Grit Automation Inc

What Grit Automation Inc does

Grit Automation Inc designs, assembles, and sells a local-first workshop automation platform centered on the GRIT Hub controller and a family of modular hardware devices. The Hub coordinates inline power-monitoring Triggers (covering 120V to 480V three-phase, E-Stop, USB, switch, and 24 GHz mmWave presence sensing), bolt-on automated blast Gate Controls in multiple sizes, Collector modules (relay, MagSwitch, iR/RF, and Variable Frequency Drive), environmental Sensors (PM1.0–PM10.0 particulate, VOC/NOx, pressure, bin level), and an RFID-based access-control/asset-tracking suite (GRIT Track RFID, SignOn, Asset Tracker, Latch). All decisions are executed on-site through a proprietary mesh network with optional remote access, and the platform is positioned for compliance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1020 documentation requirements.

The company sells primarily through a direct e-commerce storefront with a self-serve system-builder tool, complemented by free engineering consultations for larger deployments. Pricing is one-time CAPEX with no mandatory subscriptions: the GRIT Hub starts at $250, the GRIT Hub Pro at $1,250, and per-machine modules typically range from $75 to $550, with enterprise access-control systems priced up to $4,500. Customers include home hobbyists, K-12 schools, community makerspaces, university fabrication labs, and commercial manufacturers. Notable enterprise deployments include Jeld-Wen, Pella Windows & Doors, Marvin, Arclin, Anton Cabinetry, and Emulsicoat; the company cites 500+ shops, 347+ deployed Hubs, 50K+ tool activations per month, and 100,000+ students managed across 30+ campus deployments.

Grit Automation was founded in 2018 by three Champaign Central High School alumni — Joel Danowitz, Marco Nieto, and Jaclyn Aldridge — and operates from a single design and assembly facility in Champaign, Illinois with 1-10 employees. No external funding rounds, acquisitions, parent entities, or patents are disclosed. Revenue is generated solely from hardware sales and optional cloud services, and the company self-reports <4 month average payback, 98% compliance scores, and 30-50% energy savings for commercial installations.

Name

Grit Automation Inc

Legal name

GRIT Automation Inc

Website

https://gritautomation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grit Automation Inc designs and sells a local-first hardware platform, anchored by the GRIT Hub, that automates dust collection, RFID tool-access control, asset tracking, and environmental monitoring for workshops ranging from home hobbyists to K-12 schools, universities, and commercial manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workshop Automation Hardware

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Automatic Environmental Control Manufacturing for Residential, Commercial, and Appliance Use (334512)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Controllers & Control Systems (PLCs, PACs, CNC Controllers) (IMAHAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Motion & Machine Control (CNC, Robotics Controllers, Servo/Motion Controllers) (IMAGABAG), Process & Batch Control Software (Recipe Management, ISA-88) (IMAGABAH)

Keywords

• Workshop automation systems
• Automated dust collection
• RFID tool access control
• Workshop environmental monitoring
• Machine safety automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Champaign

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: One-time hardware purchases including GRIT Hub ($250-$1,250), Triggers ($150-$550), Gate Controls ($75-$350), Collectors ($150-$500), Sensors ($130-$175), and access control systems ($400-$4,500). Capital expenditure model with no mandatory subscriptions.
2. Optional Cloud Services: Optional remote access available but not required - system runs entirely on-site without it. No mandatory SaaS fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GRIT Automation designs, assembles, and sells a local-first hardware and software platform for workshop automation. The system is anchored by the GRIT Hub central controller, which coordinates modular devices — Triggers, Gate Controls, Collectors, environmental Sensors, and RFID access readers — to automate dust collection, control tool access, track assets, monitor air quality, and record time and attendance in workshops, schools, manufacturing facilities, and home shops.

