Erie Technical Systems

What Erie Technical Systems does

Erie Technical Systems, Inc. (ETSI) is a privately held, founder-controlled manufacturer of bulk material handling equipment for dry solids, headquartered in a ~50,000-square-foot facility at 4690 Iroquois Ave., Erie, Pennsylvania. The company designs, engineers, and produces equipment in-house for unloading, filling, weighing, conditioning, and transferring powders, pellets, flakes, granules, fibers, and crystals in FIBCs, bulk boxes, totes, and drums. Its product portfolio spans manual fillers, semi-automated PLC-controlled fillers, fully integrated packaging lines, flexible screw conveyors, vibratory conveyors and feeders, vibratory spiral elevators, bag break stations, and bulk bag conditioners, supported by private-labeled rotary electric vibrators from partner OLI.

ETSI's product lineup is anchored by trademarked 'MaxMAX' lines (DustMAX, ValuMAX, DensiMAX, SysteMAX, UltiMAX, FlexMAX, PalletMAX, VibraMAX, SpiralMAX) and offers pricing from approximately $3,000 for entry-level manual filler frames to $250,000+ for fully automated integrated packaging systems with stretch wrappers, label printers, and barcode scanners. The company sells direct through a regional sales representative network, with quote requests and a 'Find a Rep' tool on its website, and supports customers across food, chemical, plastics, mining, agriculture, and general industrial manufacturing verticals.

ETSI was founded by Rick Sienerth in 2001, with co-founder Tim Porco joining in 2005, and began serving customers in 2003. It has remained entirely founder-owned with no external institutional capital, growing steadily over twenty-plus years through facility relocations and product line expansion. The company advertises over 100 years of combined engineering experience and offers in-house material flow testing as part of its sales process.

Name

Erie Technical Systems

Legal name

Erie Technical Systems, Inc.

Website

https://erietechnicalsystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Erie Technical Systems is a privately held Erie, Pennsylvania manufacturer of bulk material handling equipment — including bag unloaders, fillers, conveyors, and vibratory systems — for industrial, food, chemical, plastics, mining, and agriculture customers handling dry solids.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Bulk Material Handling Equipment

NAICS

Packaging Machinery Manufacturing (333993)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk Packaging Filling/Discharge Systems & Handling Aids (Spouts, Lifting, Dischargers) (IMALAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Filling & Dosing Machines (Liquid/Powder/Solid) (IMAHAOAF), Bagging, Pouching & Sachet Packaging Equipment (IMAHAOAH), Conveying, Feeding & Accumulation Systems (Packaging Lines) (IMAHAOAK)

Keywords

• Bulk material handling
• Bulk bag filling
• Bulk bag unloading
• Flexible screw conveyors
• Vibratory conveyors

Headquarters

HQ city

Erie

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, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Bulk Material Handling Equipment Sales: Manufacture and sale of standard and custom bulk filling, unloading, and transfer equipment including bulk bag fillers, unloaders, conveyors, and related components. Equipment ranges from simple manual frames to fully automated integrated systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Erie Technical Systems designs, manufactures, and sells equipment and integrated systems for the filling, unloading, and transfer of dry bulk solids (powders, pellets, flakes, granules, fibers, and crystals). Its product portfolio includes bulk bag fillers (DustMAX, ValuMAX, DensiMAX, SysteMAX), bulk bag unloaders (UltiMAX), bulk container dumpers, bag break stations, bulk bag conditioners, flexible screw conveyors (FlexMAX), vibratory conveyors and feeders, vibratory spiral elevators, chain-driven roller conveyors, pallet dispensers, and parts such as Ajax Shaker Drives and OLI rotary electric vibrators. Equipment ranges from $3,300 manual frames to fully automated integrated packaging lines exceeding $250,000, with both standard and custom-engineered configurations produced in-house at a 50,000 sq ft Erie, PA facility.

