What SSM Industries does

SSM Industries, Inc. is a privately held, second-generation specialty protective fabric manufacturer headquartered in Spring City, Tennessee. Founded in 1982, the company operates as a vertically integrated textile producer with knitting, weaving, dyeing, and finishing capabilities all housed in a single facility. SSM produces highly engineered fabrics serving five primary market segments: Military, Fire and Rescue, Industrial, Safety Apparel, and Racing.

The company's technology platform spans three fabric construction categories — Warp Knits (Tricot, Raschel, Simplex, and Meshes), Circular Knits (Single Knit Jersey, Ribs, Double Knits, Fleece, and Terry), and Wovens (Plain Weave, Twill, Basket, Rip-stop, Sateen) — using specialty fibers such as Meta-Aramid (Nomex, Conex), Para-Aramid (Kevlar, Twaron, PBI), Cellulose (Lenzing FR, Viscose Rayon, Pro-CFR), and Modacrylic (Protex). SSM operates an in-house Military Certified testing laboratory for quality assurance and produces custom fiber blends to customer specifications. The company employs 101-250 people and is led by CEO Scott Hilleary.

SSM operates a B2B direct-sales model with engagement routed through [email protected]. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company sells protective fabrics to military procurement, fire departments, industrial firms, safety apparel manufacturers, and racing organizations, primarily within North America with a stated global customer support claim. Direct-to-customer distribution through prime contractors and end apparel manufacturers is the documented channel; no third-party resellers, e-commerce platform, or licensing model is in evidence.

Name

SSM Industries

Legal name

SSM Industries, Inc.

Website

https://ssmind.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SSM Industries is a privately held, second-generation U.S. specialty protective fabric manufacturer producing flame-resistant and technical textiles for military, fire and rescue, industrial, safety apparel, and racing applications through vertically integrated knitting, weaving, dyeing, and finishing operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Protective Fabrics

NAICS

Textile Product Mills (314), Apparel Knitting Mills (3151)

SIC

Knitting Mills (2250)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Fabric Mills (Performance/Protective/Medical Substrates) (IMAOABAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Protective & Safety Textiles (FR/Arc/Heat/Cut/Chemical) (IMAOADAA)

Keywords

• Protective fabric manufacturing
• Specialty knit fabrics
• Flame resistant textiles
• Military grade fabrics
• Industrial woven fabrics

Headquarters

HQ city

Spring City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Protective Fabric Sales: SSM Industries generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of specialty protective fabrics to professional segments including fire & rescue, industrial, safety apparel, military, and racing applications. The company operates as a direct manufacturer serving B2B customers with customized fabric solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SSM Industries is a vertically integrated specialty protective fabric manufacturer that produces highly engineered knit, woven, dyed, and finished fabrics for personal protection. The company's offerings serve five vertical markets—military, fire and rescue, industrial, safety apparel, and racing—using advanced fibers such as Meta-Aramid, Para-Aramid, Cellulose, and Modacrylic blends. All production, including knitting, weaving, dyeing, and finishing, takes place under one roof in Spring City, Tennessee, supported by an in-house Military Certified testing lab.

