Southern Tooling

What Southern Tooling does

Southern Tooling is a privately held custom industrial automation systems integrator headquartered in Lexington, Tennessee (8021 Hwy 22 South, Lexington, TN 38351), founded in 2007. The company designs, engineers, fabricates, programs, and commissions 100% in-house automation systems — assembly automation, material handling, testing and tracking, PLCs and controls, and electrical panel building — without subcontracting, supported by a claimed 400+ years of combined team experience. Its technology stack centers on customer-selected PLCs and HMIs, industrial robotics, machine vision, leak and function testing, and traceability systems, with remote-maintenance capability on installed controls.

The firm's customer base consists of mid-market U.S. manufacturers in four verticals — automotive (primary, including Tier 1 parts suppliers and steering-column assemblers), medical device, industrial and consumer products, and electronics and electrical components — served through a direct enterprise sales motion via phone, email, and website contact. Revenue is generated through custom-quoted, project-based engagements covering CAD design through factory-floor commissioning, with multi-year contract cadences and no public pricing tiers or revenue figures disclosed. No leadership team, ownership structure, funding history, patents, certifications, or third-party validation are publicly available, and all known signals (firmographic, product, and customer) originate from a single source — the company's own website.

Name

Southern Tooling

Legal name

Southern Tooling

Website

https://southerntoolingonline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Southern Tooling is a privately held, 100% in-house custom industrial automation systems integrator based in Lexington, Tennessee. It designs, builds, programs, and commissions assembly, material-handling, testing, and PLC-based control systems for U.S. manufacturers across automotive, medical device, industrial, and electronics sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Industrial Automation Systems

NAICS

All Other Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (333248), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)

SIC

General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569), Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600), Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Custom automation systems
• Industrial automation integration
• PLC controls engineering
• Automated assembly systems
• Material handling automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Automation Systems: Design, engineering, and fabrication of custom automation systems for manufacturers. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements that include initial consultation, custom engineering, manufacturing, installation, and commissioning. The scope covers complete automation solutions from CAD design through factory floor commissioning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Southern Tooling designs, engineers, fabricates, and installs custom industrial automation systems for manufacturers. Its offering is built around five integrated capability lines — Assembly Automation, Material Handling, Testing & Tracking, PLCs & Controls Engineering, and Panel Building — all executed 100% in-house from CAD design through factory-floor commissioning. Projects are custom-engineered for automotive, medical device, industrial/consumer products, and electronics manufacturers.

Product overview

Southern Tooling is a custom automation company offering integrated, 100% in-house automation solutions. Their core product portfolio consists of five main service lines: Assembly Automation (bolting, pressing, riveting, welding, adhering, fastening), Material Handling (conveyors, robotics, flexible fixturing, end-of-arm tooling), Testing & Tracking (leak testing, function testing, QA/QC, marking, traceability), PLCs & Controls Engineering (customer-selected PLCs and HMIs with remote maintenance), and Panel Building (electrical control panels). The company serves automotive, medical device, industrial & consumer products, and electronics industries with solutions ranging from modular assembly cell upgrades to complete turnkey assembly, functional test, and packout systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Assembly Automation

Quantifiable outcome

• On-time new product launches
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Festo: Major industrial automation component and subsystem provider whose factory automation and motion control offerings overlap with Southern Tooling's PLC/controls, material handling, and assembly scope.
• KUKA Systems: Global automation and robotics conglomerate offering both robots and large-scale systems integration across many industries—an overlapping incumbent with far broader portfolio and resources.
• Yaskawa America: Motion control, robotics, and drives supplier serving the same industrial automation customers—overlaps on the controls, robotics, and motion components embedded in custom automation projects.
• Emerson Automation Solutions: Large industrial automation and controls portfolio company whose PLC and process automation businesses compete with Southern Tooling's controls engineering work at the component and platform level.

Direct peers

• Genesis Systems Group: Robotic systems integrator focused on welding, material handling, and assembly automation for industrial manufacturers—an overlapping capability set in material handling, robotic integration, and assembly automation.
• Midwest Engineered Systems: U.S. custom automation systems integrator delivering design, build, and integration of robotic cells, assembly, and test systems to similar manufacturing verticals.
• ATS Automation: Large publicly listed custom automation solutions provider serving medical, automotive, food, and consumer products with full design-build-commission capabilities—comparable vertical mix and project-based model.
• Wolf Robotics: Robotic systems integration firm specializing in arc welding, material handling, and automated cells for industrial manufacturers—closely matched in core capabilities of robotics integration and custom automated cells.
• JR Automation: Hitachi-owned custom automation systems integrator designing and building turnkey production lines for automotive, medical, and industrial customers—directly comparable in service mix and customer base to Southern Tooling.

Emerging players

• Universal Robots: Collaborative robot manufacturer whose cobots are increasingly embedded by smaller system integrators like Southern Tooling into turnkey cells—a partner/enabling competitor depending on integration scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southern-tooling-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 Southern Tooling