Carlton Thermal Systems
Privately held UK thermal solutions distributor and services provider supplying ESA-qualified aerospace heaters, HVAC controllers, IoT environmental dataloggers, railway sensors, and heritage conservation controllers to enterprise OEMs including Siemens Healthineers and MR Magnet Technology.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersOxford, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Carlton Thermal Systems does
Carlton Thermal Systems Ltd is a privately held thermal solutions distributor and bespoke engineering services provider headquartered in Chalgrove, South Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, founded circa 1994. The company operates across five primary verticals: Aerospace & Defence, HVAC, Cultural & Architectural Conservation, Railway Vehicles & Infrastructure, and Environmental & Meteorology, supplying both catalog thermal components and project-specific engineered solutions to industrial and OEM customers. Its anchor customer base includes Tier 1 relationships with Siemens Healthineers and MR Magnet Technology, and the firm maintains co-development input from the Oxford Conservation Consortium and The National Trust for heritage-sector products. Carlton Thermal is privately held with no disclosed external funding, M&A activity, or investor transitions, consistent with a long-established founder/management-controlled limited company.
The portfolio is technically broad and includes ESA ESCC-qualified Kapton etched foil space flight heaters, Zoppas-manufactured flexible heaters (0.15mm thickness, up to 350C), EVCO c-pro 3 HVAC controllers, GTB Group temperature/humidity transmitters with 4-20mA/RS-485 MODBUS/I2C/CAN outputs, Comet System IoT dataloggers with 4G/LoRaWAN/WiFi connectivity, SST Solid Sealing high-performance connectors and feedthroughs rated to -296 to 450C and 12kV, and specialised railway (KTR/KTG/KPTS) sensors. The proprietary Conservation+ Controller (PRO0524) is a UKCA-certified heritage dehumidification controller launched in 2025. The company holds ISO9001:2015, ISO9100 (aerospace), Cyber Essentials, and ESA-approved supplier status, and is a member of the British Cryogenics Council, Museums Association, BSI, and FSB.
Revenue is generated through four streams: thermal component and system hardware sales, custom engineering and bespoke solution services, stock holding and Kanban delivery services, and kitting/managed services. Distribution is direct enterprise sales with standard net trade pricing, a minimum order value of £50 excluding carriage/VAT, next-day signed delivery at £12.95 for consignments up to 15kg, and credit account terms of strictly net 30 days with 5% above HSBC base rate interest on late payments. Go-to-market combines field sales to engineering OEMs, technical content marketing, and event presence at trade shows including Farnborough International Airshow (as part of the Zoppas team), Museums + Heritage Show, and World Refrigeration Day sponsorship.
Carlton Thermal Systems firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Carlton Thermal Systems
- Legal name
- Carlton Thermal Systems Ltd
- Website
- https://carltonthermal.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Privately held UK thermal solutions distributor and services provider supplying ESA-qualified aerospace heaters, HVAC controllers, IoT environmental dataloggers, railway sensors, and heritage conservation controllers to enterprise OEMs including Siemens Healthineers and MR Magnet Technology.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Carlton Thermal Systems industry classification
Industry- NAICS
- Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415)
- SIC
- Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580), Heating Equipment, Except Electric & Warm Air Furnaces (3433)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Refrigeration Components & Controls (Compressors, Valves, Sensors) (IMAHAKAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Heat Exchangers & Thermal Transfer Equipment (IMAHAKAC), Boilers, Furnaces & Process Heating Equipment (IMAHAKAD), Chillers & Cooling Plant Equipment (IMAHAKAE)
Keywords
Where Carlton Thermal Systems is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oxford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Carlton Thermal Systems business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Thermal Components and Systems Sales: Sale of sensors, heaters, controllers, dataloggers and IoT solutions for thermal management across multiple sectors. Products include air duct heaters, CO2 sensors, humidity sensors, HVAC controllers, aerospace heaters, railway temperature sensors, and conservation monitoring equipment.
- Custom Engineering and Bespoke Solutions: Bespoke device design and manufacturing services including system design and development. Working closely with customers from idea to implementation for tailored systems meeting specific technical and operational needs.