Product overview

Grit Automation Inc offers the GRIT Automation Platform, a unified workshop automation system consisting of a central Hub controller plus modular hardware devices. The platform encompasses five solution areas: Dust Management (automated blast gates and dust collection via Triggers, Gate Controls, and Collectors including 120V/220V models, MagSwitch, iR/RF, and VFD options), Access Control (RFID-based tool lockout and authorization via GRIT Track readers in multiple frequencies), Asset Management (barcode and UHF RFID tracking via the GRIT Asset Tracker), Environmental Monitoring (air quality sensors for PM1.0-PM10.0 particulate, VOC, pressure, and bin level), and Time & Access (badge-based time clock and door control via SignOn stations and GRIT Latch). The core products are the GRIT Hub (single-zone, $250) and GRIT Hub Pro (multi-zone/RFID, $1,250), which coordinate all connected devices. Modules include various Triggers for different voltages and applications, Gate Controls in three sizes, Collectors for different collector types, environmental Sensors, and access control readers. All devices communicate via GRIT's proprietary mesh network. The company sells direct and operates on a capital expenditure model with no mandatory subscriptions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GRIT Hub: The central controller device that coordinates every GRIT device on a single-zone system.
• GRIT Hub Pro
• GRIT Track
• GRIT Track SignOn
• GRIT Mesh XTNDR
• GRIT Asset Tracker

Products and services

• GRIT Hub (GA-HU1001) Central automation controller that coordinates all GRIT devices on a single-zone system. Connects to Triggers, Gates, and Collectors via mesh network, runs automation rules locally, and syncs through the GRIT iOS/Android app. Priced at $250.
• GRIT Hub Pro (GA-HU1002) Enhanced multi-zone hub required for shops with RFID access control and GRIT Track integration. Supports larger deployments with more connected devices. Priced at $1,250.
• GRIT Trigger Series Inline power-monitoring devices that detect tool activation and trigger automated dust collection, runtime logging, and access control. Available in 120V/220V/240V/480V single- and three-phase configurations from 15A to 50A, plus specialized E-Stop, Switch, USB, and 24GHz mmWave Presence variants. Prices range from $150 to $550.
• GRIT Gate Control Series Bolt-on actuators that automatically open and close standard metal blast gates in response to linked tool activity via the GRIT Hub. Available in 2.5"-4" ($125), 5"-8" ($225), 9"-12" ($350), and an iVac retrofit variant ($75) for existing automated gates. Status LED indicates open/closed state.
• GRIT Collector Series Relay and remote controllers that switch dust collectors on/off or vary their speed on command from the GRIT Hub. Variants include 120V/220V 15A inline ($150), MagSwitch contactor ($150), iR/RF remote-learning ($150) compatible with Oneida and Laguna collectors, and a Variable Frequency Drive collector ($500) that delivers 30-50% energy savings by matching speed to tool demand.
• GRIT Air Quality Sensor (GA-AQ1001)

Quantifiable outcome

• 30-50% energy savings versus full-speed dust collector operation
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature9 records

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Laguna Tools: Laguna Tools is a woodworking machinery and dust collection equipment manufacturer; GRIT documents specific MagSwitch installation compatibility for Laguna brand dust collectors. They overlap in the woodworking shop customer base, particularly production shops and makerspaces.
• Festool: Festool is a premium power tool manufacturer with integrated dust extraction across its product line. They serve the same professional woodworking and cabinetmaking customer base as GRIT but focus on tool-side dust capture rather than shop-wide automation, environmental monitoring, and access control.
• SawStop: SawStop is a recognized leader in table saw safety technology and is also a GRIT customer for education/training facility deployments. They share the workshop safety mission and serve overlapping woodworking and education markets, though they focus on saw blade stopping rather than workshop-wide automation.
• Powermatic: Powermatic is an established woodworking machinery brand serving the same production woodworking and cabinet shop customer base as GRIT's commercial segment. They offer machinery with built-in dust collection features rather than retrofit automation systems.
• Bosch Professional (Power Tools): Bosch Professional offers power tools with integrated dust extraction and increasingly connected tool ecosystems. They compete in the dust management outcome space but at the tool level rather than the shop-wide automation platform level.
• Rockwell Automation: Rockwell Automation is a major industrial automation and control systems provider. While they operate at a much larger scale (PLCs, PACs, factory automation), their industrial controller and IIoT offerings represent the broader competitive direction workshop automation could move as industrial customers standardize on enterprise-grade platforms.

Direct peers

• iVac Automated Dust Collection: iVac is the most direct competitor to GRIT Automation, explicitly named in a customer testimonial as one of only two systems on the market for automatic dust collection in the small workshop. Both companies sell automated blast gate systems that turn dust collectors on/off in response to tool activation.

Emerging players

• Oneida Air Systems: Oneida Air Systems is a major dust collection equipment manufacturer whose products are explicitly integrated with GRIT's iR/RF Collector. They serve overlapping woodworking and industrial customers but focus on the dust collector hardware itself rather than the broader automation platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GRITAutomation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grit-automation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Grit Automation Inc