Harold Steele

What Harold Steele does

HS Inc. is an industrial automation integrator headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, founded in 1969. The company designs, fabricates, and installs custom automation equipment for industrial manufacturers, with project values ranging from $1,000 to $5 million. Its core capabilities span automated and manual assembly solutions, material handling, plastic processing (with roots in injection molding), robot integration, and vision integration, supported by a broad technical stack including adhesive dispensing, bowl feeding, cobot collaborative robots, fastening, fixtured conveyors, flex feeding, leak testing, palletized conveyors, press tending, robotic assembly, sonic welding, and vision inspection. A distinguishing technical element is the modular mainframe architecture with swappable nesting, which lets customers retool existing equipment as parts evolve rather than replace full systems.

The company serves a diversified set of verticals — aerospace, automotive, consumer goods, military/defense, food processing, and shipping & freight — through a direct enterprise sales motion with custom-quoted, project-based engagements. All manufacturing is conducted in-house at a 464,600 square foot production facility in Grand Rapids, and the company emphasizes its 100% American-made positioning, ISO 9001-2015 quality certification, and Women-Owned Business (WBENC) certification. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time equipment sales bundled with professional services covering consulting, ROI analysis, project management, design, fabrication, assembly, installation, and post-installation support. With 161+ employees, 500+ projects completed in 2018, and 100+ tool pack frames shipped annually, HS Inc. is a mid-sized, privately held custom automation house with multi-decade operating history and a geographic footprint across two continents.

Name

Harold Steele

Legal name

HS Inc.

Website

https://hsinc.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

HS Inc. is an industrial automation integrator that designs, fabricates, and installs custom turnkey automation systems for manufacturers in aerospace, automotive, military, consumer goods, food, and shipping industries, operating from Grand Rapids, Michigan with 161+ employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Integration

NAICS

Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (3332), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620)

akta.pro primary industry

Factory Automation Cells & Integrated Systems (Assembly, Welding, Painting Lines) (IMAHAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Control System Integration & Engineering Services (Design, Commissioning, Retrofits) (IMAGABAK)

Keywords

• Industrial automation integration
• Custom automation equipment
• Robot integration services
• Vision integration systems
• Automated assembly solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Automation Equipment Design and Build: Design, fabrication, and build of custom automation equipment ranging from individual manual stations to complex robotic solutions. Projects range from $1K to $5M in value. One-time purchase model with engineering services.
2. Professional Services: Consulting, ROI analysis, project management, design, fabrication, assembly, installation, and post-installation support services. Dedicated project managers guide projects from kickoff through completion.
3. Tool Pack Frames: Over 100 tool pack frames shipped annually as part of modular automation solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

HS Inc. designs, fabricates, assembles, and installs custom industrial automation equipment for manufacturers. The company provides turnkey solutions spanning automated assembly, manual assembly, material handling, plastic processing, robot integration, and vision integration, with project values ranging from $1K manual stations to $5M complex robotic systems. Services cover the full lifecycle from consulting and ROI analysis through design, fabrication, installation, and post-installation support with dedicated project management.

Product overview

HS Inc. is an automation integrator offering turnkey automation solutions as a single unified service offering. The company provides a comprehensive portfolio of automation services including Automated Assembly Solutions, Manual Assembly Solutions, Material Handling, Plastic Processing, Robot Integration, and Vision Integration, supported by technical capabilities such as adhesive dispensing, bowl feeding, robotic assembly, sonic welding, vision inspection, and more. Their services are complemented by consulting, ROI analysis, project management, design, fabrication, and assembly capabilities. They serve diverse markets including Aerospace, Automotive, Consumer, Military, Food, and Shipping & Freight, with project sizes ranging from $1K to $5M.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Automated Assembly Solutions
• Manual Assembly Solutions
• Material Handling Solutions
• Plastic Processing Automation
• Robot Integration
• Vision Integration
• Consulting, ROI Analysis, and Project Management
• Design, Fabrication, and Assembly Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 projects completed in 2018
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Comau: Italian-headquartered automation integrator (part of Stellantis ecosystem) specializing in automotive and EV manufacturing with growing presence in aerospace, food, and logistics. Comau's turnkey body-shop and assembly line integration overlaps directly with HS Inc.'s automotive-focused offerings.
• ABB Robotics: Global industrial robotics and automation supplier providing robots, controllers, and integration services spanning assembly, material handling, and vision across automotive, electronics, and logistics end markets. A broad incumbent that competes with HS Inc.'s robot and vision integration capabilities at the upper end of project sizes.
• Yaskawa Motoman: Major global industrial robot manufacturer offering robotic arms, cobots, and integration services across discrete manufacturing verticals. While Yaskawa primarily manufactures robots rather than full cells, its Motoman division offers turnkey integration—including vision, welding, and material handling—that competes directly with HS Inc.'s robot integration business.
• KUKA Robotics: Global industrial robotics and systems integration provider with broad coverage in automotive, electronics, and consumer goods manufacturing. KUKA's systems integration arm competes with HS Inc. on large enterprise robotic cell deployments while also being a robot supplier to integrators like HS Inc.
• FANUC America: North American arm of global robotics/automation conglomerate, providing robots, CNCs, and integration services across automotive, aerospace, food, and general industry. Competes with HS Inc.'s full integration capabilities and supplies the platform robots often used in custom integrator projects.

Direct peers

• RōBEX: Midwest-based industrial automation integrator specializing in robotic integration, vision systems, and assembly cells for manufacturers. Comparable to HS Inc. in vertical focus (industrial manufacturers) and solution breadth (custom automation from manual stations through robotic cells).
• Acieta: Iowa-headquartered custom automation integrator serving discrete manufacturers with robotic cells, vision systems, and material handling integration. Like HS Inc., Acieta targets mid-market industrial customers with turnkey solutions and capital-intense in-house production.
• JR Automation: Michigan-based custom industrial automation integrator offering turnkey automated assembly, material handling, and robotic integration services across automotive, aerospace, and industrial markets. Acquired by Hitachi in 2019, JR Automation is the most geographically and capability-comparable Midwestern US integrator to HS Inc.
• Genesis Systems: Custom industrial robotics and automation integrator serving automotive, aerospace, and heavy industry. Provides systems integration, vision, and material handling solutions comparable in scope and customer profile to HS Inc.'s offerings.

Emerging players

• Symbotic: Emerging automation provider focused on warehouse and supply-chain robotics, with growing footprint in broader material handling automation. While industrial manufacturers are HS Inc.'s core, Symbotic's material handling focus in shipping, food, and consumer verticals indicates adjacent capability competition in select accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HSINC1969
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/h-s-die-engineering

Compliance1 record

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 Harold Steele