What CTI Systems does

CTI Systems (formerly Conveyor Technologies) is a privately held North Carolina corporation founded in 1989 that designs, manufactures, and services Surface Mount Technology (SMT) automation equipment for the electronics assembly industry. The company operates from a vertically integrated manufacturing facility in Goldston, NC (relocated from Sanford, NC in 2018), where it produces laser marking systems (MS2, MS4, MS5 series), PCB depaneling routers (MR2, MR2Bck, AR-Automatic Routers), vision inspection systems (Component Verifier, Tabletop Vision System), a broad material handling portfolio (conveyors, buffers, loaders, unloaders, wave solder interfaces, aisle gates), and integration services for OMRON Autonomous Mobile Robots. With 30,000+ machines installed worldwide and over 35 years of operating history, CTI sells primarily through a direct enterprise sales team with quote-based pricing.

The company's revenue model combines one-time hardware sales of equipment, recurring aftermarket parts (4,000+ parts stocked, plus a direct-ship program via automationpartsonline.com), and professional services including installation, preventative maintenance, calibration, and field service. Customer segments are diversified across Automotive (Denso), Defense/Aerospace (SpaceX, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin), Consumer Electronics (Garmin), Medical, Telecom, and Contract Manufacturing/EMS — a segmentation approach that reduces single-industry exposure but is concentrated among enterprise-tier buyers. Notable customer logos include defense primes and aerospace OEMs whose procurement requirements favor Made-in-USA suppliers with Bill of Materials compliance.

CTI's competitive positioning rests on proprietary graphics-based software (CTI Laserware and Routerware), deep workforce tenure (35%+ of staff with 15+ years at CTI enabling mechanical and digital customization), vertically integrated North Carolina manufacturing, and a domestic regulatory moat relevant to defense procurement. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; transactions follow a consultative enterprise sales process led by named VPs of Sales, a Director of Sales Engineering, and an Inside Sales Manager. The company maintains no disclosed external funding rounds, no public listing, and operates as an independent founder/management-owned entity.

Name

CTI Systems

Legal name

CTI Systems

Website

https://conveyor-technologies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CTI Systems is a privately held North Carolina manufacturer of SMT automation equipment, including laser marking systems, PCB depaneling routers, vision inspection, and material handling solutions, serving enterprise customers across automotive, defense, medical, telecom, and electronics manufacturing worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electronics Assembly Automation Equipment

NAICS

Printed Circuit Assembly (Electronic Assembly) Manufacturing (334418), Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (3341)

SIC

Misc Industrial & Commercial Machinery & Equipment (3590), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)

akta.pro primary industry

PCB Assembly (PCBA/EMS) (HDAHAOAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial Control Cabinets & Power Distribution (Panels, Switchgear for Automation) (IMAHAHAK)

Keywords

• SMT material handling
• PCB depaneling equipment
• Laser marking systems
• Vision inspection systems
• Electronics assembly automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Goldston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Automation Equipment Sales: Sale of SMT material handling, laser marking, PCB depaneling, vision inspection, and robotics equipment. Equipment ranges from entry-level conveyors to fully integrated smart units. Revenue is one-time per machine sale.
2. Parts Sales: Sale of replacement parts and components. With 4000+ parts available at their North Carolina facility and thousands more through direct ship program. Parts can be ordered through automationpartsonline.com.
3. Service and Support: Onsite support including installation services, preventative maintenance programs, calibration, and integration services. Field Services Team provides ongoing support.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CTI Systems designs, manufactures, and supports SMT (Surface Mount Technology) automation equipment for the electronics assembly industry from its North Carolina headquarters. The product portfolio spans laser marking systems, PCB depaneling routers, vision inspection systems, and material handling equipment including conveyors, loaders, buffers, and aisle gates, with companion parts sales and field service support for an installed base of over 30,000 machines worldwide.

