Earnest Machine

What Earnest Machine does

Earnest Machine Products Company is a privately held, third-generation, family-owned distributor and manufacturer of industrial fasteners founded in 1948 in Cleveland, Ohio and currently headquartered in Rocky River, OH. The company sells bolts, screws, washers, nuts, clamps, plugs, clips, pins, rods, studs, anchors, and proprietary Timberjack premium wood screws in inch and metric measurements across multiple grades (Grade 2, 5, 8), materials (carbon, stainless, alloy steel), and finishes (zinc clear, zinc yellow, plain, hot dipped galvanized). It also runs custom machining services for special and to-print fasteners through dedicated machine shops in the US and UK, and holds ISO 9001:2015 certification on its quality management system.

Earnest Machine operates a B2B distribution model selling exclusively to resellers and distributors rather than directly to end users, with no publicly listed pricing and quote-based terms set by product specification and order volume. Go-to-market combines an e-commerce storefront at earnestmachine.com, an inbound phone sales operation (800-327-6378), and four physical distribution centers in Rocky River OH, Greenwood IN, Austell GA, and Wolverhampton UK totaling over 200,000 sq ft, with VNA-equipped warehouses supporting same-day shipping. Customer segments include MRO professionals, small businesses, heavy-equipment and agricultural operators, and reseller/distributor channels, supported by content marketing through a Learning Hub, YouTube, LinkedIn, and a Clean Water Initiative partnership with Drop in the Bucket.

Revenue is generated primarily through unit hardware sales across the broad fastener catalog, with secondary revenue from custom machining services and from specialty SKUs such as KMC clamps and Timberjack screws. The company is led by third-generation President & CEO Kirk Zehnder (in role since 2011), with no documented private equity, venture capital, or institutional ownership; the Zehnder family has controlled the business continuously since 1948.

Name

Earnest Machine

Legal name

Earnest Machine Products Company

Website

https://earnestmachine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Earnest Machine is a third-generation, family-owned B2B distributor and manufacturer of industrial fasteners, selling exclusively to resellers and distributors across the US and UK with a broad catalog of bolts, screws, nuts, washers, and custom-machined specialty fasteners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Fastener Distribution and Manufacturing

NAICS

Bolt, Nut, Screw, Rivet, and Washer Manufacturing (332722), Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing (33272), Machine Shops (33271)

SIC

Bolts, Nuts, Screws, Rivets & Washers (3452), Screw Machine Products (3451), Wholesale-Hardware & Plumbing & Heating Equipment & Supplies (5070)

akta.pro primary industry

Fasteners, Nails, Screws & Anchors Retail (CRAIADAC)

Keywords

• Industrial fasteners
• Bolt and screw distribution
• Custom machining services
• Heavy-duty hardware
• B2B fastener supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Rocky River

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Fastener Distribution: Earnest Machine operates as a B2B fastener distributor selling to resellers and distributors. Revenue is generated through product sales with per-transaction pricing based on quantity, grade, material, and finish specifications.
2. Custom Machining Services: Earnest Machine offers custom machining services for special fastener opportunities, generating additional revenue through bespoke manufacturing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Earnest Machine distributes and manufactures industrial fasteners (bolts, screws, washers, nuts, clamps, plugs, clips, pins, rods, studs, anchors, and Timberjack wood screws) in inch and metric sizes across multiple grades, materials, and finishes, selling exclusively B2B to resellers, distributors, and MRO customers. The company also provides custom machining services for special and to-print fastener requirements, supported by ISO 9001:2015 quality certification and four distribution/sales facilities in the US and UK with same-day shipping capability.

