Grotnes

What Grotnes does

Grotnes, Inc. is a privately held US metalforming equipment manufacturer founded in 1898 as Charles Grotnes Machine Works in Chicago and now headquartered in Niles, Michigan. The company designs and builds custom industrial machinery organized around four core technologies: expanding, shrinking, roll forming, and spinning, used to shape hollow components such as cylinders, cones, rings, and specialized profiles. Its installed base includes forging expanders up to 3,300 tons, catalytic converter canning cells, drum and pail manufacturing lines, tank forming systems, and shrinker/circumpress machines, with capabilities spanning cold and hot forming of difficult materials including superalloys, titanium, Inconel, and Hastelloy at temperatures exceeding 1,600°F. The company is led by President and CEO Mike Walker and has roughly 11-50 employees.

Grotnes sells primarily through a direct enterprise field sales motion with regional representatives across the US, China, and international markets, supplemented by an e-commerce storefront (shop.grotnes.com) for standard closing tools and spare parts. Custom equipment is quote-based under multi-year contracts, while the company also generates recurring revenue through the Service & Spares Club (preventative maintenance, training, parts discounts), retrofits and rebuilds, and the Formitt Metal Labs prototyping and co-manufacturing services division. End markets are diversified across aerospace, automotive, appliance, tanks, pipe, rigid packaging, forging, and general industrial customers.

In 2022, Grotnes entered a strategic partnership with Italian metal spinning lathe specialist Nova Sidera, effectively expanding its metalforming offering to include spinning under one coordinated commercial umbrella with US-based support. Product momentum has accelerated in 2025-2026, with launches including the BET-01 portable point-of-use expander, an all-servo 500 Series Fibre Drum Winder, an all-electric roll former, and a strategic shift toward repeatable, configured-to-order machine platforms to compress lead times. The company holds no disclosed external funding and appears self-funded, with no identified parent entity or private equity backing.

Name

Grotnes

Legal name

Grotnes, Inc.

Website

https://grotnes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Grotnes is a 128-year-old US metalforming equipment manufacturer building custom expanders, shrinkers, roll formers, and spinning machines for aerospace, automotive, tank, drum, and forging customers, with global direct field sales, an online closing tool store, and a Formitt Metal Labs prototyping division.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Metalforming Machinery

NAICS

Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (33351), Rolling Mill and Other Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (333519)

SIC

Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Forming & Fabrication Machines (Presses, Bending, Shearing, Stamping) (IMAHADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Capping, Sealing & Closing Machines (IMAHAOAG)

Keywords

• Metalforming machinery
• Expanding machines
• Roll forming equipment
• Catalytic converter assembly
• Forging expanders

Headquarters

HQ city

Niles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Metalforming Equipment Sales: Sale of custom-configured metalforming machinery including expanders, shrinkers, roll formers, spinning machines, and specialized equipment for specific industry applications. Machines are built to customer specifications with configurable options.
2. Spare Parts and Components: Supply of replacement parts, tooling, and components for Grotnes equipment. Parts available through online store and direct ordering with quick turnaround.
3. Service and Maintenance Programs: Preventative maintenance programs through the Grotnes Service & Spares Club, including scheduled maintenance, expert troubleshooting, training, and exclusive discounts on parts and services.
4. Retrofits and Rebuilds: Extensive retrofits and rebuilds of existing Grotnes equipment, performed to extend machine life and enhance performance.
5. Prototyping and Production Services: Formitt Metal Labs division provides prototyping, process development, and production services for hollow tube shapes and components, including bridge manufacturing and co-manufacturing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Grotnes manufactures custom-configured industrial metalforming machinery—including expanders, shrinkers, roll formers, spinning machines, drum processing equipment, tank forming cells, catalytic converter canning cells, and pail closing tools—for aerospace, automotive, appliance, tank, pipe, rigid packaging, forging, and general industrial manufacturers. The company also supplies spare parts, preventative maintenance, retrofits/rebuilds, and prototyping/production services through its Formitt Metal Labs division.

