What King Materials Handling does

King Materials Handling, operating as Arbon Canada, is a Canadian industrial equipment distributor founded in 1975 and headquartered in London, Ontario. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of U.S.-based Rite-Hite Holding Corporation and holds exclusive Canadian distribution rights for the Rite-Hite product line, alongside complementary equipment from suppliers including Gorbel, Anver, Kito, Morse, Unex, Rousseau, and Metalsistem. The business serves manufacturers, food and beverage processors, warehouse operators, cold storage facilities, automotive plants, life sciences companies, energy producers, and pulp and paper operations across six Canadian branch locations in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia.

The product portfolio spans eight major categories: dock equipment (levelers, seals, vehicle restraints, shelters), industrial doors (impact, high-speed, rubber), barriers and guards (machine, traffic, rack), cranes and hoists, lift tables, conveyors, storage and racking systems, and ergonomic material handling solutions. Engineering design, certified installation, CSA-compliant safety inspections, and a fork-free delivery system for heavy equipment placement form the technical service layer behind the product sales. The company holds ISO 9001:2008 certification for its quality management system.

The business model is project-based industrial distribution: capital equipment is specified, sold, and installed for individual customer sites, supplemented by recurring revenue from maintenance contracts and periodic safety inspections on the installed base. Under Rite-Hite Holding ownership, King Materials Handling functions as the Canadian arm of a global manufacturer-distributor network, with cross-border procurement and shared product development rather than independent R&D or proprietary technology. The current president is Ed Michniewicz, and the company operates with a small headcount of 11-50 employees distributed across its branch network.

Name

King Materials Handling

Legal name

Arbon Canada

Website

https://kingmaterialshandling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

King Materials Handling (operating as Arbon Canada) is a Canadian industrial equipment distributor founded in 1975 and wholly-owned by Rite-Hite Holding Corporation. It exclusively distributes Rite-Hite dock equipment, industrial doors, barriers, and storage systems to manufacturing, warehousing, automotive, cold storage, and life sciences customers across six Canadian branches.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Material Handling Equipment Distribution

NAICS

Industrial Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (423840), Other Professional Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42349)

SIC

Wholesale-Machinery, Equipment & Supplies (5080), Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk Material Handling Systems (Belt Conveyors, Feeders, Stackers, Reclaimers) (IMAHABAH)

Keywords

• Material handling equipment
• Industrial storage systems
• Dock equipment distribution
• Warehouse racking solutions
• Industrial doors and conveyors

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Equipment and Product Sales: Sale of new and used material handling equipment, storage systems, dock equipment, industrial doors, conveyors, overhead lifting equipment, ergonomic lifts, and safety/environmental products. Products are sold through direct sales with quote-based pricing.
2. Installation Services: Factory-trained installers provide installation services across the province for all equipment sold, using professional installation teams.
3. Preventative Maintenance and Repair: Ongoing maintenance services including SLA agreements for Rite-Hite certified equipment, door repair, dock leveler repair, and planned preventative maintenance programs.
4. Inspection and Certification: CSA-compliant racking inspections, engineered drawings, and certification services for warehouse storage systems.
5. Industrial Moving Services: Warehouse moving services including storage system teardown, transportation, and reinstallation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

King Materials Handling (operating as Arbon Canada) distributes, installs, and services industrial material handling and storage equipment across Canada. As the exclusive Canadian dealer for Rite-Hite dock equipment and industrial doors, the company supplies pallet racking, shelving, mezzanines, conveyors, overhead lifting equipment, ergonomic lifts, and safety/environmental products to manufacturing, warehousing, cold storage, and distribution customers. The offering is complemented by factory-trained installation, preventative maintenance, racking inspections with CSA compliance, engineered drawings, custom cart fabrication, and industrial moving services.

