What Sterling does

Sterling (Sterling Engineering Company) is a U.S.-based manufacturer of industrial process heating, cooling, material handling, drying, blending, and size reduction equipment, organized as a division of ACS Group. Founded in 1916 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and now headquartered in New Berlin, Wisconsin, the company traces its modern business to a 1947 transition into the plastics market and now operates a 251-500 employee organization. Its core technology centers on temperature control units (oil and water TCUs including the Sterlco TC100/TC110/TC120/TC130 series with proprietary Pressure Adaptive Technology), packaged and central chillers (GPL, SMC, Trident GS, LHE High Efficiency), desiccant and compressed-air drying systems, gravimetric and volumetric blenders, vacuum conveying systems (VolTrac Plus DiO), granulators (FX, BP, TG, V-series), and bulk material handling equipment. Many products support industrial communication protocols including OPC UA, Euromap 82.1, Modbus, BACnet, Profibus, and Ethernet/IP for factory integration.

The business model combines capital equipment sales (quote-based, no public pricing) with a multi-million dollar aftermarket parts business (knives, screens, pumps, motors, seals, gaskets, valves, heat transfer fluids) and on-site service, technical support, and refurbishment. Distribution runs through a global network of trained factory-certified sales representatives with deep plastics and process expertise, supplemented by an ACS Group online parts storefront and a Quick Ship program; the company also operates an interactive virtual factory tour for top-of-funnel demand generation and attends NPE trade shows. Customer segments center on plastics processors (injection molding, blow molding, extrusion, thermoforming) as the primary vertical, with secondary exposure to food and beverage, pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing, and chemical processing. Sterling holds ISO certification, is a member of the Plastics Industry Association and MAPP, and benefits from parent ACS Group's worldwide service network including 24/7 technical support and Asia/Pacific coverage.

Name

Sterling

Legal name

Sterling Engineering Company

Website

https://sterlco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Sterling (Sterling Engineering Company) manufactures industrial process heating, cooling, material handling, drying, blending, and size reduction equipment, primarily serving plastics processors and adjacent industrial verticals as a division of ACS Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New Berlin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Equipment Sales: Sale of temperature control units, process chillers, material handling systems, and size reduction equipment. Equipment ranges from portable units to large central systems.
2. Aftermarket Parts & Service: Multi-million dollar spare parts inventory including knives, screens, pumps, motors, compressors, seals, gaskets, valves, heat transfer fluids. On-site service, technical support, product repair/refurbishment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sterling (Sterling Engineering Company, a division of ACS Group) designs, manufactures, and sells auxiliary process equipment for plastics processors and industrial manufacturers, including temperature control units (oil and water TCUs under the Sterlco brand), process chillers (portable, packaged, and central), material handling systems (gravimetric blenders, vacuum conveying, drying, bulk storage), and size reduction equipment (granulators and shredders). The company complements equipment sales with an aftermarket parts store, on-site service, technical support, and a Quick Ship program for expedited delivery.

Product overview

Sterling is a division of ACS Group offering a comprehensive portfolio of auxiliary process equipment for the plastics industry and industrial applications. The product portfolio spans four main categories: Temperature Control (oil and water TCUs including Sterlco TC130/TC120/TC110/TC100 series and Micro series), Process Cooling (portable/packaged chillers including GPL and SMC series, central chillers including LHE High Efficiency and Trident GS series, pump tanks, cooling towers, and blown film coolers), Material Handling (blending systems with BD gravimetric batch blenders and AccuMeter continuous loss-in-weight blenders, volumetric and gravimetric feeders, conveying systems including self-contained loaders, vacuum receivers, vacuum pumps, filters, and controls like VacTrac Plus; drying solutions including desiccant wheel dryers ADC/ADW/ADP series, hot air dryers HA-F series, compressed air dryers SCD series, and drying hoppers; plus bulk material handling equipment including silos, dumpers, mixers, and conveyors), and Size Reduction (granulators including FX beside-the-press series, BP/T central granulators, BP3200/BPHD/HDG heavy-duty series, TG thermoforming granulators, and V series shredders). The company also provides supporting tools including the HE Chiller Savings Calculator and VacTrac Plus Selection Guide. Sterling serves plastics, food/beverage, pharmaceutical, medical manufacturing, and other industrial markets with products dating back to 1916.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sterlco TC130 Series: Advanced temperature control unit featuring Pressure Adaptive Technology, 5-inch PLC color touch screen controller with OPC UA / Euromap 82.1 capabilities
• LHE High Efficiency Central Chiller
• GPL Series
• BD Series Gravimetric Batch Blender
• TrueTemp Series
• VacTrac
• AccuMeter Ovation

