What Carlson Tool & Machine does

Carlson Tool & Machine Co., also operating as Carlson-STI, is a privately held, third-generation family-owned manufacturer of industrial brush-making equipment, founded in 1937 by Swedish immigrant John I. Carlson in Aurora, Illinois, and now headquartered in a 50,000 square foot facility in Elgin, Illinois. The company designs and builds a comprehensive portfolio of semi-automatic, custom computerized, and automated machines covering staple set, metal channel strip brush, twisted-in-wire, rotary, industrial cylinder, and custom/specialty brush applications, with supporting products including trimmers, a catalog of Carlson-designed custom drills, and a used-equipment resale channel. Underlying technology centers on computerized CNC brush-making machines running on industrial PCs (legacy Windows 2000 systems), brushless servo motor packages, and 5-axis pattern generation first introduced in 1980 under current president John M. Carlson.

The company's revenue model is built-to-order industrial equipment sales with quote-based pricing, supplemented by a recurring parts and technical support stream tied to the installed base of over 500 brush manufacturers served across the US, Canada, Mexico, and Latin America. Distribution is direct-sales led, including a dedicated Latin America sales representative, with an exclusive partnership distributing CSTI-ADTECH Controls across the Americas. The company sells no software, AI, or subscription product; its competitive position rests on 75+ years of brand reputation, specialized industrial engineering, and high capital-cost switching dynamics inherent to its equipment.

Name

Carlson Tool & Machine

Legal name

Carlson Tool & Machine Co.

Website

http://www.carlson-tool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Carlson Tool & Machine is a third-generation, family-owned US manufacturer of industrial brush-making equipment (founded 1937) selling built-to-order CNC machines, custom drills, and parts to over 500 brush manufacturers in the Americas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Elgin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Brush Making Equipment Sales: Sale of custom brush making machinery including staple set machines, rotary brush machines, strip brush machines, industrial cylinder brush machines, and specialty/custom machines. Equipment is quoted and built to order.
2. Custom Drill Bits: Sale of custom made drills designed to Carlson specifications. Drills are normally stocked items with custom sizes available in minimum orders of 144 pieces.
3. Replacement Parts and Technical Support: Parts department providing replacement components for Carlson equipment along with technical support services.
4. Used Equipment Sales: Resale of pre-owned brush making equipment including machines at their facility, with CNC retrofit options available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Carlson Tool & Machine designs, manufactures, and sells industrial brush-making equipment, including staple set, rotary, strip, twisted-in-wire, and cylinder brush machines, plus UDF-series universal drill and fill units. Equipment is offered in semi-automatic, custom computerized, and fully automated configurations, built-to-order with custom engineering, alongside replacement parts, custom drills, and technical support services.

Product overview

Carlson Tool & Machine is a manufacturer of brush-making equipment serving over 500 brush manufacturers worldwide. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of machines organized into product lines: Staple Set Brush Machines (models 1601L, #21, #25CF, #25CFV, #41, BFx5, CS/2, OT-14, OT-22) for automated tufting; UDF Series (UDF-2/UDF-3 and high-speed variants) for universal drilling and filling; Rotary Brush Machines (#1601/1601L, OM-17-DC); Industrial Cylinder Brush Machines (#1752, 1652, OM-17-CY); Strip Brush Machines (Double Tape, Mini Y2L, Y-M, Y2, V Tech, YC coiler); High Speed Tufting Machines (CS/2); Custom/Specialty Machines (51A wire cutter, Knot Wheel); and Twisted in Wire Machines. Supporting products include Trimmers (TA-1, TA45-CF, RC-57, SPT22, Clipper Head, 4x5 modular), custom Carlson-designed Drill Catalog with various drill types, and Used Equipment. The company also provides technical support, parts, and engineering services. Founded in 1937, Carlson-STI operates from Elgin, Illinois with a 50,000 square foot facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Staple Set Brush Machines Line of staple set brush making machines for automated brush tufting, including models 1601L, #21, #25CF, #25CFV, #41, BFx5, CS/2, OT-14, and OT-22, designed for industrial brush manufacturers.
• UDF Series Machines (UDF-2, UDF-3) Universal Drilling and Filling machines available in 2-axis (UDF-2) and 3-axis (UDF-3) configurations with high-speed variants (UDF-2HS, UDF-3HS), built with 10mm steel plate frames in the USA as flexible low-cost brush making solutions.
• Rotary Brush Machines
• Strip Brush Machines
• Industrial Cylinder Brush Machines
• High Speed Tufting Machines
• Twisted in Wire Machines
• Custom or Specialty Machines
• Trimmers
• Custom Drills (Drill Catalog)
• Used Brush Equipment
• Technical Support, Parts and Engineering Services
• Model BFx5 Multiple Style Brush Staple Set Machine 5-axis computerized staple set machine designed for custom brush makers producing multiple brush styles on a single platform with automated pattern generation.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CSTI-ADTECH ControlscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCarlson-STI is the exclusive distributor for all of Americas (including North, South, Canada and Mexico) for CSTI-ADTECH Controls. This partnership extends their product offerings to include control systems for brush making equipment across the entire American continent.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Zahoransky AG: Germany-based leading global manufacturer of brush-making machinery offering staple set, twisted-in-wire, and end-of-line brush production systems. Carlson itself resells a used Zahoransky bench model, confirming direct product overlap and competitive overlap in the same global niche.
• Boucherie NV: Belgian manufacturer of brush-making machines with global reach across toothbrush and industrial brush equipment. Direct competitor in staple set and twisted-in-wire categories where Carlson competes, with similar customer base of brush producers.
• Wöhler Brush Tech GmbH: German brush-making machinery specialist with a full portfolio of drilling, filling, and trimming machines — competing head-to-head with Carlson's UDF and staple set lines for the same industrial brush manufacturers.
• FiBra Srl: Italian brush-making machinery manufacturer specializing in twisted-in-wire and industrial brush production systems. Comparable specialty/custom-machine offering to Carlson's specialty and twisted-in-wire product lines.
• Kullen GmbH & Co. KG: German manufacturer of brush-making machinery including drilling, filling, and tufting equipment. Another regional competitor with comparable product offering for the same brush-manufacturer customers Carlson serves.

Broad incumbents

• Weiler Corporation: Large US-based industrial brush manufacturer that also operates as an end-customer for brush-making equipment. Broader product portfolio spanning brushes themselves, providing a useful comparison point for both equipment design and end-market dynamics.
• Gordon Brush Mfg. Co. US manufacturer of specialty and industrial brushes that purchases brush-making equipment. Comparable customer profile and competitive context for Carlson's installed base and downstream brush-market dynamics.
• Osborn International (Jason Industries): Global industrial brush manufacturer with a broad product portfolio across maintenance, surface finishing, and hygiene brushes. A much larger incumbent that both consumes brush-making equipment and competes indirectly in downstream brush markets.

Regional players

• Lessmann GmbH: German industrial brush manufacturer with in-house brush-making capabilities. Comparable European counterpart providing reference for brush-making technology adoption and a regional competitor in Carlson's overseas end-markets.

Others

• CSTI-ADTECH Controls: Supplier of brush-making machine controls that Carlson exclusively distributes across the Americas. Adjacent ecosystem participant and channel partner whose product roadmap directly affects Carlson's complementary offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Carlson Tool & Machine