- Stock Holding and Kanban Services: Stock Holding On-Call service accepting orders up to 12 months in advance with next day dispatch. Kanban delivery supporting customers with Kanban stock management systems requiring steady supply of components and kits.
- Kitting Services: Outsourcing of entire component supply procedure providing single source for all components delivered labelled and prepared for manufacture, eliminating time spent on purchasing, progressing orders, and inspection of incoming goods.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Trade Pricing |
| Subscription | Annual | Credit Account Terms |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Carlton Thermal Systems product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Carlton Thermal Systems is a thermal solutions distributor and services provider supplying sensors, heaters, controllers, dataloggers, and IoT solutions for heating and cooling applications across aerospace, HVAC, railway, conservation, and meteorology sectors. The company operates as a Tier 1 ISO9001:2015 supplier to global engineering corporations and OEMs, offering bespoke thermal engineering, electro-mechanical assembly, Kanban delivery, kitting, and stock holding services alongside exclusive partner-manufactured products.
Product overview
Carlton Thermal Systems provides advanced thermal solutions as both a distributor and services provider, serving as a Tier 1 supplier to global engineering corporations. The portfolio spans five sectors: Aerospace & Defence (ESA-qualified Kapton etched foil heaters, de-icing heaters, galley equipment heaters, high-performance connectors/feedthroughs, pinch-off tubes, and view ports), HVAC (BT Series air duct heaters, c-pro 3 controllers for chillers/close control/heat pumps, EVDRIVE expansion valve drivers, CO2 and humidity sensors), Cultural & Architectural Conservation (Conservation+ heating controllers, 4G/WiFi/LoRaWAN IoT dataloggers, USB data loggers, LUX/UV sensors, solar shields), Railway Vehicles & Infrastructure (specialized KTR/KTG/KPTS temperature sensors), and Environmental & Meteorology (external sensors, LoRaWAN and 4G monitoring solutions). Key distribution partners include Zoppas Industries, Comet System, EVCO, and Sensit. The company also offers services including bespoke thermal solutions, electro-mechanical assembly, Kanban delivery, kitting services, and stock holding on-call.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Conservation+: Conservation heating controller product line for humidity control in historic buildings, museums, galleries and archives. Includes PRO0524 Master Controller and PRO0524/S Slave unit.
Quantifiable outcome
- Next day dispatch on stocked items with just-in-time delivery
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Carlton Thermal Systems
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Carlton Thermal Systems technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature4 records
Carlton Thermal Systems partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Zoppas Industries Heating Element TechnologiescoreStrategic partnership with internationally recognized leader in thermal technology for flexible heaters and heating elements. Zoppas manufactures etched foil, tubular, cartridge and other heating solutions. Some partnerships exceed 32 years in duration.
- Comet System s.r.o.corePartnership for data loggers with built-in 4G modem and lifetime SIM, IoT wireless sensors using LoRaWAN and WiFi, Comet Cloud monitoring, and environmental monitoring equipment including radiation shields.
- EVCO SpacorePartnership for programmable controllers including c-pro 3 series for heat pumps, chillers, close control units, air handling units, HRV units, and bipolar/pulse/unipolar expansion valve drivers.
- GTB GroupcorePartnership for temperature and humidity transmitters and sensors with various signal outputs including 4-20mA, 0-10V, RS-485 MODBUS, I2C, and CAN/CANopen.
- SST Solid Sealing TechnologycorePartnership for high performance connectors, feedthroughs, and pinch-off tubes with glass and glass ceramic solid seal pins for extreme environment connections rated up to 12kV and temperatures from -296 to 450C.
- Siemens HealthineerscoreTier 1 supplier relationship with global leader in medical technology, providing thermal components and solutions.
- MR Magnet TechnologycoreTier 1 supplier relationship for magnet technology applications requiring thermal management solutions.
- British Cryogenics CouncilcoreMembership in British Cryogenics Council demonstrating expertise in cryogenic applications and thermal solutions for extreme low temperature environments.
- British Standards InstituteminorMembership in BSI demonstrating commitment to standards and quality assurance.
- Museums AssociationcoreMembership in Museums Association demonstrating specialization in heritage and conservation sector with solutions for museums, galleries, and archives.
