ITW Sexton

What ITW Sexton does

ITW Sexton manufactures two-piece specialty aerosol cans and filter shells for automotive, industrial, and household applications from its single production facility in Decatur, Alabama. Founded in 1966 and operating for over 50 years, the company is a business unit of ITW Drawform, itself a division of Illinois Tool Works (ITW), a Fortune 200 diversified industrial conglomerate with 90 divisions across 57 countries.

The company's core product is a portfolio of six distinct two-piece deep-drawn steel aerosol can styles (Style 1 through Style 6) available in multiple sizes ranging from 202x406 to 300x709 dimensions (up to 775cc capacity), manufactured from 100% tin-plated cold rolled steel without interior lining. Production is built around proprietary deep-drawn steel forming technology and a patented Pressure Relief Device (PRD) that enables safe evacuation of contents through the can bottom during over-pressurization events. ITW Sexton maintains nine DOT special permits covering DOT 2P, DOT 2Q, and DOT 39 specifications, alongside ISO certification, qualifying the company for high-pressure specialty gas packaging across automotive refrigerants (R-134a, R-410a, HFO-1234yf, HFO-1234ze), hydrocarbons, and industrial specialty chemicals.

Revenue is generated through direct enterprise sales of cans with volume pricing, blanket orders, and Just-in-Time delivery contracts, complemented by value-added services including engineering and prototyping, custom product labeling with up to 8-color lithography, in-house tooling, and tailored inventory management. Customers are concentrated among refrigerant and specialty gas manufacturers served across North America, Asia, Europe, and Central and South America. Financial figures are not publicly disclosed as the unit is not separately reported within the ITW corporate structure.

Name

ITW Sexton

Legal name

ITW Sexton

Website

https://sextoncan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ITW Sexton is a Decatur, Alabama-based manufacturer of two-piece steel aerosol cans and filter shells serving automotive refrigerant, specialty chemical, and high-pressure gas customers globally. The unit operates under ITW Drawform within Fortune 200 parent Illinois Tool Works.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Aerosol Container Manufacturing

akta.pro primary industry

Aerosol Cans (Personal Care, Household, Industrial) (IMALADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aerosol & Pressurized Packaging (Cans, Valves, Actuators) (IMALAJAD), Gas Handling Equipment & Storage (Cylinders/Tanks/Valves) (IMAEACAL)

Keywords

• Two-piece aerosol cans
• Deep-drawn steel containers
• Pressure relief device cans
• Refrigerant aerosol packaging
• Specialty chemical containers

Headquarters

HQ city

Decatur

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Two-piece aerosol can manufacturing and sales: ITW Sexton generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of two-piece steel aerosol cans to automotive, industrial refrigerant, specialty chemical, and gas companies. They also generate revenue through complementary value-added services including engineering and prototyping, custom product labeling, inventory management, and Just-in-Time delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

ITW Sexton manufactures two-piece deep-drawn steel aerosol cans in six styles and multiple sizes for automotive refrigerant, specialty chemical, and high/low-pressure gas applications. The offering is anchored by a patented Pressure Relief Device (PRD) safety feature and supported by engineering, prototyping, custom labeling, inventory management, JIT delivery, and volume/blanket-order commercial programs for enterprise industrial customers.

Product overview

ITW Sexton is a world leader in the production of two-piece steel aerosol cans for automotive and specialty applications. The company operates as a business unit of Illinois Tool Works (ITW) and manufactures deep-drawn steel aerosol containers at its Decatur, Alabama facility. The core product portfolio consists of six distinct aerosol can styles (Style 1-6) available in multiple sizes, complemented by a proprietary Patented Pressure Relief Device (PRD) that enables safe content evacuation in over-pressurization events. These products are designed to meet DOT 2P, DOT 2Q, DOT 39, and other international standards for high-pressure specialty gases (R-134a, R-410a, HFO-1234yf, HFO-1234ze, hydrocarbons) as well as low-pressure consumer goods. The product line is supported by value-added services including engineering and prototyping, custom product labeling (up to 8-color lithography), inventory management, volume pricing, blanket orders, and Just-in-Time (JIT) delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pressure Relief Device (PRD): Patented pressure relief technology that allows contents to evacuate safely through the bottom of aerosol cans in the event of over pressurization or mishandling during use, storage, or transportation.

