Cartessa Corporation

What Cartessa Corporation does

Cartessa Corporation (legal name Cartessa Corp) is a privately held, small-scale electronic design and assembly services firm headquartered in Shandon, Ohio, in operation for over 50 years. Its core offerings span printed circuit board assembly for both through-hole and surface mount technologies, analog/digital/microcontroller-based engineering design, prototype build-and-test services, and control panel assembly and design. The company runs pick-and-place and wave solder equipment in-house to execute these services.

Cartessa serves industrial manufacturing customers as its primary segment, with a secondary focus on commercial food equipment OEMs. Domain specializations include motor and actuator control, instrumentation and industrial controls, and industrial power monitoring systems. The company also maintains a legacy catalog of over 500+ proprietary designs, headlined by the TARA brand of automatic gate controls (AGC-5, AGC-4P), zero voltage monitors (AC and DC output variants), and a stop watch module practice timer.

The business operates on a project-based, quote-driven model with no publicly disclosed pricing. Distribution is direct B2B: customers initiate contact by phone (513-738-4477) or email ([email protected]) to scope engineering engagements. Marketing is limited to a single company website; there is no recorded social media presence, no app, no API, no institutional investors, no partnerships, no M&A activity, and no disclosed certifications. Cartessa is the sole entity in its corporate structure with no subsidiaries or parent company, and its operating geography is restricted to the United States.

Name

Cartessa Corporation

Legal name

Cartessa Corp

Website

https://cartessa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cartessa Corporation is a privately held, 50-year-old US electronic design and assembly firm providing PCB assembly, analog/digital/microcontroller engineering, prototyping, and control panel services to industrial manufacturing and commercial food equipment customers on a direct, project-based B2B basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Shandon

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

Revenue model

1. Electronic Design Services: Custom analog, digital, and microcontroller-based design and development services for industrial applications. Revenue generated through project-based engineering engagements.
2. PCB Assembly Services: Printed circuit board assembly including through-hole and surface mount technology. Revenue from assembly services for customer-provided or designed boards.
3. Prototype Services: Design, build, and test services for prototype development. Revenue from rapid prototyping engagements.
4. Control Panel Assembly: Control panel assembly and design services for industrial applications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Cartessa Corp designs, develops, and assembles electronic systems for industrial and commercial customers, including printed circuit boards (through-hole and surface mount), custom analog/digital/microcontroller-based control electronics, control panels, and prototypes. The company operates in-house Pick and Place and Wave Solder assembly equipment and supports customers from concept design through production testing, alongside a legacy catalog of branded electronic products.

Product overview

Cartessa Corp is an electronic design and manufacturing services company offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services. The core offerings include Printed Circuit Boards (assembly and design for through-hole and surface mount boards), Engineering Services (analog, digital, and micro-controller based design), Prototype Services (design, build, and test), and Control Panels (assembly and design). Additionally, the company maintains a legacy products line under the TARA brand, including Zero Voltage Monitors (AC and DC output variants), Automatic Gate Controls (AGC-5 and AGC-4P models), and a Stop Watch Module for practice timing applications. The legacy portfolio includes over 500+ proprietary designs. The company leverages manufacturing capabilities including Pick and Place machines for surface mount components and Wave Solder machines for through-hole components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• IEC Electronics: Small-cap US provider of electronic manufacturing services including PCB assembly and prototype work for industrial and aerospace customers. Closely comparable in scale, service mix, and customer profile to Cartessa.
• Creation Technologies: Privately held mid-market EMS provider focused on complex, high-reliability industrial, medical, and aerospace assemblies. Compares to Cartessa's turnkey design-through-assembly model in regulated verticals.
• SMTC Corporation: Mid-tier EMS provider offering PCB assembly, prototyping, and engineering services to industrial clients. Comparable mix of contract manufacturing and design services to Cartessa.
• SigmaTron International: Contract EMS firm providing PCB assembly and box-build for industrial customers. Operates at a similar high-mix, lower-volume industrial segment that overlaps with Cartessa's positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Kimball Electronics: Global EMS company serving industrial, automotive, and medical markets with PCB assembly and engineering services. Larger and broader than Cartessa but operates in the same contract electronics space.
• Plexus Corp: Mid-to-large EMS company with strong engineering services and complex PCB assembly capabilities. Comparable in offering breadth but materially larger and more geographically diversified than Cartessa.
• Jabil Inc. One of the world's largest EMS providers offering design, PCB assembly, and control panel integration across all major industrial verticals. Represents the scale end of Cartessa's competitive set.
• Sanmina Corporation: Global integrated manufacturing solutions provider with PCB assembly, cable/panel build, and engineering services. Overlaps Cartessa's industrial controls and integrated assembly offering at vastly larger scale.
• Benchmark Electronics: Global EMS provider with engineering, PCB assembly, and integrated solutions for industrial and aerospace customers. Overlaps Cartessa's industrial control and complex-assembly capabilities at greater scale.

Emerging players

• Dover Corporation: Diversified industrial manufacturer whose refrigeration and food equipment segment (e.g., Dover Food Retail) relies on specialized electronic controls similar to those Cartessa designs. Relevant adjacency through the commercial food equipment controls vertical.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

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 Cartessa Corporation