- Federation of Small BusinessesminorMembership in FSB supporting small business community.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Carlton Thermal Systems competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Carel Industries: Italian manufacturer of HVAC/R controllers and humidifiers, including expansion-valve drivers and chillers/close-control units. Closely comparable to Carlton's EVCO c-pro 3 controller and EVDRIVE expansion-valve driver lines.
- Minco Products: US-based manufacturer of flexible heaters, temperature sensors and thermal solutions for aerospace, medical and industrial customers. Highly comparable to Carlton in product mix, including etched-foil heaters and integrated sensor/controller systems.
- Status Instruments: UK-based manufacturer of temperature and signal-conditioning instrumentation for industrial applications. Comparable regional peer competing in the same temperature-sensor market segment in the UK.
- Eliwell (Invensys/S Schneider Electric brand): Manufacturer of electronic controllers and expansion-valve drivers for HVAC/R applications. Direct competitor to Carlton's EVCO controller and bipolar expansion-valve driver offerings.
- JUMO: German manufacturer of industrial measurement and control systems including temperature sensors, controllers and dataloggers. Highly comparable in product mix and European mid-market industrial customer base.
Emerging players
- Distech Controls: Provider of building automation controllers, sensors and software with BACnet integration. Comparable to Carlton's c-pro 3 CLOSE controllers' BACnet-enabled building-management integration.
Broad incumbents
- Chromalox: Large incumbent manufacturer of electric heating elements, air duct heaters, and process heating equipment for industrial and HVAC applications. Overlaps directly with Carlton's BT Series air duct heaters and heating-element distribution.
- Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company: Global designer and manufacturer of industrial heaters, sensors and controllers for aerospace, medical and process industries. Comparable to Carlton Thermal Systems' heater and sensor offering, but operating at much greater scale and breadth.
- WIKA Instruments: Global measurement specialist producing temperature, pressure and humidity sensors with industrial signal outputs (4-20mA, MODBUS). Comparable to Carlton's GTB-sourced temperature and humidity transmitter portfolio.
Regional players
- Eltek (a TE Connectivity company): UK-based specialist in high-performance connectors and feedthroughs for harsh environments. Comparable to Carlton's SST-sourced high-performance connectors/feedthroughs product line serving aerospace and industrial customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Carlton Thermal Systems social profiles
Digital presenceCarlton Thermal Systems compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Carlton Thermal Systems financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Carlton Thermal Systems leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Carlton Thermal Systems funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Carlton Thermal Systems M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Carlton Thermal Systems
What does Carlton Thermal Systems do?
Carlton Thermal Systems is a thermal solutions distributor and services provider supplying sensors, heaters, controllers, dataloggers, and IoT solutions for heating and cooling applications across aerospace, HVAC, railway, conservation, and meteorology sectors. The company operates as a Tier 1 ISO9001:2015 supplier to global engineering corporations and OEMs, offering bespoke thermal engineering, electro-mechanical assembly, Kanban delivery, kitting, and stock holding services alongside exclusive partner-manufactured products.
Is Carlton Thermal Systems a public or private company?
Carlton Thermal Systems is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was Carlton Thermal Systems founded?
Carlton Thermal Systems was founded in 1994. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Carlton Thermal Systems based?
Carlton Thermal Systems is headquartered in Oxford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Carlton Thermal Systems make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Thermal Components and Systems Sales are the primary driver. The others are custom Engineering and Bespoke Solutions, stock Holding and Kanban Services and kitting Services.
Who are Carlton Thermal Systems's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Carel Industries, Minco Products, Status Instruments, Eliwell (Invensys/S Schneider Electric brand) and JUMO. Distech Controls is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Chromalox, Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company and WIKA Instruments. Eltek (a TE Connectivity company) is listed as a regional player.
Does Carlton Thermal Systems have an API?
No public API is recorded for Carlton Thermal Systems.
What industry is Carlton Thermal Systems in?
Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAKAH, Refrigeration Components & Controls (Compressors, Valves, Sensors), with a secondary code of IMAHAKAC, Heat Exchangers & Thermal Transfer Equipment. Its NAICS code is 33341 and its SIC code is 3585.