Product overview

CTI Systems offers a diversified portfolio of SMT automation equipment for the electronics assembly industry, organized into five main product categories: Laser Marking Solutions (MS2-Laser, MS4-Laser, MS5-Laser) for PCB traceability with direct marking and label application; PCB Depaneling Solutions (MR2-Router, MR2Bck, AR-Automatic Routers) for separating individual boards from panels with high precision; Vision Inspection Solutions (Component Verifier, Tabletop Vision System) for quality control and verification; Material Handling Solutions including conveyors, buffers, board loaders/unloaders, rotation equipment, wave solder load/unload, aisle gates, and AOI/SPI inspection equipment; and Robotics integration services for OMRON Autonomous Mobile Robots. The company also provides parts and field service support for their installed base of over 30,000 machines worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MS2-Laser Fixed-mounted topside laser marker equipped with two cameras for fiducial correction and barcode verification, traversed by a high-speed bottom-side X,Y gantry for larger production volumes. Used by electronics manufacturers for PCB traceability and 2D code marking.
• MS4-Laser Advanced laser marker with high-speed topside X,Y servo gantry, dual cameras for fiducial correction and barcode verification, optional internal flip conveyor, and label applicator capability. Targeted at electronics manufacturers needing direct marking plus label application in one machine.
• MS5-Laser Large area marking laser with fixed topside laser assembly and 3-axis galvo head for marking without moving the laser head or product, capable of verifying 50 2D barcodes in under 3 seconds. Used for large PCB and electronics marking applications.
• MR2-Router Heavy-duty PCB depaneling router with a 2-inch thick precision ground steel base and overhead gantry using THK ball screws, capable of making lines, arcs, angles, and 3D topography cuts with 0.0005 inch accuracy. Targets PCB manufacturers needing precision depaneling.
• MR2Bck Dual-level load depaneling router with top and bottom shuttle design to increase throughput, allowing routing on one shuttle while the other is being loaded or unloaded. Used by high-volume PCB manufacturers.
• AR-Automatic Routers Automatic depaneling routers offering quick product changeover without requiring fixtures, with auto PCB gripper, tool change, and bit change features standard. Used by PCB manufacturers needing flexible depaneling.
• Component Verifier (CV) Inspection system for critical components that checks part numbers on high lead count QFPs prior to reflow, inspects for missing parts, correct part numbers, barcodes, component skew, and correct parts in given locations. Targets electronics manufacturers with strict quality control requirements.
• Tabletop Vision System (TT-VS) PC-based vision system designed to measure true position of multiple pin types on any connector, performing 100% pin inspections using high-speed pattern search algorithms. Used by connector and electronics manufacturers for quality verification.
• Destacker (DS/MDS) Material handling equipment that unloads PCBs from a stack to the next machine using mechanical walls that apply pressure against the stack while releasing the bottom PCB onto the conveyor. Used in SMT production lines.
• Bare Board Loader (BBL-IC) Auto/manual/pass-through switch board loader with 6 independent vacuum generators for loading bare PCBs into production lines. Used at the front end of SMT lines.
• Back End Magazine Loader Equipment that loads PCBs from a previous machine into a magazine, with single, double, or triple queue options and a mechanical pusher system. Used at the back end of SMT lines.
• Front End Magazine Unloader (FMU) Equipment that unloads PCBs from a magazine to the next machine with single, double, or triple queue configurations and high-speed servo magazine change capability. Used at the front end of SMT lines.
• Restacker (RS) Equipment that stacks PCBs from the previous machine using mechanical bars to lift the PCB from the conveyor and raise it into the stack. Used at the back end of SMT lines.
• First In/First Out Buffer (FIFO) Vertical buffering system with 21 slots supporting FIFO/LIFO/pass-through operations, with servo Z-axis elevator and adjustable PCB dwell time for cooling. Used to balance flow in SMT production lines.
• CO2 Cure Buffer (FIFO-CO2) Vertical FIFO buffer with CO2-enriched chamber for catalyst curing applications, featuring humidity controls, ultrasonic humidifier, and servo Z-axis for PCB transition. Used in SMT lines requiring curing.
• Slide Gate Aisle gate equipment with up to 34 inch aisle opening, totally enclosed for safety, with PLC controls and SMEMA cables for conveyor integration. Used as a pass-through gate in SMT lines.
• Lift Gate Aisle gate equipment with up to 28 inch aisle opening, manually lifted gate with pneumatic lock during PCB transfer. Used as a pass-through gate in SMT lines.
• Edge Belt Conveyor (CC/CCB) Conveyor equipment with hand crank width adjust from 2.0 to 20.0 inches for PCB transport between SMT line machines.
• Edge Belt Workstation (CW/CWB) Conveyor workstation with anti-static work table, overhead lights, bin shelf, power strip, and adjustable footrest for manual assembly operations in SMT lines.
• Flat/Wide Belt Conveyor (WB) Flat belt conveyor with standard 18 inch width, 1-1/8 inch roller diameter for smooth transition of short products, available in 12, 21, and 24 inch widths. Used for PCB transport in SMT lines.