Product overview

Erie Technical Systems is a bulk material handling equipment manufacturer offering standard and custom solutions for unloading, filling, and transferring dry bulk solids (powders, pellets, flakes, granules). The product portfolio centers on three core equipment categories: (1) Bulk Unloading Equipment including UltiMAX® bulk bag unloaders, bulk container dumpers, bag break stations, and bulk bag conditioners; (2) Bulk Filling Equipment spanning from low-cost DustMAX™ and ValuMAX® manual frames ($3,000-$9,000+) through mid-range DensiMAX™ semi-automated fillers with vibratory densification ($60,000+) to fully integrated SysteMAX™ automated packaging lines ($80,000+), complemented by PalletMAX™ pallet dispensers, slip sheet dispensers, automated pallet stackers, and vibratory densification packers; and (3) Bulk Transfer Equipment including FlexMAX® flexible screw conveyors, vibratory conveyors, vibratory feeders, vibratory spiral elevators, and chain/roller conveyors. The company also offers parts and components (Industrial Rotary Electric Vibrators, Ajax Shaker Drives) and maintains a test lab for material flow testing. Equipment can handle bulk bags (FIBCs), bulk boxes, totes, and drums, with options for food-grade applications. The company has been manufacturing since 2003 from a 50,000+ square foot facility in Erie, PA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DustMAX™: Low-cost bulk bag filler designed for simplicity and reliability for low packaging rates
• ValuMAX®
• DensiMAX™
• SysteMAX™
• FlexMAX®
• UltiMAX™
• PalletMAX™
• SysteMAX™
• OLI Vibrators
• VibraMAX™
• SpiralMAX™

Products and services

• UltiMAX Bulk Bag Unloader Heavy-duty bulk bag unloader designed to safely discharge materials from bulk bags, featuring support frames, lifting frames, and outlet support with optional hoists and flow aids.
• Bulk Container Dumper Equipment for unloading rigid bulk containers, boxes, and totes, available in stationary and portable configurations with hydraulic power.
• Bag Break Station Station for unloading small 25 to 100-pound bags with integrated dust collection system featuring HEPA filters and reverse pulse jet cleaning for demanding dusty environments.
• Bulk Bag Conditioner Equipment using hydraulic rams to break up solidified or hygroscopic materials in bulk bags before discharging, featuring scissor lift, optional rotary table, and PLC-controlled automatic cycle.
• DustMAX Simple Bulk Bag Filler Low-cost bulk bag filling frame with heavy-duty structural steel construction, designed for low packaging rates with manual adjustments and optional weigh scale or slide gate valves.
• ValuMAX Low-Cost Bulk Bag Filler Economical bulk bag filler with 2-post cantilevered design and adjustable arms supporting bags from 35"x35"x35" to 48"x48"x55", featuring pneumatically inflated bladder fill head for dust-tight sealing.
• DensiMAX Semi-Automated Bulk Filler Semi-automated bulk bag filler with high-powered PLC control and vibratory densification deck that simultaneously fills, vibrates, and weighs FIBCs, bulk boxes, totes, and drums.
• SysteMAX Integrated Bulk Filler Completely automated bulk filling system combining DensiMAX fillers with supporting equipment including pallet dispensers, slip sheet dispensers, bag sealers, and conveyor systems into a custom-engineered packaging line.
• PalletMAX Pallet Dispenser Heavy-duty industrial automatic pallet dispenser (pallet inserter/placer) designed for long-term maintenance-free operation, storing stacks of pallets and automatically releasing one at a time.
• Automatic Pallet Slip Sheet Dispenser Dispenser for slip sheets used as stand-alone units or integrated into complete packaging systems.
• Automated Pallet Stacker Automated unit that stacks and holds up to 15-20 empty pallets, providing uniform, safe pallet stacking at the end of filling or packaging lines.
• Vibratory Densification Packers Equipment that uses vibration to densify bulk materials during filling, enabling 20%-50% more product per container by packing more material into each bulk bag.
• FlexMAX Flexible Screw Conveyor Low-cost screw conveyor with helical auger inside UHMW-PE casing for moving and elevating powders and granular bulk materials, available in 2" to 6" diameters with various auger profiles for different material types.
• Vibratory Conveyors Linear vibration conveyors for moving dry bulk materials in straight lines, available up to 50 feet long in open or enclosed trough/round configurations, powered by Ajax Shaker Drive system.
• Vibratory Feeders Devices driven by Ajax Shaker or Rotary Electric Vibrators that move dry solid materials short distances from hoppers, available in tube style (6-12" diameter, 4-12 ft long) and pan style (12-36" wide, 4-10 ft long).
• Vibratory Spiral Elevators Equipment for vertically elevating bulk materials using spiral motion when floor space is limited, available with 5" or 8" pitch spirals achieving 35-50 feet per minute speeds.
• Chain Driven Live Roller Conveyors Conveyors using chain-driven rollers for moving pallets and heavy containers in bulk handling operations.
• Pop Up Chain Transfer Conveyors Conveyors with pop-up chain transfers for moving products between conveyor lines or onto/off of conveyors.
• Industrial Rotary Electric Vibrators Heavy-duty rotary electric vibrators private-labeled through partnership with OLI, used as add-ons to bulk manufacturing equipment or sold individually for industrial vibration applications.
• Ajax Shaker Drives Totally enclosed linear vibration generators with counter-rotating weights in oil bath lubrication, available in force outputs from 114 lbs to 11,229 lbs, driven by electric or hydraulic motor.