Product overview

SSM Industries is a second-generation specialty protective fabric manufacturer offering highly engineered fabrics for personal protection. The company operates as a single unified manufacturer providing knitting, weaving, dyeing, and finishing services under one roof. Their product portfolio spans three main fabric categories (Warp Knits, Circular Knits, and Wovens) and five market application lines (Fire & Rescue, Industrial, Safety Apparel, Military, and Racing), along with supporting R&D, Quality Assurance, and Commission Dyeing & Finishing services. The fabrics utilize specialized fibers including Meta-Aramid (Nomex®, Conex®), Para-Aramid (Kevlar®, Twaron®, PBI®), Cellulose (Lenzing FR®, Viscose Rayon, Pro-CFR®), Modacrylic (Protex®), Polyester, and Nylon, with custom fiber blends available.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Warp Knits (Tricot, Raschel, Simplex, Meshes) Specialty warp knit fabrics including Tricot, Raschel, Simplex, Meshes, and Specialty constructions engineered for protective and industrial fabric applications.
• Circular Knits (Single Knit Jersey, Ribs, Double knits, Fleece & Terry) Circular knit fabrics including Single Knit Jersey, Ribs, Double knits, Fleece & Terry, and Specialty constructions used in protective and industrial fabric applications.
• Wovens (Plain Weave, Twill, Basket, Rip-stop, Sateen) Woven fabrics in Plain Weave, Twill, Basket, Rip-stop, and Sateen constructions for protective fabric and industrial applications.
• Fire & Rescue Protective Fabrics Flame resistant fabrics for fire and rescue professionals, including FR underwear and base layers, FR hoods and balaclavas, station wear, wildlands gear, turnout gear, close proximity aluminized turnout gear, mesh and respirator hoods, and fire protective gloves.
• Military Protective Fabrics Protective fabrics for military applications including parade gloves, flyers gloves, combat gloves, tank drivers gloves, fuel handler gloves, flame resistant base layer and underwear, flame resistant combat uniforms, helmet liners, and shell and liner fabrics for Chem Bio protection.
• Industrial Protective Fabrics Industrial protective fabrics including laminating and coating substrates, high temperature fabrications for automotive, and high temperature filtration fabrics.
• Safety Apparel Fabrics Flame resistant and cut protective fabrics for safety apparel applications, including FR underwear and base layers, FR hoods, electrical utilities workwear, oil and gas industry workwear, molten metal splash workwear, cut protective gloves and liners, and cut protective sleeves and apparel.
• Racing Protective Fabrics Flame resistant thermal and abrasion protective fabrics for racing professionals, including FR thermal base layers and underwear, racing suit outer shells and liners, glove and shoe thermal liners, abrasion resistant fabrications, and helmet thermal liners.
• Knitting Services In-house knitting services for warp knit and circular knit fabric production, including Tricot, Raschel, Simplex, Meshes, Single Knit Jersey, Ribs, Double knits, Fleece, and Terry constructions, supplied as part of SSM's vertically integrated fabric manufacturing offering.
• Weaving Services In-house weaving services for Plain Weave, Twill, Basket, Rip-stop, Sateen, and other protective fabric constructions, supplied as part of SSM's vertically integrated fabric manufacturing offering.
• Commission Dyeing & Finishing Services In-house dyeing and finishing services for fire-resistant and other protective fabric technologies, leveraging decades of expertise and offering fast turnaround on commissioned work.
• Research & Development Services Industry engineering R&D services in which SSM's experts assist customers in designing next generation fabrics with improved protective properties.
• Quality Assurance & Testing Services Quality assurance and control services across every stage of production, anchored by an in-house Military Certified testing lab that verifies fabrics meet military and other demanding specifications.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• PBI Performance Products: PBI Performance Products develops and markets PBI fiber and PBI-based fabrics for fire service, military, and industrial thermal protection — an overlapping technology platform in the same FR/protective fabric space, operating at a larger scale.
• Milliken & Company: Milliken is a large diversified textile and specialty chemicals company with significant technical textile operations including flame-resistant and protective fabrics — broader portfolio than SSM but overlapping in performance textiles for safety/military end uses.
• DuPont Personal Protection (Nomex/Kevlar): DuPont supplies the Nomex/Kevlar fibers SSM uses and also markets finished protective fabric systems through Nomex and Kevlar brands, making it both a supplier and a competing protective fabric program owner at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Bally Ribbon Mills: Bally Ribbon Mills manufactures specialty woven narrow and broad fabrics, including heat-, flame-, and cut-resistant textiles for military, aerospace, and industrial safety — overlapping with SSM's protective technical textile niche.
• Safety Components Fabric Technologies: Safety Components is a specialty weaver of protective and performance fabrics for fire service, military, and industrial markets, including Nomex/Kevlar-based systems — closely overlapping with SSM's knit/woven protective portfolio.
• Apex Mills: Apex Mills is a US specialty knitter and weaver producing technical knit and woven fabrics for military, industrial, and safety applications — closely comparable to SSM's specialty knit/woven protective fabric offering.
• TenCate Protective Fabrics (Toray Protective & Safety): TenCate/Toray is a leading global manufacturer of flame-resistant and protective technical fabrics serving military, fire service, and industrial segments — a direct competitor to SSM in the same protective textile category with broader scale.
• Tex Tech Industries: Tex Tech manufactures specialty woven and nonwoven technical textiles for aerospace, defense, fire protection, and industrial filtration — comparable to SSM's high-performance protective and filtration fabric offerings.
• Westex by Glen Raven: Westex (a Glen Raven business) produces flame-resistant fabrics used in industrial workwear, military, and fire service garments — directly comparable to SSM's FR/protective woven and knit offerings.

Others

• Teijin Aramid: Teijin Aramid is a primary upstream supplier of Twaron para-aramid fiber used in SSM's protective fabrics; also competes in finished protective textile programs, making it both an ecosystem supplier and adjacent competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ssm_industries
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ssm-industries

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 SSM Industries