Sale of abrasion-resistant elbows, diverters, lump breakers, airlocks, and fittings for pneumatic conveying systems. Products are sold as direct replacements or custom-fabricated solutions. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware sales with varying price points based on material, complexity, and abrasion-resistance level.
2. Custom Fabrication Services: In-house fabrication services including certified welding, plasma cutting, waterjet cutting, and full assembly. Paint services and machine services including airlock rebuilding and custom machining. Revenue generated through service fees and custom project quotes.
3. E-commerce Component Sales: Standard products sold through PneuComponents e-commerce storefront (pneucomponents.com). Includes standard bends and potentially other components available for direct online purchase with simplified buying process.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Progressive Products manufactures abrasion-resistant pneumatic conveying components for dry bulk material handling systems, including ceramic-coated elbows, diverters, lump breakers, airlocks, fittings, and couplings. The company complements its product line with in-house fabrication, painting, and machine services, and sells standard components via a separate e-commerce brand (PneuComponents) and through industrial resellers.

Product overview

Progressive Products is an industrial manufacturing company offering a comprehensive portfolio of pneumatic conveying components for dry bulk materials, founded in 1979. The product line is organized around abrasion-resistant elbow and fitting solutions built with proprietary materials and technologies, supported by in-house fabrication, painting, and machine services. The flagship technology is the patented Ceram-Back® ceramic compound jacket (Mohs hardness 9+) which extends elbow life by 8–10x over conventional elbows. The WearSmart™ Elbows add a proprietary embedded wear-monitoring system with an external control box alert for proactive maintenance. The component portfolio spans multiple elbow types (Ceram-Back®, Cast Ceramic Flat-Back, Hollow-Back, Mortar-Filled/Cement-Back, Replaceable-Back), plus Bends, Compression Couplings, Line Fittings, Diverters, Lump Breakers, and Airlocks in various materials (carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum). The Dura-Quick™ Repair Compound provides on-site emergency component repair. Services include custom fabrication (certified welders, plasma and waterjet cutting), painting (three paint booths), and machine services (full-service machine shop, airlock rebuilding). Products serve industries including heavy industry, grain, plastics, food and pet food.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WearSmart™: Proprietary smart elbow product line featuring built-in wear monitoring technology that provides an external alert when internal wear reaches a critical level, preventing unexpected blowouts and enabling proactive maintenance scheduling.
• Dura-Quick™

