What Carlin Automation does

Carlin Automation Inc. is a US-based industrial thermal product distributor and systems integrator founded in 1977 and headquartered in Moline, Illinois. The company distributes a comprehensive portfolio of electric heaters, temperature controllers, thermocouples and RTDs, power controllers (SCR/SSR), infrared heaters and sensors, pressure sensors, panel meters, encoders, flow and level instruments, combustion safeguard systems, and industrial ovens sourced from authorized manufacturers including Watlow, Eurotherm, Pyromation, Tempco, Chromalox, Dynapar, Nexthermal, Schneider Electric, Indeeco, and Tutco. Carlin complements distribution with ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited thermal calibration services (A2LA Certificate 1675.01) that include field and bench calibration, system accuracy tests (SAT), temperature uniformity surveys (TUS), and instrument repair.

The firm serves industrial customers across heat treat and forge, plastic molding, commercial bakery, food and chemical processing, OEM, and medical/life sciences segments, with a particular stated focus on gas-to-electric process electrification. Its go-to-market is sales-led: experienced sales engineers engage customers to formulate application-specific solutions rather than transact commoditized catalog orders. Revenue is generated through hardware sales (distribution margin on third-party products), professional services (calibration, SAT, TUS, repair), and turnkey control system upgrades including panel engineering, programming, and installation.

In July 2023, Carlin was acquired by Hunkar Technologies Inc. through its Rixan Automation subsidiary, extending the company’s offering into automated system integration, system design, robot repair, and manufacturing equipment field support. Leadership continuity was preserved, with Pat Carlin remaining as President and Tim Carlin as Vice President. The combined Hunkar/Rixan/Carlin portfolio positions the business as a multi-line industrial automation and thermal solutions provider for US manufacturers, with the September 2023 award of the full Watlow national distributorship materially expanding its addressable market.

Name

Carlin Automation

Legal name

Carlin Automation, Inc.

Website

https://carlinautomation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Carlin Automation is a US industrial thermal product distributor and ISO/IEC 17025-accredited calibration integrator serving heat treat, plastics, food processing, bakery, OEM, and medical/life sciences customers with heaters, controllers, sensors, power controllers, and turnkey control upgrades.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Thermal Solutions & Process Control

NAICS

Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414), Industrial Process Furnace and Oven Manufacturing (333994)

SIC

Wholesale-Hardware & Plumbing & Heating Equipment & Supplies (5070), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Process & Batch Control Software (Recipe Management, ISA-88) (IMAGABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Heat Transfer Equipment (Heat Exchangers, Boilers, Condensers) (IMAHAEAC), Refrigeration Components & Controls (Compressors, Valves, Sensors) (IMAHAKAH)

Keywords

• Industrial thermal products
• Temperature controllers
• Electric heaters
• Calibration services
• Control system upgrades

Headquarters

HQ city

Rock Island

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Industrial Thermal Product Distribution: Distributor of industrial thermal products including instrumentation, temperature sensors, heaters, controllers, and related components from authorized manufacturers like Watlow, Eurotherm, Pyromation, Tempco, Chromalox, and others
2. Calibration Services: ISO/IEC 17025 accredited calibration services including field calibration, bench calibration, control system accuracy tests (SAT), temperature uniformity surveys (TUS), and instrument repair
3. Control System Upgrades: Turnkey system integration, engineering, programming, and installation services for control panel upgrades

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Carlin Automation distributes and integrates industrial thermal products including electric heaters, temperature controllers, sensors, and process control instruments from leading manufacturers. The company provides value-added engineering services including ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited calibration services and complete control system upgrades. They serve heat treat/forging, plastic molding, commercial baking, food processing, OEM, and medical/life sciences industries.

Product overview

Carlin Automation is a distributor and integrator of industrial thermal products and solutions, not a single unified software product. The company distributes a comprehensive portfolio of thermal automation products from multiple manufacturers including Watlow, Eurotherm, Pyromation, Tempco, Chromalox, Dynapar, and others. The product portfolio centers on temperature control and thermal management components: temperature controllers (Eurotherm, Watlow, Gefran), electric heaters (band, cartridge, immersion, tubular, strip, flexible, circulation, cast-in types from Tempco, Chromalox, Tutco, Accutherm, Durex, Nexthermal, EZ Heat), temperature sensors (thermocouples, RTDs, thermowells from multiple manufacturers), power controllers (SCR, solid state relays), and combustion equipment (burners, safety shut-off valves, combustion safeguard systems). Supporting products include actuators, encoders, flow instruments, level instruments, panel meters, pressure sensors, recorders, IR temperature sensors, IR heaters, industrial ovens, timers/counters, and transmitters. The company complements its product distribution with ISO/IEC 17025 accredited calibration services and control system upgrade/integration services for industrial thermal processes in heat treat, plastics, commercial bakeries, food processing, chemical processing, and OEM markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Industrial Thermal Product Distribution Distribution of electric heaters, temperature controllers, sensors, thermocouples, RTDs, power controllers, combustion equipment, panel meters, and process instruments for industrial applications.
• Calibration Services

