Willis Machinery & Tools

What Willis Machinery & Tools does

Willis Machinery & Tools Co. is a privately held, family-owned machine tool distributor and importer headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. Founded in 1961, the company imports CNC and conventional metalworking machinery — CNC and conventional lathes, CNC mills, milling machines, drilling machines (upright and radial), and grinding machines (surface, cylindrical, and Delta-series) — sourced from Taiwan, Sweden, Germany, and Italy, and fitted with industry-standard CNC controls from Fanuc, Fagor, and Siemens. Notable engineering features include Meehanite cast iron construction, Turcite-coated ways, ZF helical planetary gearboxes, oil-chiller thermal management, and hydrostatic lubrication on grinder axes, with optional Renishaw probing. The company holds exclusive U.S. import rights for Swedish manufacturer Solberga's drill presses under a 60+ year multi-generational relationship.

The company serves metalworking manufacturers across all 50 U.S. states and Canada, addressing both multi-billion-dollar manufacturers (aerospace, oil and gas, alternative energy, electric motor repair, pump manufacturing) and smaller job shops requiring precision, durability, and accessible service. Revenue is generated primarily through new machine sales (hardware), with complementary streams in spare parts (full inventory maintained in Toledo), technical service and warranty support, and customer financing arranged via Intec Funding. All transactions are quote-based; no public pricing exists.

Distribution operates through a dual-channel model: direct field sales via regional sales managers covering Ohio, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Midwest, and Upper Midwest territories, alongside a nationwide independent distributor network that includes Machine Tool Solutions (since 2000) and Phillips Corporation for federal/GSA contracts. Long-tenured staff (Peter Boice as President/Owner, Service Technician Doug Kilpatrick with 40+ years of experience since 1997) and decades-long vendor relationships form the operational backbone. The company maintains no external funding, no public listing, and no parent/subsidiary structure, operating as a bootstrapped, founder-led enterprise.

Name

Willis Machinery & Tools

Legal name

Willis Machinery & Tools Co.

Website

https://willismachinery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Willis Machinery & Tools Co. is a privately held, family-owned machine tool distributor and importer in Toledo, Ohio, founded in 1961, supplying CNC and conventional metalworking machinery (lathes, mills, drilling machines, grinders) to U.S. and Canadian manufacturers via direct field sales and a nationwide distributor network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Machine Tools

NAICS

Machine Tool Manufacturing (333517), Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (33351)

SIC

Machine Tools, Metal Cutting Types (3541), Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540)

akta.pro primary industry

CNC Machine Tools (Turning, Milling, Machining Centers) (IMAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Metal Cutting Tools, Tooling & Workholding (Cutters, Inserts, Chucks, Fixtures) (IMAHADAB)

Keywords

• CNC machine tools
• Metalworking equipment
• Industrial lathes mills
• Machining centers
• Workholding equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Toledo

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. New Machine Equipment Sales: Willis Machinery generates primary revenue from the sale of new CNC and conventional machine tools including lathes, mills, drilling machines, and grinding machines. Machines are built in Taiwan, Sweden, Germany, and Italy, with supply to all 50 U.S. states.
2. Spare Parts and Replacement Parts: Willis maintains a full inventory of replacement parts in Toledo, Ohio, providing ongoing revenue from spare parts sales for machines throughout their lifecycle.
3. Technical Service and Support: Full-time service technicians available to answer technical questions and perform installation and repair work. On-site warranty service is available (customer covers travel expenses).
4. Equipment Financing: Partnership with Intec Funding provides financing programs for customers, supporting equipment purchases through installment financing arrangements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Willis Machinery & Tools supplies new CNC and conventional metalworking machine tools — including CNC lathes, conventional lathes, CNC mills, conventional mills, drilling machines, and grinding machines — sourced from manufacturers in Taiwan, Sweden, Germany, and Italy and sold across the United States and Canada. The company also maintains a full inventory of replacement parts in Toledo, Ohio, and provides technical service, installation/repair, and equipment-financing support to manufacturers and job shops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bison Workholding Equipment: BISON is a workholding equipment brand offered by Willis Machinery, including lathe chucks, machine vises, and related clamping solutions.

