ESMA

What ESMA does

ESMA Inc. is a privately held, founder/family-controlled manufacturer founded in 1972 and headquartered in South Holland, Illinois. The company designs, builds, and services ultrasonic cleaning equipment, automated passivation systems, and electropolishing equipment, accompanied by a proprietary line of electrolyte solutions and ultrasonic detergents. Its core technology centers on a closed-system architecture in which fluids are moved between individually heated, filtered storage tanks and a single ultrasonic process chamber, minimizing operator exposure to hazardous chemicals such as passivation acids. Underlying electrical design uses solid-state circuitry delivering a continuous square-wave signal at a constant 38 kHz with automatic tuning and sweep, producing multiple harmonics for more homogeneous cleaning. Product lines include benchtop and console ultrasonic cleaners (E1002, E188, E385, E386, E700, E782, E888, E889, E992), electropolishers across industrial, dental-lab, and dental-office tiers, parts deburring systems, and a portfolio of branded chemistry (Esma-Brite, Esma-Zyme, Esma-Betman, Esma Citra Shine, Instant Ultrasonics, ESMA-SHINE). All equipment ships with a 1-year unconditional warranty.

ESMA serves six verticals with three designated as primary: Industrial Manufacturing, Medical Device Manufacturing, and Dental/Orthodontic, and three secondary: Jewelry, Electronics/PCB, and Optics. Its commercial model combines a toll-free direct sales line, an independent representative network covering US zip-code territories and six international regions (Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America outside US, South America), and direct website inquiries. Revenue is generated through three streams: equipment sales (hardware), proprietary chemical solutions (consumables), and technical support services. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based; the firm maintains a corporate website, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and a Tumblr blog, and participates in industry trade shows.

The business is operated at small scale (1–10 employees) with no institutional investment, no M&A history, and no disclosed leadership changes. The company is privately held, founder/family-controlled based on its continuous independent operation since 1972, and recently communicated an April 2025 address change. Its competitive positioning rests on proprietary chemistry formulations, regulatory-aligned medical device passivation systems (ASTM A967), and the closed-system fluid-transfer architecture that reduces footprint and operator risk relative to robotic-gantry alternatives.

Name

ESMA

Legal name

Esma Inc.

Website

https://esmainc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ESMA Inc., founded 1972 and headquartered in South Holland, Illinois, manufactures ultrasonic cleaning equipment, automated passivation systems, and electropolishing equipment with proprietary chemistry, serving industrial, medical device, dental, jewelry, electronics, and optics customers via direct sales and a global rep network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

South Holland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment Sales: Sale of ultrasonic cleaning systems, electropolishing equipment, and automated passivation systems. Products include benchtop units, console-mounted systems, and custom industrial configurations with varying tank sizes and power ratings.
2. Chemical Solutions: Proprietary ultrasonic cleaning detergents, electrolyte solutions, and passivation chemicals formulated for specific metal types and applications. Includes general purpose, acidic, and specialty formulations.
3. Technical Support Services: Operational, maintenance, and engineering technical support services for equipment users.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ESMA Inc. manufactures and supplies ultrasonic cleaning equipment, automated passivation systems, and electropolishing equipment for industrial manufacturing, medical device, dental, jewelry, electronics, and optics markets. The company also sells a proprietary line of chemical solutions including ultrasonic detergents, passivation chemicals, and metal-specific electrolytes (such as Esma-Brite E272 for chrome-cobalt). Its equipment portfolio spans benchtop units, console-mounted systems, and custom industrial configurations built around a closed-system fluid transfer architecture.

Product overview

ESMA Inc. manufactures industrial ultrasonic cleaning equipment, automated passivation systems, and electropolishing equipment and solutions. The product portfolio centers on three core technology areas: (1) Ultrasonic Cleaning Equipment including industrial models (E1002, E188, E385, E386, E700, E782, E888, E889, E992) for parts cleaning, medical device cleaning, dental presterilization, jewelry cleaning, circuit board cleaning, and optics cleaning; (2) Electropolishing Equipment including industrial electropolishers (E1085-1S, E299, E399, E782-EP, E782-EPWB, E399-EPC), dental lab electropolishers (E678-1, E678-3, E678-5, E1085), dental office electropolishers (E279, E3762, E796), and parts deburring systems (E299, E399, E399-100, E782-EP, E1085-1S); and (3) Chemical Solutions including dental cleaning solutions (E105, E373, E1204, E2761, E589), industrial cleaning solutions (E205, E484, E785, E882, E215, E964, GP-E589), and electropolishing electrolyte solutions (E272, E273, E581, E972, E6040). The company operates a unique closed-system approach where fluids are moved between tanks rather than parts, minimizing operator exposure to chemicals. All equipment comes with a standard 1-year unconditional warranty. Founded in 1972, ESMA serves dental, medical, industrial manufacturing, jewelry, electronics, and optics industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Esma-Brite: Electropolishing electrolyte solution brand including E272 (chrome-cobalt), E581 (nickel), and other formulations
• Esma-Betman
• Esma-Zyme
• Esma Citra Shine

