PRS Group

What PRS Group does

PRS Group (legal entity Pallet Repair Systems, Inc.) is a family-owned, Jacksonville, Illinois-based manufacturer of pallet machinery founded in 1989 by inventor Lonnie Williams. The company designs, builds, and supports equipment for the pallet manufacturing, repair, recycling, and sortation workflow, including bandsaw pallet dismantlers (XP-One/Two/Three and Prosaw lines), trim saws (Optimax OM-2/OM-3, Auto-Max Super Saw, Dual-Max, MCS-5), conveyors and stackers, repair lines, and basic repair tables and connector plates. Through its US-exclusive CAPE partnership, PRS distributes Swiss-made automatic nailing systems (Mach Series, Tandem Series) and Cape robotic material handling, and bundles Universal/Neocortex AI-driven robotic pallet sortation and Zira AI Vision production monitoring into its equipment. The 42,000 sq ft facility houses CNC plasma cutting, CNC machining, robotic welding, and metal stamping up to 120 tons, and is supported by a pre-owned equipment facility in Roodhouse, IL.

PRS monetizes across five streams: new equipment sales (custom quote-based, high-ASP turnkey systems), brokered pre-owned equipment (online storefront with listed pricing), professional services (design via AutoCAD/Autodesk INVENTOR, installation, training, refurbishing, preventive maintenance, job shop fabrication), parts and components, and equipment financing through American Bank. GTM is sales-led and consultative, with named reps (Bob Coplea, Jeff Williams) and direct factory relationships built over decades; marketing relies on industry trade shows, association memberships (NWPCA/Woodpack Global, WPA, CWPCA, Natures Packaging), the website, and earned coverage in trade publications such as Pallet Enterprise Magazine. Customers are enterprise pallet manufacturers and recyclers across North America, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe; the firm serves the $5.86 billion pallet industry with 30+ employees including designers and manufacturers.

Name

PRS Group

Legal name

Pallet Repair Systems, Inc.

Website

https://prsgroupinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Family-owned Jacksonville, Illinois manufacturer of pallet manufacturing, repair, recycling, and sortation equipment, distributing CAPE nailing systems and bundling Zira AI and Neocortex robotics for global pallet industry customers since 1989.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Jacksonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. New Equipment Sales: PRS manufactures and sells new pallet machinery including dismantlers, trim saws, nailing lines, conveyors, stackers, and automated systems. Equipment ranges from basic repair tables to fully integrated robotic manufacturing lines.
2. Pre-Owned Equipment Sales: Company operates as a broker for used pallet repair equipment, selling machines from their Roodhouse, IL facility. Offers trade-in options on new equipment purchases.
3. Services (Installation, Training, Refurbishing, Maintenance): Comprehensive service offerings including on-site installation, operator training, equipment refurbishing, preventive maintenance programs, and job shop services (CNC machining, welding, metal stamping).
4. Design Services: Custom machinery design using AutoCAD and Autodesk INVENTOR solid modeling, CAD layout proposals for facility optimization, and consulting services.
5. Parts and Components: Extensive parts inventory for PRS equipment and other manufacturers' machines, metal stamping components, and fabricated parts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PRS Group manufactures and sells pallet manufacturing, repair, recycling, and sortation equipment, including PROSAW bandsaw dismantlers (XP, AT, Spartan series), Optimax/Auto-Max trim saws, CAPE automated nailing lines, conveyors, and robotic systems. The company also integrates Zira AI Vision production monitoring and Neocortex AI pallet sorting technology. In addition, PRS offers pre-owned equipment brokerage, custom design, installation, refurbishing, and preventive maintenance services.