Products and services

• Sterlco TC130 Series Temperature Control Unit Advanced water TCU featuring Pressure Adaptive Technology, 5-inch PLC color touch screen, and OPC UA/Euromap 82.1 capabilities for precision temperature control up to 300°F in plastics processing and industrial process heating applications.
• TC120 Series Water Temperature Control Unit Water-based temperature control unit for industrial process heating and cooling applications; part of the TC 100 family.
• TC110 Series Water Temperature Control Unit Water temperature control unit from Sterling's TC 100 family offering reliability and advanced smart controls.
• Micro Series Water Temperature Control Unit Compact water temperature control unit designed for space-constrained industrial applications.
• 9012 Series Positive/Negative Water TCU Negative pressure water temperature control system for specialized industrial applications.
• 2016 Compact Series Oil Temperature Control Unit Compact oil-based TCU for demanding high-temperature applications up to 550°F.
• 2016 Midsize Series Oil Temperature Control Unit Midsize oil temperature control unit available in compact, midsize, and upright configurations, branded TrueTemp.
• 2016 Upright Series Oil Temperature Control Unit Upright oil temperature control unit for high-capacity industrial heating applications.
• LHE High Efficiency Central Chiller Modular central chiller with up to 60% energy savings, scalable from 20-60 tons per unit to 600 tons with parallel configuration, maintaining 20°F to 80°F process temperatures.
• GPL Series Packaged Chiller Self-contained packaged chiller with R-410A or R-454B low GWP refrigerant options, 5-60 tons capacity, available in air-cooled, water-cooled, and remote-cooled configurations with optional Modbus TCP, BACnet, Ethernet/IP, and Profibus connectivity.
• SMC Series Portable Chiller Compact air-cooled portable chiller from 1.5-3.5 HP with microprocessor-based PID controls for precision temperature control within ±2°F.
• Trident GS Series Central Chiller Modular central chiller system with dual screw compressors, 50-120 tons capacity, featuring touchscreen controls and drone circuits for plug-and-play expansion.
• 30RB Series Outdoor Central Chiller Outdoor central chiller designed for -20°F to 125°F operation, providing weatherproof process cooling.
• WinterKooler Series Supplemental Cooling System Supplemental cooling system that leverages low outdoor ambient temperatures for energy-efficient operation.
• BD Series Gravimetric Batch Blender Precision auger and batch weigh blender with 100-6,000 lbs./hr. maximum blending rate for injection molding, extrusion, and blow molding operations.
• AccuMeter Ovation Series Continuous Loss-in Weight Blender Continuous loss-in weight blender with 0.02% analog or 0.0001% digital load cells for uninterrupted material dosing and ratio control.
• BlendTrac Software Smart blending software enabling advanced control and monitoring of Sterling gravimetric blending systems.
• VacTrac Plus Conveying Control System Flexible vacuum conveying control system supporting one to 24 pumps and up to 128 loading stations with graphic touchscreen interface.
• Bulk Material Handling Systems Complete heavy-duty bulk material handling and storage equipment including container dumpers, batch mixers, screw conveyors, silos, drum dumpers, bag break stations, and bulk bag unloaders/loaders.
• ADC Series Desiccant Wheel Dryers Desiccant wheel dryers uniquely designed for plastics industry with three versatile configurations for dehumidifying hygroscopic materials.
• FX Series Beside-the-Press Granulators FX700, FX1000, FX1600, and S10 Series beside-the-press granulators for small to large-scale resin reclaim at the press.
• BP2400 / T50 Series Central Granulators Central granulators offering flexibility for processing large volume parts with configurable cutting chambers.
• BP3200 / BPHD / HDG Series Heavy Duty Granulators Heavy duty granulators for the most demanding applications from low-density fiber to heavy purgings.
• TG Series Thermoforming Granulators and Feedrolls TG, TG1200, TG1400 thermoforming granulators and FRC/FRE/FRV feedroll series for thermoforming scrap reclamation.