• Board Cleaning Station (BCS2) Board cleaning station with ionized air blower, ESD rotation brush with vacuum, and top side sticky roller PCB debris remover. Used to clean PCBs in SMT lines.
• Hybrid Wave Output (HWO2) Wave solder output equipment that receives PCB at 6 degree angle and declines to match downstream conveyor height, staging boards for cooling. Used in wave solder lines.
• Wave Input Elevator Tilt (WIET) Equipment that receives PCB at level, lowers and tilts to feed the wave solder machine, with speed control for matching upstream and downstream machine speeds. Used to feed wave solder lines.
• Wave Input Conveyor (WI) Edge belt conveyor with adjustable 0-8 degree angle and rail extension for close positioning to wave solder fingers. Used to feed wave solder lines.
• Rotation Equipment Flip stations and turntables for rotating PCBs during SMT production, including FL3A flip station with pneumatic cam drive. Used to change PCB orientation in production lines.
• AOI Reject Workstation AOI/SPI inspection workstation with single level conveyor for good PCBs, exit section lift for failed PCBs, and dual sections on pass-through level. Used to handle AOI/SPI inspection rejects in SMT lines.
• Edge Belt Vertical Reject Conveyor (CC-REJ2) Conveyor with mechanical levers for diverting failed PCBs without stopping machine operation, with light tower alarm for failed boards. Used to handle rejected PCBs in SMT lines.
• Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) Integration Integration and customization service for OMRON AMR base robots (Autonomous Mobile Robots) for autonomous navigation and material transport in manufacturing facilities. Uses AI, machine learning, and sophisticated sensors to navigate environments independently without predefined paths.
• CTI Field Service and Support Onsite service and support including installation, preventative maintenance programs, calibration, and integration services delivered by CTI's Field Services Team across the USA, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the European Union, Canada, and Costa Rica.
• CTI Replacement Parts Replacement parts and components for the installed base, with 4,000+ parts available at the North Carolina facility and thousands more through a direct ship program. Parts can be ordered through automationpartsonline.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,000+ machines installed worldwide
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• OMRONcoreTechnology or IntegrationCTI specializes in the integration and customization of OMRON AMR base robots (Autonomous Mobile Robots). AMRs use AI, machine learning and sophisticated sensors to navigate environments independently without pre-defined paths, unlike AGVs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Saki Corporation: Manufacturer of automated optical inspection (AOI) and X-ray inspection systems for PCB assembly. Direct competitor to CTI's vision inspection solutions serving similar electronics manufacturing customers.
• Mycronic AB: Swedish manufacturer of SMT assembly equipment including pick-and-place, solder paste printing, and inspection. Directly comparable to CTI in the SMT equipment space, with overlapping electronics assembly customers and similar target verticals.
• Universal Instruments: Manufacturer of automated PCB assembly equipment including SMT placement machines, odd-form insertion, and material handling. Direct competitor to CTI in electronics assembly automation with overlapping customer base in EMS and defense.
• Yamaha Robotics Holdings: Provides SMT mounters, surface mount equipment, and factory automation solutions. Direct competitor to CTI in SMT line equipment, particularly for pick-and-place and material handling applications in electronics assembly.
• Koh Young Technology: Leading manufacturer of 3D inspection and measurement systems for SMT and PCB assembly, including SPI and AOI. Directly comparable to CTI's Component Verifier and Tabletop Vision System inspection products.
• Fuji Corporation: Japanese manufacturer of SMT mounters, chip shooters, and automated assembly equipment. Direct competitor in SMT equipment market serving similar electronics manufacturing customers.

Others

• Omron Corporation: Industrial automation provider of robotics, sensors, and control components, and CTI's strategic partner for AMR integration. Comparable as an enabling/ecosystem player in factory automation that CTI integrates into its solutions rather than competes against head-on.

Broad incumbents

• ASMPT: Global leader in SMT equipment, semiconductor solutions, and surface mount technology. Directly comparable to CTI as a major SMT equipment vendor serving electronics manufacturers worldwide, but with a vastly broader portfolio including placement, bonding, and complete line solutions.
• Panasonic Connect (SMT): Major SMT equipment manufacturer offering complete line solutions including placement, printing, and inspection. Comparable to CTI's market focus on electronics assembly, with broader scope and global scale.

Emerging players

• Nutek Europe: Specialist manufacturer of SMT material handling equipment including conveyors, loaders/unloaders, and buffers. Closely comparable to CTI's material handling solutions portfolio, serving overlapping EMS customers with similar product categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CTI.Systems.NC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 CTI Systems