Carlton-Bates Company (CBC)

What Carlton-Bates Company (CBC) does

Carlton-Bates Company (CBC) is a US-based B2B electronic components distributor operating an e-commerce storefront (carltonbates.com) supplemented by direct phone/email sales and physical branch locations. The company offers 24 product categories spanning automation and control, electrical and power distribution, sensors/switches/relays, wiring connectors, enclosures, abrasives, batteries, networking, testing and measuring, solar/renewable energy, and related industrial supplies. Inventory is sourced from more than 30 manufacturers including ABB, Eaton, Honeywell, Omron, Phoenix Contact, Molex, Panduit, Pepperl+Fuchs, Fluke, nVent Hoffman, and 3M, positioning CBC as a broad-line catalog distributor rather than a specialist.

The underlying technology is a catalog-driven e-commerce platform with eProcurement integration capabilities, account-based self-service (My Account Management), and a help desk (1-866-600-6040) operating 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT. CBC monetizes primarily through one-time product sales across industrial, commercial/contractor, and residential customer segments, with a horizontal segmentation strategy. Value-added services — Assembled Solutions (custom kitting), Inventory Management, eProcurement, Global Account Management, and a Consultative Approach — generate incremental revenue and deepen account stickiness beyond pure product resale. CBC has been consolidated under Wesco International (NYSE: WCC), with "We are now Wesco" messaging and a Wesco-attributed footer copyright signaling full operational integration under the parent brand.

Name

Carlton-Bates Company (CBC)

Legal name

Carlton-Bates Company

Website

https://carltonbates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Carlton-Bates Company is a US-based B2B electronic components distributor operating an e-commerce platform across 24 product categories and 30+ manufacturers, serving industrial, commercial, and residential customers as a subsidiary of Wesco International.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electronic Components Distribution

SIC

Wholesale-Professional & Commercial Equipment & Supplies (5040), Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)

Keywords

• Electronic components distribution
• Industrial automation supplies
• Electrical components distributor
• B2B e-commerce distribution
• Supply chain kitting solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Electronic Components Distribution: Distribution of electronic components including automation, control, electrical, wiring, and industrial supplies. Revenue generated through product sales with multiple manufacturers and brands.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Carlton-Bates Company (CBC) is a B2B electronic components distributor that sells industrial automation, electrical, wiring, sensor, and related components through an e-commerce storefront backed by branch locations and direct sales. Its catalog spans 24+ product categories from 30+ manufacturers (ABB, Eaton, Honeywell, Omron, Phoenix Contact, Panduit, Molex, Pepperl+Fuchs, etc.), and is augmented by value-added services such as custom kitting/assembled solutions, inventory management, eProcurement integration, and global account management.