Product overview

PRS Group provides a broad portfolio of pallet manufacturing, repair, recycling, and sortation equipment and services. The product line is organized around several core equipment families: (1) PRS-manufactured pallet dismantling equipment including the XP-One, XP-Two, and XP-Three Pallet Disassembly Systems, Prosaw Band Dismantlers (XP, AT, AT-15, and fixed-table models), and Spartan Bandsaw; (2) PRS trim saws and chop saws including the Auto-Max Super Saw (automated with AI-powered lumber scanning), Optimax OM-2 and OM-3, and Dual-Max double-end trim saw; (3) Integrated and automated systems including Pallet Repair Systems, Pallet Recycling Systems, and Pallet Sortation Systems; (4) CAPE-branded automatic nailing equipment including the Tandem Series (hydraulic nailing for medium-long runs, up to 6 pallets/minute) and Mach Series (fast changeover for medium-short runs, 2,500 pallets per shift); (5) Cape Robotics for lumber handling, machine tending, pallet sorting, and robotic nailing; (6) Zira AI Vision Telematics for AI-powered production monitoring across dismantling, trim saw, repair, and nailing stations; (7) Conveyors, scissor lifts, and material handling equipment; (8) Pre-owned/brokered equipment; and (9) Pallet plates, fasteners, and basic repair tools. The company also offers design, installation, refurbishing, preventive maintenance, and job shop services. Products are sold individually, as integrated turnkey systems, or as bundles (e.g., XP-Two + Zira AI Vision). The PRS XP-Two + Zira AI Vision represents the company's AI-integrated platform combining its mechanical dismantling equipment with Zira's computer vision production monitoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zira AI Vision: AI-powered production monitoring and telematics system for pallet operations, tracking KPIs, pallet counts, and machine uptime/downtime.
• CAPE Equipment

