What Cee Kay Supply does

CK Supply, Inc. (operating as CK Supply, formerly Cee Kay Supply) is an employee-owned (ESOP) industrial gas, welding, and dry ice distributor founded in 1948 and headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. The company supplies industrial, bulk, and specialty gases (acetylene, argon, carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, propane, propylene, hydrocarbons, and refrigerants) along with gas distribution equipment such as regulators, manifolds, flow meters, gas cabinets, and hydrogen generators. It also distributes a full line of welding equipment — MIG, TIG, multi-process, stick, plasma cutters, engine drives, and robotic/cobot welding automation — plus metal fabrication equipment, laser-cutting consumables, and dry ice across commercial, retail, food distribution, lab/medical, and blasting applications.

CK Supply operates an automated fill plant and analytical laboratory at its St. Louis headquarters and runs nine retail/showroom locations across Missouri and Illinois (St. Louis, O'Fallon MO, Columbia, Joplin, Villa Ridge, Kansas City, Riverside, O'Fallon IL, Wood River), supported by tube-trailer delivery, emergency bulk supply, and the MyCK Account B2B online portal (built on NetSuite) for 24/7 ordering, invoicing, cylinder balance tracking, and credit-card bill payment. Its proprietary Gas Express System® pipes gas directly to customer workstations, eliminating cylinder handling, while the TraCKer system assigns cylinders to specific jobs to reduce overhead and accountability disputes.

Revenue is generated through hardware sales of gases and welding/dry-ice products plus professional services (welder rental, welding training at the Hil-Bax Tech Center, equipment repair, industrial vending solutions, Vendor Managed Inventory). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company sells primarily to enterprise and mid-market industrial customers across ten verticals — manufacturing, metal fabrication, universities/research/labs/medical, food and beverage, construction, cannabis, government and municipalities, fire suppression, scrap metal, and mechanical contractors — with named customers including Dr Pepper, PQ Corporation, Vistar, Jerry Haas Race Cars, Southwestern Illinois College, WB Industries, Highland Machine, and Millstone Bangert. The company is the largest independent supplier of compressed gases, welding/cutting equipment, and dry ice in the Midwest.

Name

Cee Kay Supply

Legal name

CK Supply, Inc.

Website

https://ceekay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CK Supply is an employee-owned industrial distributor founded in 1948, supplying compressed gases, welding equipment, and dry ice to manufacturing, fabrication, food service, and lab/medical customers across Missouri and Illinois through nine retail locations plus an automated fill plant and B2B online portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 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 Gases Sales: Sale of industrial, medical, and atmospheric gases including acetylene, argon, carbon dioxide, helium, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, propane, and specialty gases. Cylinder and bulk gas delivery.
2. Welding Equipment and Supplies: Sale of welding equipment including MIG, TIG, multi-process welders, stick welding, plasma cutters, engine drives, and robotic automation systems. Also includes consumables and accessories.
3. Dry Ice Products and Services: Commercial and retail dry ice sales ranging from 10-lb retail purchases to thousands of pounds weekly. Includes customized packaging and sizing.
4. Services: Welder rental, welding training programs, equipment repair, inventory management, and industrial vending solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Cee Kay Supply is an independent industrial distributor supplying compressed gases, welding and cutting equipment, and dry ice to businesses across the Midwest. The company operates an automated fill plant and analytical laboratory to prepare industrial, medical, and specialty gases, and supplements its product portfolio with welder rental, welding training, equipment repair, vendor-managed inventory, and the proprietary TraCKer cylinder tracking service.

Product overview

CK Supply operates as a product distribution company offering a portfolio of industrial products across three main categories: gases (industrial, bulk, specialty gases, hydrocarbons/refrigerants, and gas distribution equipment), welding supplies (MIG/TIG/multi-process welders, plasma cutters, engine drives, robotic automation, and metal fabrication equipment), and dry ice products (commercial, retail, medical/lab, food distribution, and dry ice blasting). The company supplements its product offerings with services including welder rental, welding training at the Hil-Bax Tech Center, equipment repair, industrial vending solutions, inventory management, and cylinder tracking via the TraCKer system. A digital customer portal (MyCK Account) provides online ordering and account management capabilities. CK Supply serves industrial customers across multiple sectors including manufacturing, metal fabrication, food and beverage, construction, and cannabis through nine retail locations in Missouri and Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MyCK Account: Business-to-business online portal for customers to manage accounts, view invoices, order history, and make payments
• Gas Express System
• TraCKer

