Jacobson Engineering

What Jacobson Engineering does

Jacobson Engineering is a privately held U.S. industrial firm founded in 1993 and headquartered in McKinleyville, California, that designs, engineers, manufactures, and installs advanced electric drive and control systems for the building products industry, with a near-exclusive focus on sawmill and lumber processing customers. Its core product is the Electric Feed Carriage Drive — a custom-engineered log carriage drive system for sawmill headrigs that combines low-inertia motors, regenerative braking (over 95% efficient), digital electronic drive controls, fail-safe dynamic braking with end-of-track limit switches, and serial/parallel communications for integration with setworks computers and programmable controllers. The company uses commercial off-the-shelf components from industry leaders (e.g., ABB motors) wrapped in proprietary system integration and human factors engineering to optimize operator response, acceleration, and equipment life in harsh mill environments.

The business operates on a direct enterprise B2B sales motion. Each drive system is custom engineered to a customer's application requirements, beginning with an individual site survey and progressing through design engineering, manufacturing, installation, start-up, and field service. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware sales of these custom systems plus ongoing engineering and consulting services, with pricing quoted on a per-project basis and no publicly disclosed tiers or recurring subscription component. The customer base spans enterprise sawmills across the United States (e.g., Weyerhaeuser International, Northwest Hardwoods, Hood Industries, Hancock Lumber, Emporium Hardwoods) and extends internationally to Austria (TTM Massivholz) and New Zealand (Weyerhaeuser International Marlborough), with no intermediaries, resellers, or distribution partners. The firm is led by founder Fred R. Jacobson, P.E. and operates with 11-50 employees, drawing on what the company describes as over 100 years of collective staff experience in marrying machines, electronics, and operators into integrated systems. There is no disclosed external funding, no parent company, no patents, no formal certifications, and no AI/ML capability.

Name

Jacobson Engineering

Legal name

Jacobson Engineering

Website

https://jacobsonengineering.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Jacobson Engineering is a private, California-based industrial manufacturer founded in 1993 that designs, engineers, builds, and installs custom electric drive and control systems for sawmills and lumber processors, with an installed base spanning the U.S., Austria, and New Zealand.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mckinleyville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Electric Drive Systems Manufacturing: Design, engineering, manufacturing and installation of advanced high technology drives and control systems. Custom engineered to each client's unique application demands using commercial off-the-shelf components. One-time hardware and engineering solution sale.
2. Engineering and Consulting Services: Systems integration, application engineering, design engineering, manufacturing, start-up and field service. Individual site surveys and ongoing technical support after installation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Jacobson Engineering designs, engineers, manufactures, and installs custom electric log carriage drive systems for sawmills, integrating low inertia motors, regenerative braking, digital electronic drives, and fail-safe dynamic braking with communications interfaces to setworks computers and programmable controllers. The company additionally provides systems integration, application/site survey, design engineering, manufacturing, start-up, and ongoing field service support for these drive systems and surrounding process equipment.

Product overview

Jacobson Engineering is a single-product company specializing in advanced high technology electric drive systems and control systems for the building products industry, specifically sawmills. The core product is the Electric Feed Carriage Drive system, complemented by a full suite of engineering services including systems integration, application engineering, design engineering, manufacturing, and start-up/field service. The company has been operating since 1993 with over 100 years of collective staff experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electric Feed Carriage Drives Custom engineered electric log carriage drive systems for sawmill headrigs. Features low inertia motors driving cable drums through speed reducers, regenerative braking with over 95% efficient motor and power electronics, digital electronic drive control with torque/speed rate-of-rise programming, real-time motor temperature monitoring, fail-safe dynamic braking, end-of-track limit switches for slowdown and emergency stop, and standard serial/parallel communications for interface with setworks computers and programmable controllers. Targeted at sawmill and lumber processing operators needing high-performance, reliable, and energy-efficient carriage operation.
• Systems Integration Services Systems integration service that blends proper system components into a seamless, high-tech process line for sawmill and lumber processing customers, using industry-leading technology and innovative techniques to achieve customer operational goals.
• Application / Site Survey Engineering Individual site surveys that ensure understanding of customer requirements and the proper application of the appropriate technology. Targeted at sawmills needing on-site evaluation before designing and configuring a custom drive and control system.
• Design Engineering Services Custom design engineering of rugged components and systems engineered for long life in harsh mill environments, designed with maintenance and production personnel in mind.
• Manufacturing Services In-house manufacturing of custom electric drive and control systems, delivering quality products engineered to look good, work well, and last in sawmill operating environments.
• Start-up and Field Service Start-up commissioning and ongoing field service support provided to sawmill customers after installation of custom electric drive and control systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 95% efficiency in motor and power electronics
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• USNR: USNR (US Natural Resources) is one of the largest global suppliers of sawmill machinery, scanning/optimization, and material handling equipment. It directly competes with Jacobson Engineering by offering complete sawmill process lines, including carriage and headrig subsystems, often bundling drives and controls with broader mill packages.
• Limab: Limab develops scanners and sensors for sawmill optimization and wood product measurement. Comparable to Jacobson Engineering because its measurement and optimization systems interface with carriage drives and setworks in headrig sawmilling operations.
• Microtec: Microtec supplies scanning, optimization, and control systems for sawmills and the wood processing industry. Its solutions integrate with sawmill carriages and setworks, overlapping with Jacobson's digital electronic drive controls and integration capabilities for headrig operations.
• Coe Manufacturing: Coe is a long-established manufacturer of sawmill machinery including carriages, trims, edgers, and related mill equipment. It serves the same sawmill customer base as Jacobson Engineering, supplying mechanical and electromechanical systems for log processing lines.

Broad incumbents

• Bosch Rexroth: Bosch Rexroth provides industrial drives, motion control, and factory automation components. As a broad incumbent, it competes with Jacobson's custom-engineered electric drive systems, particularly in retrofit and modernization projects for sawmill operators.
• Danfoss Drives: Danfoss is a leading manufacturer of variable frequency drives and power electronics for industrial applications. It is a broad incumbent whose AC drives overlap functionally with the digital electronic drive components used by Jacobson Engineering in sawmill carriages.
• Siemens: Siemens offers industrial drives, motion control, and automation used in sawmill and wood processing lines. It is a broad incumbent that competes at the platform level with Jacobson's custom drive engineering, leveraging broader service and financing capabilities.
• Parker Hannifin: Parker Hannifin produces industrial drives, motors, and motion control products through its Electromechanical and Automation divisions. As a broad incumbent, its drive products and electromechanical systems overlap with the sawmill drive and control solutions Jacobson Engineering custom-engineers.
• ABB: ABB is a global supplier of industrial drives, motors, and automation (and the source of motors referenced in Jacobson's product imagery). It is a broad incumbent in the same electromechanical drive category Jacobson serves, with substantially greater scale and ability to bundle sawmill-specific solutions.

Emerging players

• Kollmorgen: Kollmorgen specializes in high-performance servo motors, drives, and motion control for demanding industrial applications. It is comparable to Jacobson Engineering as a focused motion-control specialist whose servo and drive technology could be specified into sawmill carriage and headrig upgrade projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Jacobson Engineering