Quantifiable outcome

• Can move up to 100 tons per hour of bulk material
• +3 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• OLIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with OLI to provide a complete line of private labeled Heavy-Duty Rotary Electric Industrial Vibrators. OLI is the world's top-selling manufacturer of Electric and Pneumatic Vibrators. Through this partnership, Erie Technical Systems continues to offer vibratory equipment driven by the world leader in vibratory motors, serving as a one-stop-shop for bulk and dry solids handling industry needs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dynamic Air: Manufactures pneumatic conveying systems, bulk bag unloaders, and related dry bulk material handling equipment used by chemical, food, and plastics processors.
• Flexicon Corporation: Direct competitor manufacturing bulk bag fillers, unloaders, flexible screw conveyors, and other bulk material handling equipment for dry solids across food, chemical, plastics, and mining end-markets.
• Hapman: Bulk material handling equipment maker offering flexible screw conveyors, bulk bag unloaders, and engineered conveying systems for dry solids processors across similar verticals.
• National Bulk Equipment: Designs and builds bulk bag filling and unloading stations, material handling conveyors, and integrated packaging systems for dry solids, closely overlapping Erie's core offering.
• Spiroflow Systems: Manufacturer of bulk material handling equipment including bulk bag fillers/unloaders, flexible screw conveyors, and vibratory feeders serving overlapping dry solids handling applications.
• Vibra Screw Inc. Specializes in vibratory feeding, conveying, and bulk solids handling equipment, including bin activators and feeders that overlap with Erie's vibratory conveyor and feeder lines.
• Material Transfer & Storage: Engineered bulk bag handling equipment and material handling systems for dry bulk solids, including fillers, unloaders, and integrated conveying lines.

Broad incumbents

• Schenck Process: Global large-scale incumbent in material handling and process technology, offering bulk material handling, weighing, feeding, and conveying solutions across many of the same verticals as Erie at much broader scale.

Others

• OLI: World's top-selling manufacturer of electric and pneumatic industrial vibrators; strategic private-label partner of Erie Technical Systems supplying rotary electric vibrators into the dry solids handling ecosystem.

Regional players

• Flexicon (Europe) / Volkmann: European-based provider of bulk bag handling, pneumatic conveying, and isolation systems serving similar dry solids applications; represents international competition Erie does not yet address from its U.S. base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bulkfilling
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Bulkfilling
• Facebookfacebook.com/erietechnicalsystems
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/erie-technical-systems-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Erie Technical Systems