What Cooper Machine Company does

Cooper Machine Company is a third-generation, family-owned manufacturer of industrial sawmill, pallet, and cooperage equipment, founded in 1965 in Wadley, Georgia. The company is positioned as the 'Home of the Scragg,' with its flagship Overhead Scragg mill — first sold in 1972 — as the signature product, complemented by multiple generations of Sharp Chain Scragg (Gen 2, Gen 3, Gen 4), Merchandising & Sorting Systems, Pallet Equipment (Slab Recovery System, MIT Band Resaw, MIT Carousel Block Cutter), Cooperage & Stave Equipment, board edgers, chop saws, and material handling systems. Equipment is custom-built rather than standardized, with documented customer outcomes including 15% yield gains and 20% production increases.

Name

Cooper Machine Company

Legal name

Cooper Machine Company, Inc.

Website

https://coopermachine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cooper Machine Company is a third-generation, family-owned manufacturer of custom sawmill, pallet, and cooperage equipment — including Overhead and Sharp Chain Scragg mills, sorting systems, and pallet processing lines — serving enterprise sawmill, pallet, post/pole, and cooperage operators across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sawmill and Pallet Machinery

NAICS

Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

Lifting Attachments & Material Handling Accessories (Fork Attachments, Slings, Rigging) (IMAHABAJ)

Keywords

• Sawmill equipment
• Pallet machinery
• Scragg mills
• Cooperage equipment
• Lumber processing machinery

Headquarters

HQ city

Wadley

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, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Heavy Machinery Equipment Sales: Sale of sawmill, pallet, and cooperage equipment including Overhead Scraggs, Sharp Chain Scraggs, Merchandising Systems, Sorting Systems, Board Edgers, Chop Saws, and material handling equipment. Equipment ranges from specialized pieces to entire plant solutions.
2. Parts Sales: Replacement parts and components for Cooper equipment including saw guides, track replacements, chain replacements, software changes, motors, and wear parts. Parts are kept in stock to minimize customer downtime.
3. Equipment Rebuilds and Upgrades: Rebuilding used equipment and providing upgrades to existing machines. Includes track replacements, chain upgrades, and technical support for equipment improvements.
4. Parts Sales via eBay: Sale of excess inventory and special items through eBay store, including Gates Poly-Chain Belts, motors, and other components.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cooper Machine Company manufactures and sells heavy industrial machinery for wood processing, with its signature Overhead Scragg and Sharp Chain Scragg mills at the center. The product portfolio also includes merchandising and sorting systems, pallet manufacturing equipment (slab recovery, block cutters, band resaws), cooperage/stave equipment for barrel making, board edgers, material handling systems, and supporting parts, rebuilds, and upgrades. Equipment is custom-built to customer specifications and sold as standalone machines or complete production lines.

