What Kinetic does

Kinetic (The Kinetic Co., Inc.) is a U.S. industrial manufacturer of precision machine knives, hardened wear products, and custom industrial blades founded in 1948 and headquartered in Greendale, Wisconsin with ISO 9001:2015-certified manufacturing operations in Milwaukee, WI. The company operates two integrated pillars: (1) Industrial Blade Products covering log saw blades, shear blades, slitter knives, perforation blades, side trimmers, crop shear blades, veneer blades, chipper knives, industrial shredder blades, medical blades, and turbine cutting tools across seven verticals (tissue/nonwovens, wet wipes, metals, wood, packaging, recycling, medical, and power generation); and (2) Manufacturing Services including contract grinding (surface, rotary/Blanchard, OD), contract CNC machining (3-axis and 5-axis), wire EDM, laser cutting, in-house vacuum heat treating, mandrel repair, and regrinding/resharpening services.

The technical backbone is precision grinding, CNC machining, and in-house vacuum heat treating — Kinetic heat-treats approximately 99.5% of its own products across four vacuum furnaces, enabling proprietary capabilities such as NoGrind surface finish (8/16 RMS, 25-30% longer blade life), the patented T Babbitt Adjustable Lathe Blade System, Super Stainless Steel (SSS) material for wet wipe converting, a certified mandrel balancing process to less than 0.002 inches peak-to-peak vibration, and tolerances exceeding 0.0001 inches flat and parallel on surface grinding. Key equipment includes dozens of surface grinders up to 36"x168", Blanchard rotary grinders up to 100", Soraluce 5-axis mills, Okuma double-column bridge mills, and large-capacity heat-treat furnaces.

Kinetic operates a B2B direct enterprise sales model with quote-based pricing, industry-specialized sales representatives (tissue, metals, dedicated National Sales Director), trade-show presence at Hygienix and Converters Expo, and recurring services (regrinding, mandrel repair, scheduled inventory management). Customers include P&G, Georgia-Pacific, Nucor Steel, and U.S. Steel. The company was family-owned for 7 decades prior to its 2022 acquisition by Precision Marshall and is currently led by President & CEO Thomas R. Sedlak, with third-generation family leader Cash Masters as Vice President.

Name

Kinetic

Legal name

The Kinetic Co., Inc.

Website

https://knifemaker.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Kinetic is a U.S. manufacturer of precision industrial machine knives, hardened wear products, and custom blades serving tissue, metals, wood, packaging, recycling, medical, and power generation customers. Founded in 1948 in Wisconsin, it combines proprietary in-house vacuum heat treating with contract grinding, CNC machining, and regrinding services for global enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Machine Knives

NAICS

Cutting Tool and Machine Tool Accessory Manufacturing (333515), Saw Blade and Handtool Manufacturing (332216)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Tool & Die Making (EDAOAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Custom Thermoforming & Contract Manufacturing (IMANAHAI), Manual Machining (Lathe, Mill, Grinding) (EDAOAGAB)

Keywords

• Industrial machine knives
• Precision cutting tools
• Contract manufacturing services
• Vacuum heat treating
• Industrial blade grinding

Headquarters

HQ city

Greendale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

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. Industrial Machine Knives and Blades: Manufacture and sale of precision industrial machine knives, cutting blades, and hardened wear products for tissue, metals, wood, packaging, recycling, medical, and power generation industries. Products include log saw blades, perforation blades, shear blades, slitter knives, and custom industrial blades.
2. Contract Manufacturing Services: Full-service precision contract manufacturing including CNC milling, CNC turning, surface grinding, rotary Blanchard grinding, wire EDM, and laser cutting. Services support one-off prototypes to high-volume production runs across various industries.
3. Vacuum Heat Treating Services: Commercial vacuum heat treating services for tool steel, high-speed steel, and super alloys. Includes hardness testing documentation and certifications.
4. Blade Regrinding and Sharpening Services: Industrial blade sharpening and regrinding services that restore knives to near-original condition. Includes inventory management and scheduled maintenance programs.
5. Mandrel Repair and Rebuilding: Precision mandrel repair, rebuilding, and refurbishment services for paper converting machine company rewinders. Includes inspection, straightening, and certification.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kinetic (The Kinetic Co., Inc.) manufactures and sells industrial machine knives, precision cutting tools, and hardened wear products for tissue, metals, wood, packaging, recycling, medical, and power generation industries. The company also provides contract manufacturing services including CNC machining, precision grinding, and vacuum heat treating, along with blade regrinding and mandrel repair services.