Product overview

King Materials Handling (operating as Arbon Canada) is a distributor of industrial storage and material handling equipment serving Ontario since 1975. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of warehouse solutions organized into eight main product categories: Storage Products (pallet racking, shelving, mezzanines, work stations), Dock Equipment (levelers, restraints, seals, shelters from Rite-Hite), Industrial Doors (high-speed doors, cold storage doors, clean room doors, rubber doors, overhead doors), Conveyors (powered and gravity systems), Material Handling (pallet trucks, drum handlers, carts, material lifts, snow removal equipment), Overhead Lifting (cranes, hoists, vacuum lifters), Ergonomic Lifts (scissor lifts, lift and rotate, tilt tables), and Safety & Environmental (fans, guards, modular buildings, staircases). The company operates as a distributor for leading manufacturers including Rite-Hite (primary dock and door supplier), Gorbel, Anver, Kito, Morse Manufacturing, Unex, Rousseau, and Metalsistem, offering both new and used equipment with installation and maintenance services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pallet Racking Pallet and cantilever racking systems for warehouse storage, including selective racking and double-deep racking configurations, for manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution customers.
• Shelving Systems Warehouse shelving systems including open shelving, record storage shelving, carton flow shelving, and work centers for light to medium duty storage and FIFO inventory management.
• Mezzanines Mezzanine structures that maximize warehouse space utilization, including racking-supported mezzanines for facilities seeking to expand usable square footage vertically.
• Warehouse Modular Buildings In-plant modular buildings including plug-in-plant offices, relocatable offices, equipment shelters, cleanrooms, and security booths for warehouse and manufacturing facilities (e.g., Chrysler Paint facility installation).
• Dock Equipment (Levelers, Restraints, Seals, Shelters) Loading dock equipment including levelers, restraints, seals, shelters, and portable loading docks from Rite-Hite for warehouse and distribution loading operations.
• GuardRite Dok-Gate Loading Dock Gate Powered vertical-rising dock safety gate with two polymer rails providing fall protection during loading dock operations; absorbs impacts up to 30,000 pounds.
• Industrial Doors (Rite-Hite Line) High-speed fabric doors, cooler and freezer doors, and pharmaceutical doors from Rite-Hite for temperature control and facility access in industrial environments.
• LiteSpeed High Speed Door Soft-edged impactable curtain door with self-repairing design for safe, reliable performance in general duty industrial applications.
• FasTrax High Speed Door High-speed industrial door operating at 100 inches per second with True Auto Re-Feed technology for quick impact recovery.
• SplitSecond High Speed Door Bi-parting high speed door that splits from center, opening at 120 inches per second for doubled efficiency.
• TraKLine Fold High Speed Door High-speed folding industrial door operating at 40 inches per second with V-Flex curtain release system for impact protection.
• Fastrax FR Cold Storage Door High-performance cold storage door with Thermal Air system and R-4 InsulMax insulated curtain for energy savings in freezer applications.
• Barrier Glider Freezer Door Bi-parting high speed freezer door with patented Thermal Air sealing system for refrigerated warehouses.
• Clean Room Doors ISO-Clean doors including glider, roll-up, and split door configurations for pharmaceutical and contamination-free environments.
• Commercial Air Barriers (Enershield) Enershield commercial air barriers for building entrance climate control, claimed to save up to 15 units of energy for every one unit consumed.
• Conveyors Powered and gravity conveyor systems including Unex Span-Track and specialty conveyors for parts movement in warehouse and manufacturing operations.
• Carton Flow Shelving (Unex) Gravity-driven Unex carton flow shelving claimed to increase space utilization up to 50% and boost productivity up to 30%.
• Material Handling Equipment Line side delivery tugger cart systems, custom carts, drum handlers, dollies, stackers, and pallet jacks for warehouse and manufacturing material handling.
• Ultra Low Pallet Truck (Lift Rite) Lift Rite Titan M5 and U5 low profile pallet jack with lowered fork heights handling loads up to 5,000 lbs.
• 4-Way Hand Pallet Truck (Lift-Rite MW Series) Lift-Rite MW Series low profile 4-way pallet jack for handling four-way entry pallets in all directions.
• Material Lifts Vertical transportation lifts for goods and equipment between floors, including Type A (unlimited height) and Type B (operator-controlled) models, TSSA compliant.
• Truck and Bus Snow Removal Machine (Scraper Systems Fleet Plow) Rite-Hite Scraper Systems fleet plow for automated snow removal from truck and bus roofs at fleet depots and service facilities.
• Overhead Lifting Equipment Cranes, hoists, vacuum lifters, and lifting devices from Gorbel, Anver, and Kito for heavy and ergonomic material handling in industrial facilities.
• Jib Cranes Free-standing jib cranes for localized heavy lifting operations in industrial workstations.
• Ergonomic Lifts Scissor lifts, lift and rotate, lift and tilts, tilt tables, and rotators for workstation productivity and ergonomics.
• Pneumatic Lift/Rotate Heavy-duty pneumatic lift tables with integrated turntable platform for rotating loads at capacities up to 8,000 lbs.
• Safety and Environmental Products HVLS fans, wall and floor mounted fans, CoolMan trailer fans, wire mesh guards, curtain wall systems, and modular partitions for facility safety and environmental separation.
• HVLS Fans High volume low speed fans for facility climate control and employee comfort in large industrial spaces.
• Preventative Maintenance and Repair Services Ongoing maintenance services including SLA agreements for Rite-Hite certified equipment, door repair, dock leveler repair, and planned preventative maintenance programs for industrial customers.
• Racking Inspections and Certification CSA-compliant racking inspections using a 3-level approach (PSR reviews, engineered drawings, planned maintenance) to bring storage systems to code and certification.
• Industrial Moving Services Warehouse moving services including storage system teardown, transportation, and reinstallation for facility relocations and reconfigurations.
• Fork-Free Delivery Systems Proprietary material handling program using mother-daughter cart systems (Jtec) and custom fork-free carts to eliminate forklift traffic in warehouses, reducing congestion and increasing material handling capability.
• Custom Cart Fabrication Custom-built carts, racks, turntables, and platforms designed to specifications through fabricator partnerships to meet unique operational requirements.
• Engineered Drawings Stamped drawings with specified capacities for racks, bringing systems to code and certification through professional engineer review.