Product overview

Grotnes is a manufacturer of industrial metalforming machinery with over 125 years of experience. The company offers a comprehensive suite of equipment organized around four core technologies: expanding, shrinking, roll forming, and spinning. The product portfolio includes portable and stationary expanders (BET-01 Expander, #8-HE-60-16, Rotating Gapless Expander, Forging Expanders), drum processing equipment (500 Series Fibre Drum Winder, 930V Servo Vertical Drum Seamer, 400-403 Series fibre drum equipment), tank manufacturing systems (Tank Head Joggler, Beader/Expander Cell, Tank Jacket Crimper), catalytic converter assembly systems (Weigh and Measure Canning Cells with adaptive gap control), closing tools (manual/semi-auto/fully automatic for steel and plastic pails), and specialty equipment (Circumpress for truck axles, Shrinker/Circumpress for conveyor rollers). The subsidiary Formitt Metal Labs provides prototyping and smaller production runs. Grotnes also maintains a strategic partnership with Nova Sidera for expanded metal spinning capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Formitt Metal Labs: Prototype initiative and production services division of Grotnes, specializing in co-manufacturing bespoke hollow tube shapes and components, including exhaust catalytic converters, couplings, and filter housings.

Products and services

• BET-01 Expander Value-oriented portable expander starting at 20 tons, designed as a point-of-use machine for production lines. Features 8 jaws, 4.25-inch high jaws, 0.520-inch nominal diametral travel, and a touchscreen HMI for controlling pressures, speeds, and dwell.
• 500 Series Fibre Drum Winder All-servo electric fibre drum winder for creating fibre tubes by winding kraft liner board around a mandrel. Features programmable tension, speed, and position control, with standard widths of 48, 56, 68, and 86 inches and optional Allen-Bradley or Siemens control systems.
• Grotnes Circumpress Cold-forming truck axle tube machine with an all-steel welded frame, 12 steel wedges in the shrinkerhead, automatic lubrication, Allen-Bradley PLC control, and touchscreen HMI; accommodates various axle diameters with approximately 1-hour changeover time.
• 002-36 Tank Head Joggler Tank head forming machine with inside dies that expand to secure the tank head and outside rolls that craft the joggle and lead-in. Includes a dual-roll system for versatile profiles, optional integrated loader/unloader with vacuum lift stations, and 15-20 second average cycle times.
• 12-HS-175-8 Shrinker/Circumpress 175-ton shrinker for forming conveyor rollers including drive pulleys and idler rollers. Features safety light curtain, quick-change tooling, recipe-driven controller, and the ability to form a conveyor roller in under 60 seconds with .005 or better concentricity.
• 930V Servo Vertical Drum Seamer Servo-driven vertical drum seamer with Beijer HMI control, pneumatically powered upper clamp, independently controlled seaming roll holders, and programmable seaming process. Changeovers of 3 minutes for material thickness or diameter changes and 5 minutes between drum length ranges.
• Forging Expanders (24-HE-600-12, 44-HE-2400-12, 48-HE-3300-12) Forging expanders for precision ring shaping and sizing in 600-ton (24-HE-600-12, up to 1200mm aerospace rings), 2,400-ton (44-HE-2400-12, up to 7200mm), and 3,300-ton (48-HE-3300-12) capacities. Includes water-cooled jaws, indexing rollers, and HMI with up to 50 preset recipes.
• Rotating Gapless Expander Model #5-2-RHE-35-12 Standalone expander for final forming and roll forming with integrated part load/unload system. Features four forming rollers for belt grooves and two curl rollers, with HMI for part program creation and storage in automatic and manual operation modes.
• #8-HE-60-16 Expander Hydraulically operated, self-contained floor-mounted expander with a two-piece clamshell outer assembly. Features an alloy steel cone, steel jaws with wear plates, HMI with gauging feature, and light curtain safety, designed for automatic operation via cycle-start button.
• Fibre Drum Manufacturing Equipment (400-403 Series) Complete line of automatic fibre drum forming equipment including 403 Top and Bottom Band Presses, 75 Top and Bottom Groovers, 402 Top and Bottom Bump Presses, and 401 Disc Inserter. Produces 400-450 parts per hour with automated transfer systems.
• Catalytic Converter Canning Cells Modular canning cells for catalytic converter assembly including mat/substrate measurement, wrapping/insertion stations, GBD sizing station, end sizing, push-out station, part marking (laser/dot peen), and data tracking, with adaptive gap control and rotary sizing using non-contact laser measurement.
• Weigh and Measure Canning Cells Servo electric sizer with cassette-style tooling for catalytic converter production, featuring non-hydraulic operation, rapid tool exchanges, mat weigh station, laser substrate measuring, adaptive gap control sizing, end sizing, verification, and laser marking. Cycle times as fast as 30 seconds per part.
• 705 Bead Former / 303 Horizontal Tank Expander Cell Combined beader/expander cell for transformer tank forming. The 705 Bead Former creates locating beads via roll forming and the 303 Horizontal Tank Expander ensures precise roundness with pyramid-shaped tooling. Changeover under 5 minutes when using the same bead roll profile.