Products and services

• ESMA Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaning Systems Industrial ultrasonic cleaning equipment including automated (E1002, E700, E889, E992) and non-automated (E188, E385, E386, E782, E888) systems for precision parts cleaning, rinsing, and hot-air drying across manufacturing operations.
• ESMA Medical Device Cleaning and Passivation Systems Medical-grade ultrasonic cleaning and passivation systems (E1002, E700, E782-CP, E888, E889, E992, E992.3T) designed for automated cleaning, rinsing, passivation, and drying of medical devices with compliance to ASTM A967.
• ESMA Dental Instrument Presterilization Systems Dental presterilization ultrasonic systems (E289, E397, E488, E789, E789-OMS, E887, E888R, E889, E1002) providing ultrasonic wash, ultrasonic rinse, and hot-air drying for dental and oral surgery instruments.
• ESMA Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaners Jewelry cleaning systems (E283, E386, E495, E789, E888) including tabletop units and automated washers for jewelry cleaning and polishing operations.
• ESMA Circuit Board Ultrasonic Cleaning Systems Circuit board ultrasonic cleaners (E1002, E188T, E782) for electronics assembly operations, with tumbler models to remove solder paste and debris from PCB gaps and cavities.
• ESMA Optical Lens Cleaning Systems Optical lens cleaning systems (E700, E782, E889) with PLC-controlled cycles for cleaning, rinsing, and drying optical lenses to residue-free condition ready for coating.
• ESMA Industrial Electropolishing Systems Industrial electropolishing systems (E1085-1S, E299, E399, E782-EP, E782-EPWB, E399-EPC) for high-luster corrosion-resistant finishing of industrial and medical parts with digital timing and temperature controls.
• ESMA Dental Lab Electropolishers Dental lab electropolishers (E678-1, E678-3, E678-5, E1085) with independently controlled stations for low-, mid-, and high-volume polishing of dental partials and appliances.
• ESMA Dental Office Electropolishers Dental office electropolishers (E279, E3762, E796) for arch wire reduction and polishing, band activation, retainer clasp polishing, and solder flux cleaning in dental and orthodontic offices.
• ESMA Parts Deburring Systems Parts deburring electropolishing systems (E399-100, E399-100, E299, E782-EP, E1085-1S) for precision deburring and high-luster corrosion-resistant finishing.
• ESMA Dental Cleaning Solutions Dental ultrasonic cleaning solutions (E105, E373, E1204 Esma-Zyme, E2761 Instant Ultrasonics, E589) for surface soil removal, tartar removal, blood and protein removal, and cement removal from dental instruments and appliances.
• ESMA Industrial Cleaning Solutions

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced wire cleaning time from 5-7 minutes to 15 seconds in dental lab applications
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• ITW (Illinois Tool Works): ITW is a diversified industrial manufacturer whose businesses include surface finishing, cleaning chemistries, and process equipment. While not exclusively focused on ultrasonic cleaning, ITW competes with ESMA across industrial parts cleaning, passivation chemistry, and surface finishing consumables at far greater scale.
• Struers: Struers is a global specialist in materialographic sample preparation equipment, including cleaning and surface finishing stations for metallurgical labs. It overlaps with ESMA's industrial parts cleaning and surface finishing focus within the metallurgical and materials lab segment.

Direct peers

• Cole-Parmer (Antylia Scientific): Cole-Parmer distributes a broad range of laboratory and industrial ultrasonic cleaners from brands like Branson alongside its own private-label line. It competes with ESMA in laboratory, dental presterilization, and light-industrial ultrasonic applications.
• Crest Ultrasonics: Crest designs and manufactures industrial ultrasonic cleaning equipment, aqueous and solvent-based systems, and custom automation. It is a direct competitor to ESMA's E-series industrial ultrasonic cleaners and automated cleaning systems, with similar multi-vertical exposure across medical, dental, aerospace, and electronics.
• Branson Ultrasonics (Emerson): Branson is the largest dedicated ultrasonic cleaning and welding equipment brand globally, operating as part of Emerson. It competes head-to-head with ESMA in industrial ultrasonic cleaning, automated passivation, and metal finishing, but at significantly larger scale and with broader global service infrastructure.
• L&R Ultrasonics: L&R is a long-established US manufacturer of ultrasonic cleaning equipment for industrial, jewelry, dental, and laboratory markets. It is highly comparable to ESMA in terms of product categories (ultrasonic baths, automated cleaners) and target customers.
• Tovatech: Tovatech distributes and supplies ultrasonic cleaning equipment and supporting chemistry for laboratory and small industrial customers. It overlaps with ESMA's benchtop and small-tank offering, especially in jewelry and laboratory-adjacent applications.
• SharperTek: SharperTek is a smaller US maker of ultrasonic cleaners focused on benchtop and small industrial units for jewelers, dental labs, and light industrial customers. It overlaps with ESMA's lower-volume jewelry and dental/orthodontic product lines.
• BlueWave Ultrasonics: BlueWave manufactures industrial ultrasonic cleaning equipment with multi-tank automated configurations and custom-engineered systems. It competes directly with ESMA's automated and non-automated cleaning systems in similar precision parts and small-batch applications.
• Elma Schmidbauer: Elma is a German-headquartered manufacturer of ultrasonic cleaning devices, including industrial and laboratory units. It directly parallels ESMA's product line in ultrasonic baths and modular cleaning systems, serving comparable industrial, medical, and laboratory customers across Europe and globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ESMAInc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/EsmaIncorporated
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esma-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 ESMA