Little Joe Industries

What Little Joe Industries does

Little Joe Industries is a privately held precision manufacturer specializing in specialty equipment for quality control and materials testing in industries that work with printing inks, pigments, coatings, cosmetics, electronics, and pharmaceuticals. Founded in 1991 after acquiring the designs and manufacturing assets of the original Little Joe press (originally designed in the mid-1960s), the company operates from a single facility in Hillsborough, New Jersey, where it manufactures its products entirely in the USA. Its core product lines are the Automatic Draw-Down Machines (ADM 1 single-speed and ADM 2 variable-speed) used for particle size measurements on grind gauges and draw-down pads, and the Model H (one-color) and Model HD (two-color) offset proofing presses used for accurate color matching of printing inks and coatings. Proprietary engineering features include an 85-degree scraper angle that doubles scraper life on the ADM line, and the equipment is protected by US and foreign patents.

The company sells directly to customers worldwide via its website using a quote-based pricing model with no publicly disclosed price list. The go-to-market is sales-led: customers select products and submit a 'Request Quote' form, and the company responds with tailored pricing. Equipment orders are typically fulfilled within seven days and accessory orders within two days, supported by manufacturing in Central New Jersey. A recurring aftermarket revenue stream is generated through proprietary consumables including model-specific replacement blankets (3000, 8100, and legacy 8212 series for H and HD presses), Buna-N and EPDM hand brayers and replacement rollers, printing plates, and volumeter pipettes. Distribution is exclusively direct, with no resellers, distributors, or marketplace listings identified, and the customer base is horizontal across multiple QC-driven industries rather than concentrated in any single vertical.

Name

Little Joe Industries

Legal name

Little Joe Industries

Website

https://littlejoe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Little Joe Industries is a privately held New Jersey-based precision manufacturer of specialty draw-down machines and offset proofing presses for quality control in printing, coatings, cosmetics, electronics, and pharmaceutical industries, selling directly worldwide with patented US-made equipment and proprietary consumables.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hillsborough

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Equipment Sales: Sale of precision manufacturing equipment including Automatic Draw-Down Machines (ADM 1 and ADM 2) and proofing presses (Model H and Model HD). Equipment is made entirely in the USA, mostly in the company's own factory in Central New Jersey. Orders for new presses and draw-down machines are usually fulfilled within 7 days.
2. Accessories and Consumables: Sale of replacement parts and consumables including blankets (H and HD series), brayers (Buna-N and EPDM), printing plates, pipettes, and shims. Most orders for accessories are shipped within 2 days. Products available in standard and UV ink versions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Little Joe Industries designs and manufactures precision specialty equipment for printing, cosmetics, electronics, pharmaceutical, inks, pigments and coatings industries. Core products are Automatic Draw-Down Machines (ADM 1 single-speed and ADM 2 variable-speed) for particle size measurements on grind gauges and draw-down pads, and offset proofing presses (Model H one-color and Model HD two-color) for accurate color matching and materials testing. The line is supported by replacement blankets, hand brayers, printing plates, and volumeter pipettes, all built in the company's Central New Jersey factory.

Product overview

Little Joe Industries offers a portfolio of precision specialty equipment for printing, cosmetics, electronics, pharmaceutical, inks, pigments and coatings industries. The core product lines consist of Automatic Draw-Down Machines (ADM 1 and ADM 2) for particle size measurements on grind gauges, and offset proofing presses including the Little Joe Model H (one color) and Model HD (two color) for color matching and quality control. These main product lines are complemented by a comprehensive range of accessories including replacement blankets (standard and UV-rated), hand brayers (Buna-N and EPDM), printing plates, and pipettes. All equipment is manufactured in the USA, primarily in the company's factory in Central New Jersey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Most orders for accessories shipped within 2 days
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• DeFelsko: US manufacturer of inspection instruments for the coatings industry, including coating thickness, surface profile, and environmental testing instruments. Adjacent/substitute for several lab QC applications Little Joe addresses.
• Sheen Instruments: UK manufacturer of test and measurement equipment for the paint and coatings industry, including automatic applicators and laboratory instruments targeted at the same ink/coatings QC customer base as Little Joe.
• TQC Sheen: Netherlands-based manufacturer of coating test equipment, including automatic film applicators/drawdown machines and QC instruments for paints, coatings, and inks. The closest substitute product set to Little Joe's ADM and proofing presses.
• Erichsen: German manufacturer of testing equipment for paints, coatings, and inks, offering film applicators, drawdown bars, and laboratory QC instruments serving the same printing and coatings QC use cases.
• Rhopoint Instruments: Manufacturer of appearance and surface measurement instruments for the coatings, paint, and printing industries, including gloss, haze, and DOI measurement used in the same QC workflows as Little Joe's proofing presses.
• Taber Industries: Manufacturer of abrasion, wear, and durability test equipment serving coatings and materials testing labs; partial product overlap with Little Joe's QC instrument portfolio and the same lab buyer profile.
• BYK (Additives & Instruments, part of ALTANA): Global manufacturer of laboratory and QC test instruments for the coatings, inks, and plastics industries, including automatic drawdown equipment and film applicators that directly substitute for Little Joe's ADM line. Strongest direct competitor in the same QC lab use cases Little Joe targets.
• Paul N. Gardner Company (GARDCO): US manufacturer/distributor of physical testing instruments for paints, coatings, inks, and adhesives, including drawdown bars and related QC instruments. Domestic peer with overlapping equipment formats and customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Elcometer: Large, established manufacturer of coating inspection and physical testing instruments with a broad portfolio (thickness, adhesion, porosity) that overlaps Little Joe's QC measurement use cases as part of a much wider product range.

Emerging players

• Testing Machines Inc (TMI): US manufacturer and supplier of physical testing instruments for materials, packaging, paper, and coatings laboratories, providing overlapping QC instrumentation for similar industrial and lab buyers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/little-joe-industries

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 Little Joe Industries