Products and services

• Two-Piece Aerosol Cans (Style 1–6) Deep-drawn steel aerosol containers manufactured in six distinct styles (Style 1–6) and multiple sizes, available in DOT 2P, DOT 2Q, and DOT 39 pressure ratings. Designed for automotive refrigerant, specialty chemical, and high/low-pressure gas applications, and built from 100% tin-plated cold rolled steel without interior lining for recyclability and conflict-mineral-free sourcing. Sold to industrial enterprise customers.
• Pressure Relief Device (PRD) Patented safety feature integrated into ITW Sexton two-piece aerosol cans that allows contents to evacuate safely through the bottom of the can in the event of over-pressurization or mishandling during use, storage, or transportation. Cans with PRD remain intact during over-pressurization and reduce the likelihood of severe injury. Sold as a built-in capability of the aerosol can product line.
• Engineering and Prototyping Services Custom prototyping and R&D services with in-house tooling capabilities to design aerosol containers for specific customer applications. Provided to industrial customers requiring tailored container solutions.
• Custom Product Labeling Custom labeling services for aerosol cans, including basecoat options and lithography printing in up to 8 different colors for customer-specific branding.
• Inventory Management Services Technical, production, and inventory management services tailored to customer-specific needs to support production planning and stock availability.
• Just-in-Time (JIT) Delivery Just-in-time delivery service for aerosol cans that supports customer inventory and production requirements with flexible scheduling.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces likelihood of severe injury if aerosol can is mishandled during use, storage, or transportation

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ITW DrawformcoreOthersITW Sexton is a business unit of ITW Drawform, which is itself a division of Illinois Tool Works (ITW), a Fortune 200 global industrial manufacturer.
• Illinois Tool Works (ITW)coreOthersITW is a Fortune 200 global industrial manufacturer of value-added consumables and specialty equipment with related service businesses. ITW employs over 50,000 people in 90 Divisions with operations in 57 countries. The company is based in Glenview, Illinois.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Crown Holdings: Crown Holdings is a global Fortune 500 metal packaging manufacturer with significant aerosol can exposure; while much larger and broader than Sexton, it competes in the same steel/aluminum aerosol can market and serves overlapping automotive and household end customers.
• Ardagh Group: Ardagh is a global metal and glass packaging producer with aerosol can offerings through its metal packaging division; while broader and more diversified than Sexton, it overlaps in steel and aluminum aerosol containers for household and industrial markets.
• Silgan Holdings: Silgan is a major North American metal and plastic container manufacturer, including aerosol cans, and competes with Sexton across multiple packaging formats serving personal care, household, and industrial customers.
• CCL Industries: CCL is a large specialty packaging conglomerate including aerosol cans and pressure vessels through its CCL Container and Aerosol divisions; it serves similar high-pressure and specialty chemical customers with overlapping product formats.
• Ball Corporation: Ball is a global metal packaging leader with substantial aerosol aluminum can production; although primarily focused on aluminum beverage and aerosol cans rather than two-piece steel, it competes for the same high-volume aerosol customers and is a relevant scale benchmark.
• Trivium Packaging: Trivium is a global metal packaging manufacturer producing aerosol cans, food cans, and specialty containers; while broader than Sexton, it competes for the same industrial and consumer aerosol can volumes in overlapping end markets.

Direct peers

• DS Containers: DS Containers manufactures two-piece steel aerosol cans, including high-pressure and specialty gas containers, making it one of the closest direct competitors to ITW Sexton in the same product category, customer base, and DOT-compliant pressure vessel niche.
• BWAY Corporation: BWAY is a North American manufacturer of metal containers including aerosol cans, serving many of the same industrial, automotive, and household product customers as ITW Sexton with overlapping can formats and regulatory expertise.

Emerging players

• Spray Products Corporation: Spray Products is a contract aerosol filler and specialty chemical formulator that consumes aerosol cans, making it both a customer and adjacency-relevant peer for understanding demand patterns in ITW Sexton's specialty gas and chemical packaging end markets.

Regional players

• Canfab Packaging: Canfab is a Canadian manufacturer of two-piece steel aerosol cans primarily serving North American customers; while regionally focused, it directly competes with Sexton in steel aerosol can formats for automotive, refrigerant, and industrial applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ITWsexton

Compliance3 records

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 ITW Sexton