Products and services

• Auto-Max Super Saw Automated trim saw system with lumber scanning that uses laser and high-speed 3D camera to measure width, length, and thickness in real time at up to 93.75 lineal ft per minute. Automatically optimizes, prioritizes, cuts, and sorts pallet boards and stringers at 3,000+ boards per hour with only 1-2 operators.
• Zira AI Vision Telematics AI-powered production monitoring system using cameras to automatically track pallet counts, dimensions, cycle times, uptime/downtime, and operator performance across dismantling, trim saw, repair, and nailing stations. Provides real-time dashboards and alerts for shop floor visibility.
• XP-One Pallet Disassembly System Single-operator pallet dismantling system featuring a 15 HP bandsaw with belt drive, 17-inch band wheels, pneumatic blade tensioning, and automatic lumber conveyance via horizontal and inclined belt conveyors. Designed to enable one operator to reach production levels of nearly two operators on traditional machines.
• XP-Two Pallet Disassembly System Two-person operating pallet dismantling system with two 15 HP bandsaw dismantlers, horizontal and inclined belt conveyors, designed for high-volume pallet recycling with doubled efficiency over single-operator machines.
• XP-Three Pallet Disassembly System Three-person operating pallet dismantling system with three 15 HP bandsaws and three belt conveyors, designed for the highest-volume pallet recycling requirements with tripled efficiency over single-operator machines.
• Prosaw Band Dismantler XP Two-operator extreme-performance bandsaw pallet dismantler with proprietary blade guide system, pneumatic blade tensioning, 4,400 sfpm blade speed, 60-inch pallet width capacity, electronic safety interlocks, and quick blade changes for high uptime. Can be converted to single-operator operation.
• Prosaw Band Dismantler AT & AT-15 Heavy-duty bandsaw dismantlers with electronically adjustable table height via heavy-duty electromechanical actuator on a 4-post linkage system with weld-in bushings. Capable of dismantling 2x4 decking, coil steel skids, selective board removal on nine-block and European pallets.
• Prosaw Band Dismantlers (10 HP & 15 HP) Heavy-duty bandsaw dismantlers with fixed table design available in 10 HP (PROSAW) and 15 HP (PROSAW-15) models, featuring 60-inch wide by 84-inch steel table welded into frame with blade 1.25 inches above table surface.
• Spartan Bandsaw Heavy-duty, economical pallet dismantler designed for one or two-person operation with push-button controls, 10 HP direct drive motor, heavy-duty gear reducer at 2,200 sfpm blade speed, mechanical blade tensioning, and adjustable table height on AT model.
• Optimax OM-2 Trim Saw Chain-fed trim saw with 7.5 HP saw motor, 3-chain feed conveyor design, variable speed feed, and optional length sortation system for automatic board sorting into bins. Handles up to 2,300 boards per hour.
• Optimax OM-3 Trim Saw Heavy-duty trim saw with 3 feed chains, 7.5 HP saw motor, incline deck, variable speed feed standard, four adjustable swing stops, and capacity of 3,000+ boards per hour. Handles material up to 2 inches thick.
• Dual-Max Trim Saw High-speed double-end trim saw for simultaneous trimming of both ends of deckboards and stringers. Features hopper feed, variable feed speed, dual 7.5 HP direct arbor saw motors, incline deck, and accommodates material up to 6 inches wide by 2 inches thick.
• MCS-5 Chop Saw Fast, efficient chop saw designed for the pallet industry with rugged steel frame, welded construction, 5 HP TEFC motor, belt-driven saw mandrel, 14-inch diameter blade with 1-inch arbor.
• Pallet Repair System Automated pallet repair line system including conveyor-fed dismantlers to trim saws, repair stations with automated pallet stackers, and bar code scanning for automatic sortation. Includes PRS station platers for repairing cracked stringers with metal connector plates.
• Pallet Recycling System Complete pallet recycling and lumber reclaim systems including dismantlers, conveyors, three-tier conveyor setups for separate routing of deck boards, stringers, and scrap lumber, integrated with trim saws for lumber recovery.
• Pallet Sortation System Mechanized pallet sortation system that allows single operator inspection and sorting of hundreds of pallets per hour with automatic data collection, inventory tracking, and bar code label scanning for automatic pallet routing to appropriate stackers.
• PRS Integrated & Automated Systems Integrated and automated pallet handling systems combining sortation, robotic stackers and sorters, repair lines, recycling systems, and stack tippers into turnkey automation solutions for high-volume pallet operations.
• CAPE Tandem Series Automatic nailing line with hydraulic nailing and continuous cycle for medium-long production runs. TANDEM 1 (single nailing head shuttle), TANDEM 2 (dual nailing head for longer runs), TANDEM 3 (block pallet lines). Capable of producing up to 6 pallets per minute with 4 or fewer operators.
• CAPE Mach Series Automatic nailing lines with fast changeover for medium-short series and flexible/fast changeover lines. MACH 1 (mat and skid assembly with fast setups), MACH 2 (USA's most popular stringer assembly), MACH 3 (block and stringer assembly with fast setups). Produces 2,500 stringer pallets per 8-hour shift with 3 operators.
• CAPE Robotics Robotic solutions for lumber handling, machine tending, pallet sorting, pallet assembly, and robotic nailing systems. Through partnership with Cape, PRS delivers robotic stackers, robotic nailing systems, and robotic material handling automation for pallet manufacturing operations.
• CAPE Block Saw Tacomatic C-10 Automatic block-cutter machine for cutting blocks for pallets. Carousel-style block cutting saw with continuous, accurate cutting and material handling. Produces up to 3,500 blocks per hour with 450 mm diameter blade.
• Neocortex Pallet Sorter AI/sensor-based robotic pallet sorting system that sorts up to 350+ pallets per hour with 99% accuracy. Identifies CHEP, PECO, plastic, and white wood pallets. Builds stacks 18 pallets high with +/- 1/2 inch placement accuracy. Saves up to $300K in operating expenses including labor, forklift, and floor space reductions.
• PRS Conveyors Full line of conveyor equipment including Slider Bed Belt, Chain Driven Live Roller, Chain Strand Conveyors, Gravity Conveyors, Scissor Lifts, Armadillo Conveyor, and specialty conveyors. Designed for pallet, lumber, and plywood handling applications.
• Pre-Owned Equipment Brokered and direct pre-owned pallet equipment inventory including dismantlers, trim saws, resaws, stackers, conveyors, grinders, stack tippers, notchers, and nailing machines from various manufacturers. Listed on the PRS website with specific pricing.
• Pallet Plates, Fasteners & Basic Equipment Basic pallet repair equipment including Ergo Tables, Econo Repair Tables, Steel Repair Tables, Ergo Block Tables, PRS Dismantling Bars, Repair Table Tool Holsters, Steel Barriers, Rack King Lumber Racks, Pallet Plates, Log Plates, and Specialty Fasteners.
• PRS Services Supporting services including custom design (AutoCAD and Autodesk INVENTOR), installation, refurbishing, on-site repair, preventive maintenance, job shop services (CNC plasma cutting, CNC machining, high-speed metal stamping, welding, painting), CAD layout proposals, operator training, and consulting.