• Tank Jacket Crimper Jacket crimper for forming end crimps simultaneously on both sides of tank jackets, with automated adjustment system, touchscreen interface for diameter and length settings, and form roll profiles for diameters between 4 inches and 3 feet. Serves chemical, oil and gas, water treatment, and cryogenics industries.
• Closing Tools (Manual, Semi-Auto, Fully Automatic) Steel and plastic pail closing tools including manual, semi-automatic (up to 5 pails per minute), and fully automatic systems. Available in lug-type closers for 6-1/2 to 13-15/16 inch diameters (20-29 gauge), and plastic pail closers for 1-7 gallon containers with spark-resistant options.
• Plastic Pail Closing Tools Plastic pail closing tools in manual (with stainless steel food-grade option), semi-automatic (1-7 gallons, up to 5 pails per minute, 80-100 PSI), and fully automatic configurations with conveyor integration for high-volume operations.
• Formitt Metal Labs Prototype initiative and production services division of Grotnes offering custom hollow tube shapes and components including exhaust catalytic converters, couplings, and filter housings. Services include part and tooling development, material assessment, feasibility studies, and production runs using spinning, canning, shrinking, expanding, and flanging capabilities.
• W Beader for 55-Gallon Drums Beader machine specifically designed for 55-gallon drum manufacturing, used by rigid packaging producers for steel drum forming operations.
• Grotnes All-Electric Roll Former All-electric roll former built for production demands, part of Grotnes' roll forming technology portfolio for shaping metal profiles.
• Grotnes Service & Spares Club Preventative maintenance program including scheduled maintenance, expert troubleshooting, training, and exclusive discounts on replacement parts, travel, and repairs for Grotnes equipment owners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cycle time for conveyor roller forming under 60 seconds with exceptional precision within .005 or better concentricity
• +4 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Nova SideracoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2022Strategic partnership between Grotnes and Nova Sidera provides broader metalforming capabilities under one coordinated umbrella. Nova Sidera brings deep specialization in metal spinning lathes and special machines for metal deformation with design-and-build mindset. The partnership emphasizes stronger US-based support structure for service and spare parts, with technical teams collaborating on new product development initiatives.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Schuler Group: Global market leader in metal forming presses and automation, serving automotive, aerospace, and appliance customers with custom-configured equipment comparable in scope to Grotnes' expanding, shrinking, and roll forming portfolio.
• Leifeld: German manufacturer of metal spinning lathes and flow forming machines — direct comparable to Nova Sidera and the spinning portion of Grotnes' metalforming portfolio, serving aerospace, automotive, and energy customers.
• Macrodyne: Manufacturer of hydraulic presses and metal forming machinery, directly comparable to Grotnes' high-tonnage forging expanders (up to 3,300 tons) and shrinker/circumpress systems used in forming structural and forged components.
• Murata Machinery: Manufacturer of metal forming machinery including roll formers and spinning equipment, directly comparable to Grotnes' roll forming and spinning product lines for automotive, appliance, and industrial customers.
• Nova Sidera: Italian manufacturer of metal spinning lathes and custom deformation equipment — Grotnes' strategic partner since 2022, with directly comparable spinning technology and shared customer base in metal forming.

Broad incumbents

• ANDRITZ: Large industrial machinery group with metal forming and processing capabilities, broadly overlapping with Grotnes' work in forging, rolling, and forming of metals for industrial and energy applications.
• Danieli: Major global supplier of metal production and processing equipment including forming and rolling systems, broadly overlapping with Grotnes' forging, rolling, and metal forming offerings at a much larger scale.
• SMS group: Large industrial incumbent in metals processing and forming machinery for steel, aluminum, and nonferrous metals, overlapping with Grotnes' rolling mill and metal forming applications in tanks and forging segments.
• Bystronic: Global supplier of sheet metal processing equipment including cutting, bending, and automation — a broader incumbent in the metalworking machinery space that overlaps with portions of Grotnes' roll forming and metal processing portfolio.

Emerging players

• DENITOOL: European manufacturer of metal spinning lathes and special machines for deformation, directly comparable to Grotnes' spinning technology and serving similar customers in industrial component manufacturing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/grotnesinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/GrotnesInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grotnesinc
• Xx.com/GrotnesInc

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 Grotnes