Products and services

• Industrial Gases Supply of industrial gases including Acetylene, Argon, Carbon Dioxide, Helium, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Propane, and Propylene for various industrial applications such as welding, cutting, and manufacturing processes.
• Bulk Gases Large-volume gas supply including Bulk Argon, Bulk Nitrogen, Bulk Oxygen, Bulk Carbon Dioxide, Bulk Hydrogen, and Bulk Helium with associated tank service and repair capabilities.
• Specialty Gases Extraction gases and high-purity custom gas mixes including rare gases for specialized industrial applications such as research, laboratory, and extraction processes.
• Hydrocarbons and Refrigerants Refrigerant products including Butane-R600a, Refrigerant Propane-R290, R744 CO2, and hydrocarbon propellants for refrigeration and air conditioning applications.
• Gas Distribution Equipment Equipment for gas distribution including disposable cylinders, flow meters, gas analyzers, gas cabinets, gas manifolds, gas regulators, gas switchover systems, cryogenic dewar changeovers, industrial gas heaters, hydrogen generators, industrial gas detectors, and protocol stations.
• Temporary Gas Supply Temporary gas supply solutions including tube trailers and emergency bulk supply for short-term or urgent gas needs.
• MIG Welding Machines Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding equipment for metal fabrication and industrial welding applications.
• TIG Welding Machines Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding equipment for precision welding of metals.
• Multi-Process Welders Versatile welding machines capable of multiple welding processes including MIG, TIG, and stick welding.
• Plasma Cutters Plasma cutting equipment and consumables for metal cutting applications.
• Engine Drives Engine-driven welding equipment for field and remote location welding operations.
• Welding Robots and Robotic Automation Robotic welding automation including fixed automation systems, flexible automation, and cobot automation solutions.
• Metal Fabrication Equipment Metal fabrication equipment including laser cutting consumables, cutting tables, and welding tables.
• Dry Ice Products Dry ice offerings including commercial dry ice, retail dry ice, Halloween dry ice, lab and medical grade dry ice, food distribution dry ice, dry ice blasting, safety and storage solutions, insulated shippers and packaging, and design consulting services.
• Welder Rental Rental program for welding equipment to meet temporary or short-term project needs.
• Welding Training Comprehensive welding training programs at the Hil-Bax Tech Center for beginners and experienced welders to enhance their skills and career prospects.
• Welder Repair Equipment repair and troubleshooting services for welding equipment maintenance.
• Industrial Vending Solutions Industrial vending machine solutions for dispensing welding supplies and tools.
• Inventory Management (Vendor Managed Inventory) Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) services to help customers manage their welding supplies and gas inventory.
• TraCKer Cylinder Tracking System Cylinder tracking system that allows customers to assign cylinders to jobs, track movement and usage, and manage overhead costs through monthly cylinder invoicing.
• Gas Express System (Piped Gas Delivery) Central piped gas distribution system that delivers gas directly to individual workstations, eliminating cylinder handling, change-outs, and employee injuries for a smoother welding process.

Quantifiable outcome

• Eliminated cylinder handling, change-outs and employee injuries through Gas Express System piped gas solution
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Chart Industries: Manufacturer of cryogenic equipment and bulk gas supply infrastructure used by industrial gas distributors. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, supplying tanks, dewars, and bulk supply equipment that CK Supply and its peers rely on for delivery operations.

Broad incumbents

• Linde plc: Global industrial gas major formed by the merger of Praxair and Linde AG; supplies atmospheric, process, and specialty gases to industrial and healthcare customers across the U.S. Directly overlaps CK Supply on industrial and specialty gases, but at vastly greater scale and with primary production.
• Air Products and Chemicals: Major global industrial gas supplier offering atmospheric gases, hydrogen, helium, and specialty gases. Overlaps with CK Supply's industrial and specialty gas portfolio and competes for the same Midwest manufacturing and fabrication customers, though Air Products serves a far broader global footprint.
• Messer Americas: Fourth-largest industrial gas company globally with U.S. operations supplying atmospheric, specialty, and medical gases. Competes with CK Supply across Midwest industrial accounts, though at considerably larger scale and with primary production assets.
• Air Liquide: Global industrial gas company with strong U.S. presence (including Airgas). Supplies industrial, medical, and specialty gases and competes directly with CK Supply in Midwest industrial markets, though at substantially larger scale and with extensive bulk and pipeline infrastructure.

Direct peers

• Welders Supply Company: Independent regional welding and industrial gas distributor based in Indiana, supplying MIG/TIG equipment, consumables, and industrial gases. Highly comparable to CK Supply on the welding equipment plus industrial gas combination and on serving Midwest metal fabrication customers.
• Roberts Oxygen Company: Regional independent supplier of industrial, specialty, and medical gases with locations across the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. Directly comparable to CK Supply on product mix (atmospheric gases, specialty gases, welding supplies) and on regional independent distributor positioning.
• Indiana Oxygen Company: Regional independent industrial gas and welding supply distributor serving the Midwest. Closely mirrors CK Supply's model of combining industrial gases, welding equipment, and related services across multiple retail locations in adjacent Midwestern states.
• Matheson Tri-Gas: U.S. subsidiary of Nippon Sanso Holdings that supplies industrial, specialty, and medical gases through a regional distribution network. Closely comparable to CK Supply in product mix and customer type, with overlapping capabilities in bulk gas delivery and specialty gas blends.
• nexAir: Independent regional supplier of industrial, specialty, and medical gases with distribution across the Southeast and Midwest. Highly comparable to CK Supply as a privately-held regional gas distributor offering atmospheric gases, welding supplies, and related services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CeeKaySupply
• Facebookfacebook.com/CeeKaySupplyInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cee-kay-supply-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 Cee Kay Supply