Product overview

Kinetic (The Kinetic Co.) is a world-class manufacturer of industrial machine knives, precision cutting tools, and hardened wear products. The company operates as a single integrated product and service portfolio organized around two core pillars: (1) Industrial Blade Products — including Log Saw Blades, Shear Blades, Slitter Knives, Perforation Blades, Industrial Shredder Blades, Packaging Machine Blades, Wear Plates, and Winding Mandrels, plus specialized blades for tissue/nonwovens (Perf Blades, Fly Knives, Chopper Blades), metals (Side Trimmers, Profile Knives, Crop Shear Blades, Tube Cut-Off Knives), wood (Veneer Blades, Chipper Knives, OSB Blades, Planer Blades), recycling, medical, and power generation; and (2) Manufacturing Services — encompassing Contract Grinding (Surface Grinding, Rotary/Blanchard Grinding, OD Grinding, Mattison 400S Plate Grinder), Contract Machining (CNC Milling, CNC Turning, Large Format/5-Axis Milling, Wire EDM, Laser Cutting), Vacuum Heat Treating, Mandrel Repair, and Regrinding/Resharpening Services. The company serves tissue, metals, wood, packaging, recycling, medical, and power generation industries with products manufactured in Milwaukee, WI, and positions itself as a one-stop-shop for grinding, machining, and heat-treating needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Log Saw Blades Precision-balanced blades engineered for high-speed log cutting in tissue and nonwovens production, heat-treated for durability and consistent, clean cross-cuts.
• Perforation Blades and Anvils Perforation blades and anvils for tissue manufacturers, including standard PCMC 4.4xx inch perf blade, carbide anvils, Bi-Metallic perf blades and anvils in various styles (Korleus, Ital, Perini/Futura), and match ground Bi-Metallic blades. Reliable perforation blades for controlled tear lines on flexible packaging, paper, and label stock.
• Shear Blades Precision-ground shear blades for clean, consistent cuts across a wide range of materials, built for high-volume production with extended service life.
• Slitter Knives Circular tooling for converting coil steel to narrower width strips, designed for high-speed slitting operations with tight width tolerances across a variety of material thicknesses.
• Industrial Shredder Blades Heavy-duty blades engineered for demanding size-reduction applications across a wide range of materials, including plastics, paper, metals, and composites in recycling environments. Built for durability and consistent performance in high-volume shredding operations.
• Packaging Machine Blades Corrosion-resistant blades optimized for form-fill-seal and flow wrap operations, handling varied film types and speeds while reducing changeover frequency.
• Wear Plates Precision-machined wear plates designed to protect equipment surfaces and extend the service life of machinery in high-friction environments, including power generation applications. Suitable for a wide range of industrial applications.
• Winding Mandrels Durable mandrels engineered for reliable core winding across paper, film, foil, and textile converting operations, designed for consistent tension control and smooth material transfer.
• Tissue Converting Blades Specialized blades for tissue and nonwovens converting including fly knives made from MM high-speed steel and Ultra-Wear Particle Metallurgy material, cut-off blades (diaper knives) in high-tech materials, core cutter blades, slitter anvils, chopper blades, ply bonders/crimper wheels, multi-knife block slitter bands, and hardened anvil rolls.
• Heat Seal Belts Heat sealing belts for packaging applications in the tissue industry, designed to improve belt life span and offering reliable stock availability.
• Coated Rolls Coated rolls available in aluminum, steel, and carbon fiber materials for tissue, towel, napkin, sanitary, non-woven, wipes, packaging, and wrapping applications.
• Log Saw Lubricant Log saw lubricant designed to reduce friction, enhance cutting efficiency, and extend blade life for log saw operations.
• Log Saw Safety Carriers Safety carriers developed to ensure safe handling, installation, and transport of log saw blades, helping to reduce operational risks and improve workplace safety.
• Wet Wipe Blades Precision cutting solutions for wet wipe converting with clean cuts and reduced fiber buildup, built for high-speed, high-moisture converting environments with minimal residue and longer blade life.
• Metal Cutting Blades Specialized blades for metals processing including side trimmers with NoGrind Surface Finish (8/16 RMS surface finish, 25-30% longer life), profile knives, crop shear blades, scrap choppers, tube cut-off knives with differential hardening and TiN/XLN coatings, friction saws and carbide saws, demolition and scrap shear blades, liner plates, and slitters and tooling for OEM slitter equipment.
• Wood Processing Blades Specialized blades for wood processing including veneer blades with premium chipper steel composition, chipper knives, OSB blades, planer blades, and the patented T Babbitt Adjustable Lathe Blade System for fast and accurate height positioning.
• Medical Blades Precision medical blades and surgical cutting tools for tubing, surgical textiles, and polymer-based components with exacting tolerances, including blades for surgical masks, exam bed paper, emergency blankets, patient gowns, medical wrist bands, and sanitary wipes.
• Power Generation Cutting Tools Cutting tools and wear plates for turbine maintenance, heat-resistant cutting, and equipment rebuilds in power generation, built to endure high temperatures, corrosive environments, and rigors of round-the-clock operation. Includes MPS Pulverizer components.
• Contract Grinding Services Contract grinding services including surface grinding (two dozen surface grinders from 12 x 24 inches up to 36 x 168 inches, tolerances exceeding 0.0001 inch flat and parallel), rotary Blanchard grinding (Mattison and Blanchard rotary grinders from 42 to 60 inches), large Blanchard grinding (84, 96, and 100 inch machines), OD/cylindrical grinding (Landis and Toyoda OD grinders), and Mattison 400S Plate Grinder.
• Contract Machining Services Contract machining services including CNC milling (3-axis 50-taper high-torque CNC milling centers up to 60x30x26 inch work envelope, tolerances +/- 0.001 inch), CNC turning (live tool lathes with sub-spindles, maximum swing 35 inches), large format 5-axis milling (Okuma Double-Column Bridge mill, Soraluce 5-Axis horizontal ram mill), wire EDM, and CO2 laser cutting. Specializes in hardened alloy, tool, high-speed steel, and exotic/nickel-alloy machining.
• Vacuum Heat Treating Services In-house vacuum heat treating services with 4 vacuum furnaces (3 Ipsen horizontal, 1 Lindberg vertical) and Induction Systems 50kW induction heat treat scanner with polymer quench furnace. Services for tool steel, high-speed steel, and super alloys, including hardness testing documentation and certifications.
• Mandrel Repair and Rebuilding Precision mandrel repair, rebuilding, and refurbishment services for paper converting machine company rewinders, including PCMC rewinders repair with 2-3 week turnaround. Includes inspection, straightening, and certification.
• Regrinding and Resharpening Services Industrial blade sharpening and regrinding services that restore knives to like-new condition, with high-tech steels and alloys designed to be resharpened repeatedly using state-of-the-art equipment. Includes inventory management and scheduled maintenance programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25-30% longer blade life reported by tissue customers
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Simonds International: Long-established manufacturer of industrial saw blades, knives, and cutting tools serving metals, wood, and converting industries. Directly comparable to Kinetic on industrial knives and slitter/circular tooling with similar end-market exposure.
• Precision Marshall: Kinetic's parent company following the 2022 acquisition. Precision Marshall operates in the steel and tool steel space with related capabilities, and serves as both owner and adjacent operator with overlapping customer relationships in metals processing.
• IKS (Industrial Knife & Saw): Direct competitor in industrial knives for tissue and steel markets. Jeff Carr, Kinetic's newly appointed National Sales Director, was previously Executive Vice President at IKS, confirming direct overlap in tissue and steel product lines and customer base.

