Packaging

What Packaging does

Packaging is a privately held industrial supply company founded in 1957 and headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The firm provides packaging and fastening equipment and supplies to industrial customers, with a product portfolio spanning industrial packaging, shipping, and material handling supplies including bubble products, corrugated materials, foam products, shrink film, stretch film, strapping tools, boxes, envelopes, labels, and protective packaging solutions. The company positions itself as a production-floor partner to industrial manufacturers, emphasizing broad catalog coverage, technical service expertise, and production savings solutions aimed at reducing total cost of production.

Operating with 51-100 employees, Packaging functions as a B2B industrial supply distributor serving industrial manufacturers as its primary customer segment. The company employs a quote-based pricing model for bulk orders, consistent with standard industrial supply distribution practice, and offers vendor-managed inventory solutions to streamline procurement for manufacturing customers. Distribution is concentrated in the United States through direct sales and account management channels, complemented by a digital catalog platform for online ordering and custom tool quoting. Brand-level supplier relationships span major industrial names including Kennametal, Norton, 3M, Ingersoll, and OSG.

The company's underlying business model is a horizontal industrial distribution platform: it resells and co-markets third-party branded industrial supplies across 25+ product categories rather than producing proprietary technology. No patents, proprietary technology features, AI/ML capabilities, or API/SDK offerings are disclosed in the available data, indicating a conventional industrial distribution model rather than a technology-led offering. Customer concentration, revenue figures, ownership structure, and management team details are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Packaging

Legal name

BlackHawk Industrial

Website

https://packinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Packaging is a privately held Eden Prairie, Minnesota-based industrial supply distributor founded in 1957, providing packaging and fastening equipment, MRO supplies, and production support services to industrial manufacturers across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Distribution

NAICS

Industrial Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42384), Industrial Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (423840), Industrial Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (42383), Service Establishment Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42385)

SIC

Wholesale-Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (5080), Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084), Wholesale-Hardware (5072)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial MRO Supplies for Vehicle/Equipment Workshops (Bearings, Hydraulics, Pneumatics, Fasteners) (TLAKAOAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Workshop Tools, Equipment & Lift Systems Distribution (TLAKAOAM), Industrial Supplies & MRO Marketplaces (CRAFAHAA)

Keywords

• Industrial distribution supplies
• Packaging shipping materials
• Fasteners hardware products
• MRO industrial supplies
• Manufacturing consumables

Headquarters

HQ city

Eden Prairie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

An industrial distribution company providing packaging and shipping materials, fastening equipment and supplies, fasteners, hardware, and related industrial MRO products to manufacturing customers. The company offers value-added services including custom tool fabrication, inventory management automation, product sourcing, tool reconditioning, packaging and fastening services, and strategic procurement support across multiple industrial product categories.

Product overview

BlackHawk Industrial Supply operates as a comprehensive industrial distributor and production partner offering a broad portfolio of industrial products, supplies, and equipment. The company provides technical service and production savings solutions as the #1 choice for industrial manufacturers. The product portfolio is organized into 24 product categories including Milling, Holemaking, Indexable Cutting Tools, Threading, Turning & Boring, Abrasives, Clamping & Workholding, Fasteners & Hardware, Tool Holding, Welding, Adhesives & Sealants, Safety & PPE, Collated Fasteners, Cleaning & JanSan, Packaging & Shipping, Facility MRO, Pneumatics, Pumps, Raw Materials, Material Handling, Measuring & Inspection, Saw Blades, Tools (Hand & Power), and Lighting/Electrical/Batteries. Beyond product sales, the company offers a suite of value-added services including Custom Tool Fabrication, Inventory Management, Product Sourcing, Packaging & Fastening Services, Pumps & Services, Tool Reconditioning, Procurement Services, Technical Innovation, CribMaster Solutions (tool crib automation), X-Press Custom Tools (rapid tool quoting), BlackHawk Metalworking Fluids, and Autocrib Solutions (vending and inventory control). The company also provides a digital catalog platform called Cataleap for online ordering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CribMaster Solutions: Vendor-managed inventory solution for industrial supplies
• Autocrib Solutions
• X-Press Custom Tools
• BlackHawk Metalworking Fluids