Product overview

Carlton-Bates Company (CBC) is an electronic components distributor operating as an e-commerce platform (now part of Wesco) that offers a comprehensive catalog of industrial and electronic components across 24 product categories. The core offering is the online distribution platform enabling B2B purchasing of components from over 30+ manufacturers including ABB, Eaton, Honeywell, Omron, Phoenix Contact, Panduit, Molex, and Pepperl+Fuchs. The platform is complemented by value-added services including Assembled Solutions (custom kitting), Inventory Management, eProcurement integration, Global Account Management, and Consultative Approach services. Featured product categories include Automation and Control (drives, starters, contactors, PLCs), Sensors/Switches/Relays, Electrical/Power Distribution, Wiring Connectors, and Solar/Renewable Energy products. CBC operates as a catalog-based e-commerce distributor with no public API, serving industrial, commercial, and utility customers through its online platform augmented by branch locations and customer support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Assembled Solutions (Kitting Solutions) Custom kitting and assembly service that bundles multiple electronic components into ready-to-use kits to improve supply chain efficiency and reduce costs for industrial and commercial buyers.
• Inventory Management Full-service supply chain solution that improves time to market through inventory optimization and managed stock services for industrial customers.
• eProcurement Integration Electronic procurement integration service that connects customers' enterprise purchasing systems to the CBC catalog for automated, streamlined B2B purchasing workflows.
• Global Account Management Dedicated account management service for customers with global or multi-location operations, providing coordinated purchasing support across sites.
• Consultative Approach Expert consultation service that helps customers select appropriate electronic components and solutions for their specific industrial applications.
• Automation and Control Components Industrial automation component category including drives, starters, contactors, PLC/HMI/logic devices, motor supplies, signaling devices, motors, terminal blocks, machine safety, process control, and counters from manufacturers such as ABB, Eaton, Siemens, Honeywell, Omron, Phoenix Contact, and WAGO.
• Sensors, Switches and Relays Catalog category offering proximity sensors (Pepperl+Fuchs), industrial control relays (Omron), solid-state relays (Sensata-Crydom), limit switches, and toggle switches (Carling Technologies/Littelfuse).
• Electrical and Power Distribution Power distribution equipment category including circuit breakers (ABB), electrical protection devices, and power management components.
• Wiring Connectors Connector solutions including pin and socket modular connectors and rectangular housings from manufacturers such as Molex.
• Abrasives and Polishing Abrasive products including belts, discs, pads, wire wheels, sandpaper, and abrasive compounds from manufacturers such as 3M, Norton, and Weiler.
• Audio and Visual AV equipment category including cable and connectors, audio equipment, video signal distribution, intercom systems, mass notification, and video display equipment from manufacturers such as Belden, Hubbell, and Legrand.
• Cable and Wire Management Cable management products including cable ties (Panduit), wire management solutions, and routing accessories.
• Batteries Battery products including Duracell and Power Sonic brands for various industrial and commercial applications.
• Data Communications and Networking Networking and data communication equipment for industrial and commercial installations.
• Enclosures, Racks, and Cabinets Electronic enclosures, equipment racks, and cabinet solutions from manufacturers including nVent Hoffman and Rittal.
• Solar Power and Renewable Energy Solar power and renewable energy components for sustainable power solutions.
• Testing and Measuring Testing and measurement equipment including Fluke brand instruments for electrical and industrial applications.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Wesco InternationalflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCBC has rebranded under Wesco International. The company homepage states 'We are now Wesco' indicating a corporate consolidation under the Wesco brand. Wesco International is a major distributor of electrical and industrial supplies. This partnership provides CBC with access to Wesco's global supply chain infrastructure and expanded market reach.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• AutomationDirect: AutomationDirect is a direct-to-customer industrial automation products supplier (PLCs, drives, sensors, motor controls) with a strong e-commerce footprint. It competes with CBC's Automation and Control category via low-cost, direct-ship fulfillment for small and mid-sized industrial buyers.

Broad incumbents

• Arrow Electronics: Arrow is a Fortune 500 global distributor of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions. It overlaps with CBC's automation, sensor, and connector categories, but at significantly larger scale with broader enterprise/computing offerings and global engineering support.
• Newark / Element14: Newark (part of Avnet) is a high-service electronic components distributor serving industrial and design-engineer customers in the Americas. It overlaps directly with CBC's automation, sensor, and power distribution lines and competes via similar e-commerce plus account-management services.
• Future Electronics: Future Electronics is one of the world's largest broad-line electronic component distributors, with deep relationships across the same manufacturer base as CBC (ABB, Omron, Honeywell). It serves industrial OEMs globally and competes on both catalog breadth and engineering demand-creation.
• Wesco International: Wesco International (NYSE: WCC) is CBC's parent company and a Fortune 500 electrical, communications, and utility distribution powerhouse. As CBC has been rebranded under Wesco, the parent itself is the natural strategic counterparty — Wesco's broader portfolio overlaps with CBC's electrical distribution and automation lines.
• RS Components / RS Group: RS Group is a global industrial and electronic product distributor. Its Allied Electronics & Automation brand directly parallels CBC's mix of automation, electrical, and MRO supplies for industrial and contractor customers in the Americas.

Direct peers

• Mouser Electronics: Mouser is a global authorized electronic components distributor focused on new product introductions from manufacturers like Omron, Phoenix Contact, Molex, and Honeywell — many of the same brands carried by CBC. It competes head-to-head on e-commerce procurement and design-engineer demand.
• Digi-Key Electronics: Digi-Key is the largest broad-line electronic components distributor serving industrial, commercial, and design-engineer customers globally. It directly competes with CBC's automation, sensor, connector, and electrical component lines via a deep-catalog e-commerce model, and operates at vastly greater SKU scale.
• Master Electronics: Master Electronics is an authorized electronic components distributor serving industrial and OEM customers across connectors, sensors, switches, and relays. It competes with CBC on similar lines (Molex, Omron, Honeywell) with comparable value-added kitting and inventory services.
• Heilind Electronics: Heilind is a specialty distributor of interconnect, electromechanical, and sensor products — overlapping with CBC's Wiring Connectors, Sensors/Switches/Relays, and Molex/Panduit/TE Connectivity lines. It serves industrial and commercial customers with similar account-based distribution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

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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 Carlton-Bates Company (CBC)