Broad incumbents

• OSG: Global manufacturer of taps, end mills, drills, and other precision cutting tools. Operates in adjacent cutting tool categories serving industrial customers with overlapping engineering and quality requirements.
• Kennametal: Global industrial tooling manufacturer with a portfolio spanning metal cutting tools, wear parts, and engineered components. Larger and broader than Kinetic but competes in adjacent cutting tools and wear-resistant product categories.
• Mitsubishi Materials: Global manufacturer of cutting tools, wear-resistant products, and specialty materials. Comparable component-level product lines and target industrial customers, with substantially larger scale and global footprint.
• Sandvik: Global engineering group with major cutting tools and mining/rock processing divisions. Overlaps with Kinetic in industrial cutting tools and wear-resistant components, with materially larger R&D and global distribution.
• Stanley Black & Decker: Diversified industrial conglomerate with cutting tool and engineered components businesses serving industrial customers. Significantly larger and broader, but competes in adjacent industrial cutting tool categories.
• Walter Tools: Global manufacturer of precision cutting tools for metalworking. Competitor in cutting tool categories with broad industrial customer base and deeper digital distribution capabilities.
• Voestalpine (Bohler-Uddeholm): Steel and specialty alloy producer whose Bohler-Uddeholm division supplies tool steel and cutting tool products. Adjacent to Kinetic through shared metallurgical expertise and overlapping industrial knife customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Kinetic