Product overview

Cooper Machine Company manufactures industrial sawmill, pallet, and cooperage equipment. The product portfolio centers on scragg mills (Overhead Scragg and Sharp Chain Scragg) as the core flagship products, supplemented by Merchandising & Sorting Systems for log processing, Pallet Equipment including slab recovery and block cutters, and Cooperage & Stave Equipment from MIT and Ledinek. Additional equipment includes board edgers, material handling systems, and gang rip saws. The company also offers Parts & Rebuilds services for all equipment. Products are available as standalone machines or can be configured into complete production lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Overhead Scragg Cooper Machine's signature heavy-duty scragg mill used as the workhorse for making cants, ties, mats and lumber from small and large logs. Features THK hardened shafts, linear slide bearings, Gates polychain belt drive, three accumulators, and a larger dogging cylinder for improved performance and durability. Sold to sawmill operators as a customizable standalone machine or component of complete production lines.
• Sharp Chain Scragg High-production scragg mill offering higher output than carriage or overhead scraggs, available in Gen 2, Gen 3, and Gen 4 configurations with options for different production scales from pallets to mat timbers. Features roller chain technology, precision sharp chain drags, options for chipping heads (Cortex or Key Knife), THK hardened shafts, linear slide bearings, and 100HP, 125HP, or 150HP motors. Sold to sawmill and pallet manufacturers.
• Merchandising & Sorting Systems Equipment for cutting logs into specified lengths and sorting products by dimensions. Includes swing saws (CMSW-84, CMSW-76), chop saws (CMMS-66, CMMS-60), Flex Log/Pole systems, and various sorting systems for cants, ties, posts, poles and lumber. Sold to sawmill operators, post and pole mills, and pallet producers needing automated merchandising.
• Pallet Equipment Complete range of pallet manufacturing equipment including Slab Recovery System with VSA (Vertical Saw Arbor) that processes slabs into up to 7 individual boards at up to 40 boards per minute, MIT Band Resaw Model 1000, MIT Carousel Block Cutter producing up to 90 blocks per minute, Pallet Trimmer, and Splitter machines. Sold to pallet manufacturers and industrial wood processors.
• Cooperage & Stave Equipment Equipment for barrel manufacturing and stave production including MIT hoop presses, barrel recovery machines, charring machines, and Ledinek cooperage machinery for producing wine, whiskey, and bourbon barrels from 10-gallon to 132-gallon sizes. Sold to cooperage and barrel producers.
• Other Machinery Additional sawmill equipment including two-saw Board Edgers for boards up to 3" high x 18" wide with splined arbor, poly chain belt drive, air shift capability, and electric cylinders; Material Handling equipment (rollcases, conveyors, troughs); Stick Gang for cutting battons and kiln sticks; plus vendor equipment from EWD (band saw technology, chipper canter, circular sawing, edger systems, headrig carriage, sash gang) and MDI metal detection systems. Sold to sawmill operators and pallet manufacturers.
• Five Saw Chop Saw Innovative chop saw with Allen Bradley servo cylinders that move saws for 6'-10' lengths between logs. Features six groove belt drive and gravity hold-downs. Sold to sawmill operations needing efficient chop sawing.
• Parts & Rebuilds Replacement parts and components for Cooper equipment including saw guides, track replacements, chain replacements, software changes, motors (e.g., Baldor 3HP), wear parts, Gates Poly-Chain Belts, and Slat Tables. Also provides equipment rebuilds and upgrades such as track replacements and chain upgrades to extend machine life. Serves existing Cooper Machine customers via direct sales and an eBay store for surplus inventory.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15% yield increase with MIT three-head slab recovery saw
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability3 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EWD SagetechnikcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2023Partnership with EWD Sagetechnik of Altötting, Germany announced February 2023. EWD, founded in 1862 with 250 employees, is a leading sawmill plant construction company. Partnership allows Cooper Machine to expand portfolio and offer German-engineered sawmill equipment including band saw technology, chipper canter, circular sawing, edger systems, headrig carriage, and sash gang. Cooper Machine provides service and parts backup from US location.
• MIT S.A.coreTechnology or IntegrationMIT S.A., located in Santiago, Chile, is a manufacturer of sawmill and pallet equipment. Cooper Machine has been working with MIT for almost 20 years and represents their equipment in the US. Products include cooperage equipment (hoop press, barrel recovery machine, charring machine), band resaws, pallet block cutters, and chipping heads.
• Ben Jones MachineryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVendor partner listed in company materials providing machinery equipment offerings.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Baker Products: Baker Products is a direct competitor manufacturing pallet and sawmill equipment including scragg mills, band saws, and pallet nailing systems. They serve the same primary customer segments (sawmills and pallet manufacturers) with similar custom-built heavy machinery, making them Cooper's closest head-to-head rival.
• Hud-Son Forest Equipment: Hud-Son is a US manufacturer of band sawmills, scragg mills, and material handling equipment for the forest products industry. They compete directly with Cooper on band saw and scragg mill sales to North American sawmill operators.
• Norwood Sawmills: Norwood Sawmills manufactures portable and industrial sawmills with a global dealer network. They compete with Cooper for small to mid-sized sawmill operators and share the same customer base of log processing businesses, though with a different distribution model.
• TimberKing: TimberKing produces full-sized and portable sawmills for hobbyists, farmers, and small commercial operations. They overlap with Cooper in the scragg and sawmill category but focus more on smaller-scale customers than Cooper's enterprise mill clientele.
• Wood-Mizer: Wood-Mizer is a leading global manufacturer of sawmill equipment including band sawmills, resaws, and edgers. While Wood-Mizer leans toward portable and entry-level sawmills, their industrial product line competes directly with Cooper for medium and large sawmill customers in North America.
• HMC (Headsaw Manufacturing Company): HMC manufactures band sawmills, edgers, and related sawmill equipment targeting small to mid-sized commercial sawmills. They overlap with Cooper's customer base and product range in the sawmill equipment segment.

Broad incumbents

• Morbark: Morbark is a major manufacturer of wood processing equipment including chippers, grinders, and whole tree chippers used in sawmill residuals and biomass operations. They compete with Cooper's material handling and waste system offerings (Precision Husky partnership) within the same customer accounts.
• USNR (USNR/Söderhamn Eriksson): USNR is a much larger manufacturer of sawmill machinery, planers, and material handling equipment serving large industrial sawmills and plywood producers. They compete with Cooper on the high end of the market where Cooper's EWD partnership is positioned, but with a far broader global footprint.

Others

• Precision Husky: Precision Husky is a current Cooper Machine partner providing waste systems (chippers, vibrating conveyors, barnsweeps) sold alongside Cooper's material handling equipment. While not a competitor, they sit in the same sales conversations and are an adjacent ecosystem participant.

Emerging players

• EWD Sagetechnik: EWD Sagetechnik is a 160-year-old German sawmill equipment manufacturer that is also a Cooper Machine partner. While currently a partner, EWD has the technology and ambition to expand direct into North America, which would make them a direct competitor rather than an ally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Coopermachineco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cooper-machine-company-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 Cooper Machine Company