Quantifiable outcome

• Carton flow shelving can increase space utilization by up to 50%
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rite-HitecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArbon Canada is an exclusive Rite-Hite dealer for loading dock equipment and industrial doors throughout Canada. Rite-Hite is a global leader in dock innovation and technology, providing products including vehicle restraints, levelers, seals, shelters, and industrial doors. Arbon Canada is a subsidiary of Rite-Hite Holding Corporation and provides certified service for all Rite-Hite products including preventative maintenance SLAs.

Scale indicators3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fastenal: Large publicly-traded industrial and construction supplies distributor with thousands of locations across North America including Canada. Overlapping in fasteners, material handling, and storage products but with much broader scope and direct-customer model.
• W.W. Grainger: Large publicly-traded industrial distribution company operating Grainger-branded branches across North America, including Canada. Overlaps in material handling and storage equipment categories serving industrial customers, but with vastly broader product breadth including MRO supplies.
• Atlas Copco North America: Global industrial equipment manufacturer with a Canadian sales and service network selling material handling, power tools, and assembly solutions to manufacturing customers. Overlaps in overhead lifting, ergonomic lifts, and material handling product categories.
• MSC Industrial Direct: Major North American metalworking and industrial supply distributor with significant overlap in material handling, storage, and safety equipment categories. Broad incumbent offering comparable product categories to enterprise industrial customers.
• Mecalux (Interlake Mecalux): Global manufacturer of storage systems including pallet racking, shelving, and automated warehouses, with North American operations through Interlake Mecalux. Directly comparable in the storage/racking product category serving manufacturing and warehousing customers.
• Daifuku North America: Global material handling systems manufacturer and integrator with significant North American presence in warehousing, automotive, and manufacturing segments. Comparable target customer base with overlapping product lines in conveyors, racking, and storage systems.

Direct peers

• Hytrol Conveyor Company: One of North America's largest conveyor manufacturers, supplying gravity and powered conveyor systems through an integration partner network. Comparable as a supplier of material handling equipment (specifically conveyors) into the same warehousing and distribution customer segments.
• Kaman Industrial Technologies (now Motion Industries): Major North American industrial and material handling equipment distributor serving manufacturing customers with products, installation, and repair services. Directly comparable as a multi-region industrial MHE distributor with installation and maintenance service offerings.

Regional players

• Crown Equipment Corporation: Major manufacturer of forklifts and material handling equipment with North American dealer networks serving warehousing and manufacturing customers. Comparable in material handling equipment category, though Crown's direct dealer model differs from King/Arbon's broader distribution approach.

Emerging players

• Kardex Group: Provider of automated storage and retrieval systems and material handling solutions for industrial customers. Comparable in storage systems and warehouse automation, though focused on higher-end automated solutions rather than traditional MHE distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 King Materials Handling