Products and services

• CNC Lathes Computer-controlled turning machines for precision metalworking, including big-bore oil-country models. Sold to industrial manufacturers and job shops across the U.S.
• Conventional Lathes Manually operated lathes including big-bore and Mammoth PA/PK manual models for general turning, threading, and large-diameter work. Sold to manufacturers and job shops.
• CNC Mills Computer-controlled milling machines (including BTM series CNC bed mills) for milling, drilling, and contouring operations. Sold to industrial manufacturers and job shops.
• Conventional Mills Manually operated milling machines such as knee mills and turret mills, including the 1050II Turret Knee Mill. Sold to manufacturers and job shops.
• Drilling Machines Upright and radial-arm drilling machines, including Solberga geared-head drill presses imported from Sweden. Sold to industrial manufacturers and job shops across the U.S.
• Grinding Machines Surface and cylindrical grinders, including Delta grinders with hydrostatic lubrication on all axes. Sold to manufacturers and job shops.
• Workholding Equipment Lathe chucks, machine vises, and related workholding solutions from Bison, supplied as part of the Willis Machinery product lineup for metalworking manufacturers.
• Replacement Parts Full inventory of replacement parts maintained at Willis Machinery's Toledo, Ohio facility to support the lifecycle of CNC and conventional machines sold.
• Technical Service and Support Full-time service technicians providing technical questions support, installation, repair work, and on-site warranty service for CNC and conventional machines sold by Willis.
• Equipment Financing Financing programs offered in partnership with Intec Funding to enable customers to acquire Willis machine tools through installment payment arrangements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Spare parts expedite process is described as very efficient when parts are needed and not on shelf
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SolbergacoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 1963Willis Machinery is the sole importer of Solberga (Swedish) geared head drill presses in the United States. Solberga has been manufacturing drilling machines for over 100 years. Willis has been selling these drill presses since 1963, marking 60+ years of partnership. Widfelt family (Solberga) and Boice family (Willis) have maintained this relationship across generations.
• BisoncoreTechnology or IntegrationBison is one of the world's leading manufacturers of quality technological tooling and workholding for the metal working industry, with over 70 years of experience. Willis Machinery offers Bison lathe chucks, machine vises, and other workholding equipment as part of their product lineup.
• ZF (German-built)coreTechnology or IntegrationZF Friedrichshafen AG supplies the helical planetary gearbox used in Willis machining centers. ZF gearbox provides multi-speed spindle operation with high efficiency, high torque, low noise, and long service life. Fully sealed immersion type lubrication with oil-chiller maintains optimal operating temperature.
• FanuccoreTechnology or IntegrationFanuc supplies the CNC control systems (Fanuc 0i-TC, Fanuc 0i-MD, Fanuc Oi-MDi, Fanuc 0i-MB) used across Willis CNC lathes, mills, and machining centers. Willis also utilizes Fanuc servo motors for spindle and axis control.
• Fagor AutomationcoreTechnology or IntegrationFagor supplies the 8055i CNC control systems used on Willis BTM series CNC bed mills. Fagor 8058i CNC controls are used on Willis BTM Series machines. Fagor controls offer conversational programming and G-code conversion capabilities.
• YaskawacoreTechnology or IntegrationYaskawa AC digital inverter drives are used on Willis conventional mills and CNC machines for variable spindle speed control. The Yaskawa inverter enables infinitely adjustable spindle speeds through potentiometer control on electronic variable speed models.
• Machine Tool Solutions (MTS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMachine Tool Solutions (MTS), based in Muncie, Indiana, is a distributor and working partner of Willis Machinery since 2000. MTS resells Willis machinery products to end customers, with repeat customers attributable to rock solid equipment and knowledge.
• Phillips CorporationChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPhillips Corporation has been a partner with Willis Machinery for almost two decades, providing equipment and service for GSA and federal contracts. Represents Willis in government/federal market segment.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Phillips Corporation: Federal/GSA-focused machine tool distributor partnered with Willis for nearly two decades. Comparable in that it sells and services metalworking machines into a defined U.S. customer base, including government.
• Summit Machine Tool: Oklahoma-based distributor of metalworking machinery (lathes, mills, grinders) with similar customer profile to Willis — job shops and industrial manufacturers across the U.S.
• Republic Lagun Machine Tool: U.S. manufacturer/distributor of CNC and manual lathes, mills, and grinders. Competes head-to-head with Willis in the same product categories and U.S. customer segments.
• Machine Tool Solutions (MTS): Indiana-based machine tool distributor and direct reseller of Willis products since 2000. Operates the same business model: regional sales plus metalworking equipment supply to U.S. manufacturers.
• Productivity Inc: Pennsylvania-based machine tool distributor serving aerospace, defense, and industrial customers. Comparable product breadth (CNC lathes, mills, grinders) and direct-plus-distributor go-to-market.
• Kent Industrial USA: California-based manufacturer and distributor of manual and CNC machine tools including lathes, mills, and bandsaws. Overlaps with Willis on metal-cutting machine tool product categories.
• Wells-Index: Michigan-based manufacturer of manual and CNC milling machines with U.S. distribution. Comparable product offering (mills and drilling machines) and customer profile.
• Sharp Industries: California-based machine tool distributor of CNC and conventional lathes, mills, and grinders. Directly comparable product lines and U.S. distribution model to Willis.
• Acer Industrial: Taiwan-based metalworking machine tool builder with U.S. distribution presence. Directly comparable as a source of CNC mills, lathes, and bed mills in the same channels Willis serves.

Broad incumbents

• Haas Automation: Largest U.S.-based CNC machine tool manufacturer selling factory-direct across the U.S. Broad incumbent whose direct-sales model competes with Willis's distributor-led approach in similar product categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/willismachinery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/willismt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

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 Willis Machinery & Tools