Quantifiable outcome

• ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation ensures calibration results meet international standards

Segments6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• WatlowcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 29 September 2023Watlow Manufacturing Company appointed Carlin Automation as an authorized Watlow distributor for the US Market. Watlow is a premier worldwide leader in design and manufacture of turnkey industrial thermal systems. Carlin offers Watlow temperature instrumentation, electric process heaters, data archiving, and temperature sensor solutions.
• EurothermcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEurotherm is a premier global provider of temperature, power, and process control, measurement and data management equipment, systems, software, and services for global industrial markets.
• PyromationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPyromation provides solutions to manufacturers worldwide improving their ability to safely and efficiently produce their products, focusing on Quality in Every Degree.
• Tempco ElectriccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTempco designs and manufactures Electric Heating Elements, Temperature Sensors and Temperature Control Products with high quality manufacturing capabilities.
• ChromaloxcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChromalox provides tailored thermal solutions to a broad range of industries with expertise in innovative, efficient, reliable, and sustainable electric thermal solutions.
• DynaparcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDynapar offers the world's broadest range of encoders, resolvers and accessories for motion feedback control with innovative, customized system solutions.
• NexthermalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNexthermal expertise spans cartridge, coil, tubular, and infrared heating technologies, each custom-built for specific applications in packaging machinery, life sciences equipment, plastics processing, and more.
• Schneider ElectriccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSchneider Electric is a global energy technology leader driving efficiency and sustainability by electrifying, automating, and digitalizing industries.
• IndeecocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndeeco is vertically integrated overseeing every aspect of manufacturing from heating elements to sheet metal fabrication, electronic controls, and ASME pressure vessels.
• TutcocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTutco provides open-coil, duct, and conductive heating solutions for heating applications worldwide with custom-engineered heating solutions.
• Hunkar TechnologiesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHunkar Technologies, founded in 1962, is a privately held diversified automation company. Hunkar's Rixan Automation subsidiary acquired Carlin Automation in July 2023. Parent company provides Robotic Automation, High Speed Label Application, Machine Vision, Packaging/Material Handling, Data and Barcode Product Tracking, Machine Controls, and Automated EPS Cutting, Forming and Recycling Systems.
• Rixan AutomationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRixan Automation, a subsidiary of Hunkar Technologies, acquired Carlin Automation in July 2023. Rixan has rich history of innovation in Robotic Integration, Automation Systems, Warehouse Logistics, Packaging Solutions, Vision Systems, Controls and Custom Production/HMI Systems.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Honeywell: Diversified industrial conglomerate whose combustion safeguard and process control products Carlin distributes. Honeywell is a broad incumbent in the same industrial process control and thermal safety space, with the scale and direct-sales reach to compete with or disintermediate distributors like Carlin.
• Watlow: Premier worldwide manufacturer of industrial thermal systems (heaters, sensors, controllers). Carlin is an authorized US distributor of Watlow products, making Watlow both a critical partner and a broad incumbent whose direct-sales moves could threaten Carlin's distribution moat.
• Schneider Electric: Global energy technology and automation OEM. Carlin is an authorized Schneider Electric distributor and overlaps with Schneider's industrial automation portfolio; Schneider's scale and direct industrial sales motion make it both a channel partner and a broad incumbent peer.
• Chromalox: Global manufacturer of electric thermal solutions for industrial and commercial markets. Carlin distributes Chromalox heaters and IR products, putting Chromalox in a directly comparable thermal product category with broader scale and direct end-customer reach.

Direct peers

• Gefran: Manufacturer of sensors (pressure, position, temperature), power controllers, and automation components. Carlin distributes Gefran melt pressure sensors, power controllers, and controllers, and Gefran's extrusion and plastics focus overlaps directly with Carlin's plastic molding vertical.
• Dynapar: Manufacturer of encoders, resolvers, and motion feedback accessories. Carlin distributes Dynapar encoders as part of its broader industrial automation offering, and Dynapar serves overlapping OEM and process-industry customers with comparable encoder and feedback product categories.
• Omega Engineering: Direct distributor and manufacturer of temperature sensors, controllers, heaters, and process instrumentation. Closely comparable to Carlin in product breadth (thermocouples, RTDs, heaters, panel meters, infrared) and in serving industrial customers with quote-based, sales-engineer-driven motion.
• Eurotherm: Global manufacturer of temperature, power, and process control instruments and data management systems. Carlin is an authorized Eurotherm distributor and bundles Eurotherm controllers into control upgrade projects, making Eurotherm a directly comparable control systems peer.
• Pyromation: Manufacturer of temperature sensors (thermocouples, RTDs, thermowells) for industrial applications. Carlin distributes Pyromation sensors and transmitters, and Pyromation's product line and vertical mix (heat treat, plastics, food, chemical) are directly comparable to Carlin's served markets.
• Tempco Electric Heater Corporation: Manufacturer of electric heating elements, temperature sensors, and temperature control products. Carlin distributes Tempco heaters and IR solutions, and Tempco occupies an overlapping product niche serving plastics, packaging, and life sciences OEMs — Carlin's stated verticals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

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 Carlin Automation