Lakes Precision
Lakes Precision is a privately held US precision tooling manufacturer (founded 1991, Three Lakes, WI) that designs and distributes over 20,000 cutting and stripping blades for the global wire processing industry, serving OEM-equipment users and custom blade customers across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersThree Lakes, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Lakes Precision does
Lakes Precision, Inc. is a privately held US precision tooling manufacturer founded in 1991 and headquartered in Three Lakes, Wisconsin. The company designs, manufactures, and distributes perishable cutting and stripping blades for the wire processing industry, offering over 20,000 SKUs compatible with major equipment brands including Komax, Schleuniger, Artos, AMP, Carpenter, Shinmaywa, Toyojamco, Ideal, and Eraser. Its business model centers on being a single-source supplier of OEM-quality replacement blades, custom blades, tool holders, spacers, wire guides, and knockouts, augmented by application engineering, free wire sizing evaluation, and inventory management programs (F.A.S.T. JIT, consignment, blanket purchase orders).
The underlying technology stack is built on in-house manufacturing capabilities including Wire EDM for distortion-free complex geometries, CNC horizontal machining centers with automatic pallet changers, Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) coating for surface hardness and wear resistance, and thru-feed grinding achieving tolerances of +/-.0005. These capabilities support both standard catalog products and custom blade design engineering for specialized materials, non-standard geometries, and unique wire specifications.
Lakes Precision operates a direct-to-customer go-to-market through its Three Lakes manufacturing and distribution hub and a regional sales office in El Paso, Texas servicing Mexico, Central and South America. Distribution is complemented by an aligned global representative network spanning S.E. Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and Asia. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; the company relies on PDF catalogs, manufacturer cross-reference pages, a corporate website, and direct phone/email contact for customer acquisition. The company is ISO 9001:2015 certified (since 2017) and has signaled intent to expand into adjacent industries including paper, packaging, and hand knife applications.
Lakes Precision firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lakes Precision
- Legal name
- Lakes Precision, Inc.
- Website
- https://lakesprecision.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Lakes Precision is a privately held US precision tooling manufacturer (founded 1991, Three Lakes, WI) that designs and distributes over 20,000 cutting and stripping blades for the global wire processing industry, serving OEM-equipment users and custom blade customers across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lakes Precision industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Wire Processing Tooling
- NAICS
- Cutting Tool and Machine Tool Accessory Manufacturing (333515), Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (33351)
- SIC
- Machine Tools, Metal Cutting Types (3541), Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Metal Cutting Tools, Tooling & Workholding (Cutters, Inserts, Chucks, Fixtures) (IMAHADAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- EDM & Electrochemical Machining (Wire/Sinker EDM, ECM) (IMAHADAF)
Keywords
Where Lakes Precision is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Three Lakes
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Lakes Precision business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Wire Processing Blades and Tooling: Manufacture and sale of stripping and cutting blades for wire processing equipment. Product line includes OEM replacement blades, custom blades, tool holders, spacers, wire guides, knockouts, and accessories.
- Custom Blade Design Services: Application and design engineering services for custom blade creation. Includes wire sizing evaluation, material selection, PVD coating specification, and blade geometry design.
- Stocking Programs: Inventory management programs including blanket purchase orders, consignment inventory, and JIT programs (F.A.S.T.) for ongoing supply relationships.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Lakes Precision product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lakes Precision manufactures and sells wire processing perishable tooling, including stripping blades, cut-off blades, and accessories (tool holders, spacers, wire guides, knockouts) compatible with major wire processing equipment brands such as Komax, Schleuniger, Artos, AMP, and Carpenter. The company also offers custom blade design and complementary manufacturing services including Wire EDM, CNC machining, PVD coating, and thru-feed grinding to produce specialty blades with tight tolerances.
Product overview
Lakes Precision is a single-source manufacturer of wire processing perishable tooling, offering over 20,000 parts and accessories. The core product portfolio centers on strip blades and cut off blades designed for wire cutting and stripping equipment. The company provides complementary manufacturing services including Wire EDM, CNC Machining, PVD Coating, and Thru Feed Grinding to produce custom and specialty blades. Value-added services include Wire Sizing Evaluation, Custom Blade Design, Stocking Programs, and Blade Support to assist customers in selecting and maintaining the correct tooling. Products are designed to be compatible with all major wire processing equipment brands including Komax, Schleuniger, Artos, AMP, and Carpenter machines.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Strip Blades Stripping blades for removing insulation from wire in wire processing equipment, compatible with machines from Komax, Schleuniger, Artos, AMP, Carpenter, and virtually all other wire processing manufacturers.
- Cut Off Blades Cutting blades for severing wire in wire processing applications, designed to meet or exceed OEM specifications for precision and durability.
- Tool Holders, Spacers, Wire Guides, and Knockouts Accessories and perishable tooling components that complement wire processing blades for complete tooling solutions.