Product overview

Earnest Machine is an industrial fastener company offering a comprehensive portfolio of fastening products organized into 12 core product categories: Bolts (including hex head bolts, carriage bolts, elevator bolts, plow bolts), Screws (hex head cap screws, machine screws, self-drilling screws, sheet metal screws, flange screws), Washers (flat washers, lock washers, fender washers), Nuts (hex nuts, heavy hex nuts, lock nuts, flange nuts, castle nuts), Clamps (KMC brand tube and wire clamps), Plugs (KMC expansion plugs), Clips (KMC brand clips for wires and tubes), Timberjack Premium Wood Screws (specialty wood fastening), Pins (cotter pins), Rods (threaded rods), Studs (full thread studs), and Anchors (hammer drive, machine screw, split drive anchors). The company also provides custom machining services for special fastener requirements. Earnest Machine operates primarily as a B2B distributor selling to resellers and distributors, with locations in Ohio, Indiana, Georgia, and the United Kingdom.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bolts Industrial bolts designed for high strength and durability in manufacturing, construction, and machinery applications, including hex head bolts, carriage bolts, elevator bolts, plow bolts, and structural bolts. Sold B2B to resellers, distributors, and MRO customers.
• Screws Heavy-duty fasteners designed to join materials by creating threads, including hex head cap screws, machine screws, self-drilling screws, sheet metal screws, and flange screws, sold B2B to resellers, distributors, and MRO customers.
• Washers Thin disc-shaped components used with bolts, screws, or nuts to distribute load, reduce friction, prevent loosening, or protect surfaces in heavy-duty applications, sold B2B.
• Nuts Fasteners used with bolts to securely hold materials together, including finished hex nuts, heavy hex nuts, lock nuts, flange nuts, and castle nuts in various grades, sold B2B.
• Clamps Industrial fastening devices including KMC clamps designed for securing wires and tubes, available in various sizes with vinyl coating options for temperature resistance up to 300°F, sold B2B.
• Plugs Mechanical devices including KMC expansion plugs used to seal, block, or test openings in pipes, tubes, or bores by expanding to create a tight fit, sold B2B.
• Clips Fastening devices including KMC clips designed to securely hold wires, cables, tubes, and pipes in industrial applications, compliant with RoHS and REACH standards, sold B2B.
• Timberjack Premium Wood Screws Premium wood screws with special U-shaped threads that lock-in at finish, reducing pull-outs by 200% and bonding timbers together stronger than leading timber screws, sold B2B.
• Pins Fasteners including cotter pins designed with extended prong style and chisel point for easy insertion to lock slotted nuts into place in high-vibration applications, sold B2B.
• Rods Long solid cylindrical metal or composite bars including threaded rods used in manufacturing, construction, machining, and engineering applications for structural support and reinforcement, sold B2B.
• Studs Threaded rod fasteners used to securely join two or more components in construction, manufacturing, and heavy machinery applications, secured using nuts on both ends or threading into tapped holes, sold B2B.
• Anchors Heavy-duty fastening devices used to secure equipment, structures, or items to concrete, steel, or other materials, designed to handle significant loads and stresses, sold B2B.
• Custom Machining Services Custom machining services provided by a dedicated team to meet custom and special fastener requirements, including custom fastener production and to-print specials, available to B2B customers in both the US and UK.

Quantifiable outcome

• Timberjack screws reduce pull outs by 200%
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Drop in the BucketflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEarnest Machine has partnered with Drop in the Bucket, a non-profit organization that focuses on building water wells at schools in sub-Saharan Africa. The partnership is part of Earnest Machine's Clean Water Initiative, which aims to create 4,000 water wells by 2040. Earnest Machine donates 5% of all sales of Grade 8 Hex Head Cap Screws towards this initiative. Drop in the Bucket's mission is to raise funds to drill wells at schools, enabling children to receive an education while having access to clean water.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MSC Industrial Direct: Large public MRO and metalworking distributor offering a broad fastener catalog alongside cutting tools, fluids, and safety supplies. Comparable as a competitor in industrial fastener distribution to resellers, though anchored by a much broader MRO portfolio rather than fastener specialization.
• Applied Industrial Technologies: Large industrial distributor focused on bearings, power transmission, fluid power, and maintenance products, with a complementary fastener offering. Overlaps with Earnest Machine in B2B industrial distribution to MRO and OEM customers, though its core competency lies outside fasteners.
• W.W. Grainger: Major broad-line industrial MRO distributor with a substantial fastener category serving maintenance, construction, and manufacturing end markets. Overlaps with Earnest Machine on B2B fastener distribution to industrial buyers, though Grainger's footprint and assortment are far broader and include own brands.

Direct peers

• INFASCO: North American manufacturer of industrial fasteners including plow bolts, track bolts, and specialty heavy-duty products. Highly comparable to Earnest Machine in product range, heavy-equipment customer overlap, and focus on #3 and #7 head plow bolt categories.
• Fastenal Company: The largest US fastener specialist and industrial supply distributor with thousands of locations and onsite vending programs. Most directly comparable to Earnest Machine in core fastener categories, though materially larger with public-market scale, proprietary supply chain technology, and direct OEM/VMI contracts.
• Würth Industry North America: North American arm of the Würth Group, one of the world's largest fastener specialists with VMI/onsite programs for OEMs. Closely comparable to Earnest Machine as a B2B fastener specialist serving industrial resellers and large manufacturers with custom and standard products.
• Holo-Krome / Amatom: Manufacturer of high-precision alloy and specialty socket head cap screws and fasteners serving industrial and aerospace customers. Comparable to Earnest Machine in industrial fastener manufacturing with branded products and grade/material depth, though skewed toward higher-spec precision SKUs.
• Lawson Products: Public distributor of specialty industrial fasteners, hardware, and maintenance products sold via direct sales force and e-commerce. Comparable to Earnest Machine in B2B fastener distribution with a focus on MRO and a multi-decade operating history, though with greater product breadth and public ownership.

Regional players

• Midwest Fastener Corporation: Midwest-based importer and distributor of standard and specialty fasteners serving OEMs and distributors. Comparable to Earnest Machine in product focus and customer overlap, with a similar mid-sized footprint but a stronger import-oriented sourcing model.
• Porteous Fastener Company: Regional West Coast fastener distributor offering a broad catalog of industrial bolts, screws, nuts, washers, and custom kitting. Comparable to Earnest Machine as a mid-sized B2B fastener specialist with a deep SKU offering, although concentrated primarily in a different US region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@EarnestMachine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/earnest-machine-products
• Xx.com/earnestmachine
• Facebookfacebook.com/EarnestMachine

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 Earnest Machine