• V Series Shredder Systems Shredder systems for pre-breaking purgings and higher density parts to extend granulator life and reduce maintenance.
• Aftermarket Parts and On-Site Service Multi-million dollar spare parts inventory including knives, screens, pumps, motors, compressors, seals, gaskets, valves, and heat transfer fluids, available through the ACS Group online parts store, plus on-site service, technical support, and product repair/refurbishment through the global service network.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 60% energy cost savings with High Efficiency Central Chillers
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ACS GroupcoreOthersSterling is a division of ACS Group (ACS Corporate). ACS Group provides worldwide service network, 24/7 technical support, and access to a broad range of parts. Sterling benefits from ACS Group's global infrastructure while operating as a distinct brand focused on temperature control and auxiliary equipment for plastics and industrial applications.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Frigel: Italian-headquartered maker of process cooling, chillers, and TCUs for plastics and metalworking with global sales coverage. Direct competitor to Sterling in energy-efficient centralized and portable chiller platforms serving injection-molding customers.
• Thermal Care: US-based supplier of process chillers and temperature control systems for plastics, food, and industrial applications. Direct overlap with Sterling's GPL, SMC, Trident GS, and LHE chiller product families, plus competing TCU offerings.
• Conair Group: Largest North American supplier of plastics auxiliary equipment with temperature control, conveying, drying, blending, and size-reduction systems. Directly comparable to Sterling's four product categories and serves the same US plastics processors with overlapping product lines.
• Motan: German-headquartered supplier of material handling, conveying, blending, and drying equipment for plastics (formerly Colortronic). Highly comparable to Sterling's VacTrac, BD/OA blenders, dryers, and bulk material handling offerings, serving identical plastics processors globally.
• Budzar Industries: US manufacturer of industrial temperature control units, chillers, and process heating/cooling equipment for plastics, food, and chemical industries. Direct competitor in the TCU and chiller space with overlapping mid-market plastics customers.
• Pelletron: Specialist in pneumatic conveying and bulk material handling for plastics, powder, and food industries. Direct competitor to Sterling's VacTrac Plus control system and bulk-material-handling silo/bin/loader offerings for the same plastics customer base.
• Maguire Products: Specialist in gravimetric blending, drying, and material handling for plastics processors with global reach. Overlaps directly with Sterling's BD, OA, and AccuMeter blender lines as well as the drying portfolio in the same injection-molding customer segment.
• AEC (Applied Energy / Stewart ECD): US manufacturer of process chillers, temperature controllers, and heat-transfer equipment for plastics, food, and industrial markets. Direct US-based competitor in the chiller and TCU space with similar mid-market plastics and industrial customer overlap.
• Wittmann Group: Globally leading supplier of auxiliary equipment for plastics processing—offers temperature controllers, chillers, material handling, granulators, and robots. Wittmann's full-line 'factory floor' pitch directly competes with Sterling's TCU, chiller, conveying, and size-reduction portfolio across the same plastics customer base.

Regional players

• HB Therm: Swiss-headquartered maker of temperature control units for plastics and die-casting applications with strong European installed base. Comparable to Sterling's Sterlco TC100/TC130 lines but primarily serves EMEA rather than North American plastics processors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/SterlingACS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acs-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/sterling_sterlco
• Xx.com/sterlingprodinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/SterlingPlastics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Sterling