- Wire EDM Services Electro Discharge Machining service for manufacturing custom and specialty wire processing blades with distortion-free manufacturing, complex shapes, tapered shapes, and use of exotic or heat-treated materials.
- CNC Machining Services CNC horizontal machining center services with rotary automatic pallet changers for complete part manufacturing including milling, tapping, and thru-hole operations.
- PVD Coating Services Physical Vapor Deposition coating process that deposits metal vapor electronically on conductive materials to enhance surface hardness, wear resistance, friction reduction, and finish for blade tooling.
- Thru Feed Grinding Services Flat production machining process using belt feed system for precise stock removal with stock removal rates up to .100 and tolerances of +/-.0005.
- Wire Sizing Evaluation No-cost wire evaluation service where customers send wire samples and processing parameters to receive a guaranteed blade recommendation.
- Custom Blade Design Custom blade design engineering service using over 25 years of design experience to create unique tooling with custom materials, PVD coatings, or blade geometries for specific applications.
- Stocking Programs Inventory management programs including blanket purchase orders, consignment inventory, and JIT programs such as F.A.S.T. to reduce excess inventory costs.
- Blade Support Services Application and design engineering assistance to help customers identify the correct blade for their specific wire processing requirements.
Quantifiable outcome
- Same-day shipment on most common blades and accessories
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Lakes Precision
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Lakes Precision technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Lakes Precision partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Lakes Precision competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Schleuniger: Major OEM of wire processing equipment (stripping, cutting, crimping). Comparable as the underlying platform whose installed base drives aftermarket demand for Lakes Precision's Schleuniger-compatible blades, and as a potential source of vertical-integration risk.
- Komax Group: Global leader in wire processing machinery, including Komax-brand stripping and cutting machines. Lakes Precision sells Komax-compatible replacement blades; Komax itself is the broader incumbent that defines the interface standard for Lakes' core OEM-replacement catalog.
- Artos Engineering: US-based manufacturer of wire processing machines. Lakes Precision maintains an Artos-compatible catalog; Artos is a relevant incumbent peer on the equipment side that anchors a portion of Lakes' replacement-blade revenue.
- Carpenter Manufacturing: OEM of wire processing equipment with a long US industrial heritage. Comparable because Lakes Precision stocks Carpenter-compatible replacement blades, and Carpenter's installed base is a key demand driver.
Others
- Phoenix Contact: Global manufacturer of industrial connection and automation technology, including connector and cabling solutions. Comparable as a large end user of wire harness processing whose in-house blade consumption patterns shape market demand.
- TE Connectivity: Global leader in connectivity and sensor solutions, including wire and cable assemblies. Comparable as a major end customer and ecosystem participant whose wire processing demand indirectly drives consumption of Lakes Precision's blades.
Regional players
- Murrplastik: European manufacturer of cable management and wire processing accessories, including marking systems and certain consumables. Adjacent competitor serving European customers who also buy wire processing tooling.
Direct peers
- The Eraser Company: Manufactures wire and cable processing equipment plus a line of stripping and cutting blades. Directly comparable as a maker of both wire processing machines and the perishable blades consumed in them, overlapping with Lakes Precision on the consumables side.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lakes Precision social profiles
Digital presenceLakes Precision financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lakes Precision leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Lakes Precision funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lakes Precision 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 Lakes Precision
What does Lakes Precision do?
Lakes Precision manufactures and sells wire processing perishable tooling, including stripping blades, cut-off blades, and accessories (tool holders, spacers, wire guides, knockouts) compatible with major wire processing equipment brands such as Komax, Schleuniger, Artos, AMP, and Carpenter. The company also offers custom blade design and complementary manufacturing services including Wire EDM, CNC machining, PVD coating, and thru-feed grinding to produce specialty blades with tight tolerances.
Is Lakes Precision a public or private company?
Lakes Precision is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Lakes Precision founded?
Lakes Precision was founded in 1991. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Lakes Precision based?
Lakes Precision is headquartered in Three Lakes, United States, in the North America region.
How does Lakes Precision make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Wire Processing Blades and Tooling is the primary driver. The others are custom Blade Design Services and stocking Programs.
Who are Lakes Precision's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Schleuniger, Komax Group, Artos Engineering and Carpenter Manufacturing. Others are Phoenix Contact and TE Connectivity. Murrplastik is listed as a regional player. The Eraser Company is listed as a direct peer.
Does Lakes Precision have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lakes Precision.
What industry is Lakes Precision in?
Lakes Precision's product category is Industrial Wire Processing Tooling. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHADAB, Metal Cutting Tools, Tooling & Workholding (Cutters, Inserts, Chucks, Fixtures), with a secondary code of IMAHADAF, EDM & Electrochemical Machining (Wire/Sinker EDM, ECM). Its NAICS code is 333515 and its SIC code is 3541.