Products and services

• WearSmart™ Elbows Ceramic-coated abrasion-resistant elbows with a built-in proprietary lead-wire monitoring system connected to an external control box. The control box signals via green/red indicator light when internal wear reaches a critical level, enabling proactive replacement planning before blowouts occur. Targeted at industrial operators of pneumatic conveying systems.
• Ceram-Back® Elbow Patented elbow featuring a 1/2-inch ceramic compound jacket wrapped across the back of a core elbow with Mohs hardness of 9+, second only to diamond. Once the core elbow wears through, abrasion transfers to the ceramic outer jacket, extending elbow life by 8-10x over conventional elbows. For industrial dry bulk material conveying systems.
• Ceram-Back® Fittings Abrasion-resistant fittings coated with the Ceram-Back® ceramic compound, available for laterals, TYs, Wyes, bifurcated bends, cyclones, tube adapters, blow-thru adapters, diverter valve transitions, and wear plates. Used in pneumatic conveying systems handling abrasive dry bulk materials.
• Cast Ceramic Flat-Back Elbows Extremely abrasion- and impact-resistant elbows with a pipe or tube inner core substrate and solid cast ceramic tiles filling the back cavity. Eliminates outlet transitions and spreads material impact over a larger area, extending elbow life 30-40x over bare elbows. For extreme-wear applications in pneumatic conveying.
• Hollow-Back Elbows Elbows with a fabricated hollow back cavity that captures abrasive material to create a self-lining effect, allowing material to wear against itself rather than the elbow surface. Standard 10-gauge construction with tube or pipe elbow to eliminate transitions.
• Mortar-Filled Flat-Back Elbows (Cement-Back) Elbows with a back cavity filled with hard concrete or refractory material to protect against abrasion once the core elbow wears through. Positioned between Ceram-Back® and Cast Ceramic Flat-Back in abrasion-resistance level for pneumatic conveying systems.
• Replaceable-Back Elbows Sweep elbows constructed from AR200 sheet or plate with welded sides and a replaceable bolted backplate, allowing cost-effective replacement of only the worn back section rather than the entire elbow. Designed for less abrasive pneumatic conveying applications.
• Bends Standard replacement bends (sweeps) for pneumatic conveying systems available in carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum in 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90° configurations with plain ends as standard. Sold through the PneuComponents e-commerce storefront.
• Compression Couplings Band-type compression couplings for permanent installation in plain-end tube and pipe joints, applying uniform pressure across the joint surface for a leak-resistant connection. Fabricated from heavy-gauge zinc-plated steel with aluminum and stainless steel options.
• Line Fittings Fittings including laterals, TYs, tees, wyes, bifurcated bends, tube adapters, blow-thru adapters, and diverter valve transitions, available in standard or Ceram-Back® coated versions for superior wear and abrasion resistance in pneumatic conveying.
• Diverters Heavy-duty two-way diverter valves designed for continuous material flow redirection with minimal pressure loss. Available in Line Diverter Series for non-highly-abrasive, non-smearing products and Tunnel Diverter Series for combining two conveying lines into one.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ceram-Back® elbow lasts 8-10x longer than bare elbow; Flat-Back elbow lasts 30-40x longer
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PEMA (Powder & Bulk Engineering)minorOthers · 1 January 2015Progressive Products is a member of PEMA (Powder & Bulk Engineering / Material Handling Equipment Manufacturers Association) since 2015. PEMA membership indicates participation in the industry association for powder and bulk material handling equipment manufacturers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HammerTek Corporation: HammerTek manufactures the Smart Elbow using deflection (non-impact) technology to redirect bulk material flow, competing directly with Progressive Products' Ceram-Back® and WearSmart™ elbows in the pneumatic-conveying wear-elbow niche.
• Flexicon Corporation: Flexicon designs and manufactures pneumatic conveying systems and components for dry bulk materials, overlapping with Progressive Products on elbows, fittings, couplings and complete conveying line requirements across food, plastics, and chemical end markets.
• VAC-U-MAX: VAC-U-MAX is a US-based manufacturer of pneumatic (vacuum) conveying systems and components for dry bulk ingredients, directly comparable to Progressive Products on dry bulk material handling elbows, diverters, and line fittings.
• Dynamic Air: Dynamic Air produces pneumatic conveying systems and components for dry bulk solids, with overlapping product categories (elbows, couplings, diverter valves) and a similar customer base in heavy industry, minerals, and food-grade conveying.
• Piab: Piab is a Swedish manufacturer of vacuum and pneumatic conveying components for dry bulk handling, with a complementary product portfolio of cups, fittings, and conveyor accessories that overlaps Progressive Products' elbow and fitting line in food/packaging end markets.

Broad incumbents

• Coperion: Coperion (part of Hillenbrand) is a leading global manufacturer of compounding, extrusion, and material handling systems, including large pneumatic conveying systems — a much larger incumbent that frequently specifies or competes with Progressive Products' components on engineered systems.
• Schenck Process: Schenck Process (now part of Sandvik) is a global leader in bulk material handling and pneumatic conveying, offering full conveying systems and aftermarket components serving overlapping heavy-industry and food/plastics customers.
• AZO GmbH: AZO is a German specialist in bulk material handling and pneumatic conveying systems serving the food, chemical, plastics, and building materials industries — a broader-system incumbent competing with Progressive Products for project specifications and aftermarket wear components.
• WAMGROUP: WAMGROUP is an Italian-headquartered global manufacturer of equipment for bulk solids handling including pneumatic conveying components, valves, and elbows — a wider-portfolio incumbent with overlapping wear-protection products for cement, minerals, and grain processors.
• Metso (Outotec / MAC Equipment heritage): Metso (which acquired MAC Equipment and older pneumatic-conveying lines) is a global mining and aggregates OEM offering pneumatic conveying systems and aftermarket wear parts — a much larger incumbent targeting many of the same heavy-industry customers as Progressive Products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/progressive-products-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Progressive Products