Quantifiable outcome

• 31% productivity increase (400 to 525 pallets per 8-hour shift)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CAPE (Automation Equipment)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CAPE, one of the world's leading suppliers of automated pallet-nailing and pallet-manufacturing equipment. PRS serves as the US representative and installer for CAPE products including Mach series nailing lines, Tandem series, and robotic systems. Partnership began after founder Lonnie Williams and Jeff Williams visited Switzerland to see CAPE machines in action. Has enabled PRS to expand into pallet manufacturing beyond repair and recycling.
• Zira (AI Production Monitoring)coreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Zira AI Vision for production monitoring on PRS dismantling and recycling equipment. Zira provides AI-powered cameras and dashboards that track pallet counts, cycle times, uptime/downtime, and operator performance. Combined PRS equipment + Zira solution offers real-time production visibility for pallet recyclers.
• Woodpack Global (formerly NWPCA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association membership providing marketing exposure, industry networking, and participation in pallet industry standards and initiatives.
• WPA (Wooden Pallet Association)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association partnership for wooden pallet sector networking and advocacy.
• CWPCAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional pallet industry association partnership.
• Natures PackagingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustry association partnership for packaging sector networking.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Biesse Group: Italian multinational manufacturer of machinery for processing wood, glass, stone, plastic, and metal. Includes pallet line equipment as part of its broader industrial machinery portfolio; competes with PRS only as one of many industrial niches.
• Weinig Group: Large German industrial woodworking machinery conglomerate offering solid wood processing and pallet production lines. Overlaps with PRS in pallet manufacturing equipment but operates across a much broader woodworking portfolio.

Regional players

• Opmeta: Spanish-based manufacturer of pallet production machinery (nailers, dismantling lines). Competes with PRS/CAPE in European pallet machinery markets but does not serve North America directly.

Direct peers

• Pallet Machinery Group (PMG): U.S.-based pallet machinery manufacturer offering nailing machines, dismantlers, and pallet manufacturing systems. Competes head-to-head with PRS in the North American pallet manufacturing and repair equipment market.
• CAPE: Swiss-based global leader in automated pallet-nailing lines (Mach, Tandem, robotic systems). PRS is the US representative/installer for CAPE products. They are simultaneously PRS's primary supplier for nailing equipment and a structural peer in pallet machinery worldwide.
• Viking Engineering: Designs and builds pallet manufacturing equipment including nailing machines and material handling. Direct competitor in the pallet machinery OEM space.
• Automated Pallet Systems: Specializes in robotic pallet stackers, dispensers, and automated pallet handling systems. Competes with PRS's Neocortex robotic sorter and CAPE-branded robotics in pallet sortation and stacking automation.
• GPM Engineering: Pallet equipment manufacturer offering pallet nailing machines, stringer chop saws, and pallet handling equipment. Direct competitor in the pallet machinery niche serving North American pallet manufacturers and recyclers.

Emerging players

• Universal Robotics / Neocortex: AI/robotic pallet sorting and material handling vendor whose Neocortex software is integrated into PRS's robotic sorter offering. Functions as both a partner and an emerging competitor in automated pallet sortation technology.
• Zira (AI Vision): AI production monitoring and computer vision platform bundled with PRS dismantling equipment. Functions as a technology partner but also represents an emerging software-overlay category in industrial pallet operations that PRS both resells and competes with at the margin.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/palletrepair
• Facebookfacebook.com/prsgroupinc

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 PRS Group