Products and services

• Packaging & Shipping Supplies Industrial packaging materials and shipping supplies including bubble products, corrugated pads and sheets, foam products, shrink film and equipment, tape, stretch wrap, boxes, cartons, envelopes, mailers, labels, tags, strapping tools, and protective packaging solutions for manufacturing operations.
• Collated Fasteners & Tools Collated fastening tools and supplies including nailers, nails, screw systems, screws, staplers, and staples for automated fastening applications in manufacturing and assembly operations.
• Fasteners & Hardware Industrial fasteners and hardware including bolts, nuts, washers, screws, sockets, set screws, rods, studs, pins, anchors, rivets, latches, hinges, and miscellaneous hardware supplies for industrial applications.
• Packaging & Fastening Services Packaging and fastening services for industrial manufacturing operations, providing specialized solutions for end-of-line packaging and assembly fastening needs.
• Custom Tool Fabrication Custom tool fabrication services for specialized manufacturing requirements, including express custom tool quoting and fabrication through the X-Press Custom Tools service for rapid tool procurement.
• Inventory Management Solutions Inventory management solutions including CribMaster Solutions (tool crib and inventory management automation) and Autocrib Solutions (vending machine and automated inventory control) to optimize supply chain performance, reduce production costs, and streamline procurement for manufacturers.
• Product Sourcing Product sourcing services to find and procure specialized industrial products that may not be in the standard catalog, supporting manufacturers with hard-to-find items.
• Tool Reconditioning Tool reconditioning services to extend tool life, restore cutting performance, and reduce manufacturing costs for industrial customers.
• Procurement Services Strategic procurement services to streamline purchasing operations and reduce total cost of production for industrial manufacturers through vendor-managed inventory and consolidated sourcing.
• Cataleap Digital Catalog Digital catalog platform enabling industrial customers to browse, configure, and order products online with quick order and custom tool quote functionality.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Lawson Products: US-based MRO distributor focused on fasteners, cutting tools, shop supplies, and maintenance products sold to industrial customers through direct sales — closely comparable in product mix and target customer to BHID's fastener and MRO lines.
• Fastenal Company: US fastener-anchored industrial supplier with a dense branch network and on-site vending/inventory solutions (similar to BHID's CribMaster/Autocrib offerings); overlaps heavily in fasteners, tools, safety, and MRO supplies sold to industrial customers.
• Applied Industrial Technologies: US distributor of bearings, power transmission, fluid power, and industrial MRO supplies serving OEMs and MRO customers — overlaps with BHID's pneumatics, pumps, material handling, and MRO categories with a similar account-based distribution model.
• MSC Industrial Direct: One of the largest US metalworking and MRO distributors with a comparable catalog of cutting tools, fasteners, safety, material handling, and MRO supplies serving industrial manufacturers through direct sales and digital ordering — the closest scaled analog to BHID's product mix.
• Kaman Distribution Group: Industrial distributor of bearings, power transmission, fluid power, automation, and MRO supplies serving manufacturers across the US — directly overlaps with BHID's pneumatics, material handling, and MRO product categories.
• White Cap (formerly HD Supply Construction): US distributor of construction and industrial supplies including fasteners, tools, safety, and MRO — comparable to BHID's fastener, safety, and material handling categories with similar contractor and manufacturer customer base.
• McMaster-Carr: Catalog-driven US industrial supplier of MRO, fasteners, raw materials, and material handling with a best-in-class digital ordering experience — directly comparable to BHID in product breadth and customer base, though it is private and not field-sales driven.
• Würth Industry North America: Subsidiary of the Würth Group supplying fasteners, hand tools, and MRO products to industrial manufacturers via direct sales and vending solutions — directly comparable to BHID's collated fasteners, hand tools, and VMI/Autocrib offerings.

Broad incumbents

• W.W. Grainger: The largest US industrial MRO distributor with a multi-million SKU catalog spanning MRO, safety, material handling, fasteners, and janitorial; competes directly with BHID across nearly every category but operates at far greater scale, density, and brand recognition.
• Ferguson (Ferguson Enterprises): Large US distributor primarily of plumbing, HVAC, and waterworks supplies but with growing industrial MRO adjacency — overlaps with BHID in facility MRO, pumps, and material handling categories while operating at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/packaginginc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_R0ES-53Ybusv6Gbhx0OtA
• Facebookfacebook.com/packaging.incorporated
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/packaging-incorporated
• Instagraminstagram.com/blackhawkindustrial

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 Packaging