FEATURED ENGAGEMENT
Established Manufacturer of Specialized Industrial Automation Equipment
Central North Carolina
Industry: Industrial Automation / Electronics Assembly Equipment
Location: Central North Carolina
Established: 2017 (product line has operated continuously for over 35 years)
Employees: 55 full-time, 3 part-time
Facility: 210,000 sq. ft. on 26+ acres (leased, not included in sale)
Revenue: History of $15M–$19M annually in recent years
Enterprise Value Guidance: Approximately $15M–$18M
Real Estate: Not for sale; long-term lease in place
The Opportunity
This company designs, builds, and supports specialized automation equipment used in high-precision electronics assembly and clean-room manufacturing. Its product line covers the full stack: transport systems, product serialization, mechanical separation, and automated optical inspection.
The business is vertically integrated, with in-house engineering, manufacturing, software development, and field service all under one roof. About 90% of the equipment it sells is custom-built for the customer, which sets it apart from lower-cost competitors selling off-the-shelf systems. Every machine runs on proprietary, internally developed software, and the company has an installed base of more than 35,000 units in the field worldwide, a base that offers real room to grow parts, service, and software revenue.
The management team runs day-to-day operations independently of ownership, and key personnel are expected to stay on after a sale. That gives a buyer continuity from day one.
Ownership is institutional and not involved in daily operations. After an earlier founder transition, the group has decided it's time for a full exit. There's no forced deadline. The sellers want the right buyer and the right deal, not a rushed close.
What Buyers Should Know Going In
This is a turnaround situation, not a stable-earnings business, and it should be evaluated that way. Earnings have been negative in three of the last four years. Two clear, documented causes explain most of that: roughly $700,000 in one-time legal and cybersecurity costs, and a revenue decline tied to the loss of the company's outside sales network in late 2023. That network is being rebuilt, with new coverage added since mid-2025, and year-to-date bookings are running ahead of the same period last year.
Because trailing earnings understate what the business has historically produced, price discussions here are better anchored to revenue and to a normalized view of earnings rather than the most recent trailing twelve months alone. On that basis, enterprise value is expected in the neighborhood of $15 million to $18 million. A buyer bringing working capital or purchasing power to resolve the current cash constraint is best positioned to unlock the recovery already underway. Detailed financials, including adjusted earnings and supporting schedules, are available to qualified buyers once a Non-Disclosure Agreement is signed.
Growth Potential
- Significant untapped aftermarket revenue (parts, service, and software upgrades) against a large existing installed base
- Completion of an already-underway sales channel rebuild
- Expansion into a growing, higher-margin end market
- International market growth
- New product platforms currently in development
- Facility currently runs at roughly half its capacity, with room to support well over $30M in revenue without expanding the building
Why Now
The company operates in a segment of the industrial automation and electronics manufacturing equipment industry that's benefiting from reshoring, tariff-driven demand for domestically built equipment, defense electronics growth, and rising demand for automation as labor gets harder to find. Only one other domestic manufacturer competes at meaningful scale in its core product line, with the rest of the serious competition based overseas.
Want More Information?
The full Confidential Information Memorandum, including detailed financials, customer and market data, and growth analysis, is available to qualified buyers once a Non-Disclosure Agreement is on file.
[Click here to review and execute the Non-Disclosure Agreement]
Once your signed NDA is received, you'll be sent the full CIM and next steps.
Contact: Tully Ryan Business Intermediary Murphy Business Sales – Triangle & Eastern NC Office: 252-377-4888 | Cell: 252-339-6471 t.ryan@murphybusiness.com