Grizzly Industrial Builds on its Past to Deliver its Automation-based Future
By Rachel Duran
For four decades, Grizzly Industrial Inc., headquartered in Bellingham, Wash., has carved out a specialized niche as the go-to partner for small-to-midsized metalworking shops (as well as larger shops and DIY users). The company started out supplying lathes and drill presses. “Metalworking is at the core of the company’s DNA,” said Manuel Saez, director of products for Grizzly Industrial. The company supplies lathes, mills, drill presses, band saws, shears, press brakes, grinders, CNCs, dust collectors, air compressors, welders and more products to the metalworking industry.
As Grizzly Industrial prepares for the future of the manufacturing sector, its leadership, which includes shareholder and president Shiraz Balolia, is building on the immense potential of machine to machine communication and integration, all centered on a human-centric relationship. Grizzly Industrial is focused on eliminating the technical hurdles of modern manufacturing by creating a truly frictionless interaction between metalworkers and their metalworking machines.
Grizzly Industrial is a direct consumer company, working directly with its suppliers and bypassing dealerships. “We have been a USA company from the get-go [since 1983],” Saez said. “We have been able to build a very strong distribution network in the U.S., as well as a strong customer service team, and a strong parts department.”
Saez noted Grizzly Industrial’s well-built infrastructure ensures the company provides not only great machinery and pricing from the purchasing side, but also provides value after the sale, supporting customers with anything they require. The company’s customer service center is 100% U.S.-based in Springfield, Mo., where the company has a 556,000-square-foot operation, which includes a 38,000-square-foot showroom. Grizzly Industrial’s headquarters in Bellingham also has a large product showroom.
Grizzy Industrial is comprised of two product lines; one serving the metalworking industry and one servicing the woodworking industry. The company carries 63 product lines and sells more than 1,000 different machines. The machines range from benchtop to stationary machines, from small grinders to CNC machines.
Saez said Grizzly Industrial has observed strong growth in the metal fabrication sector in the last year and a half. To that end, the company has brought forward new machines to support metalworkers as they respond to customer demands.
“Six months ago, we introduced a power hammer and we cannot keep it in stock because it seems to be something that is being used across different customer segments,” Saez said.
The G0996 22″ Power Hammer enables shop’s to carry out heavy forging tasks and produce superior sheet metal parts. The power hammer comes with several die types, and users can create their own tooling, develop nearly any shape of tooling, and utilize universal tool holders that enable quick changes. Fabricators can use the rigid hammer action setting for direct operations including beading and flanges, and the dampened setting with springs for planishing, shrinking, and other unique processes.
In other metalworking product developments, in 2025 Grizzly Industrial released the T34441 Portable Metal Cutting Band Saw, a highly versatile, all‑in‑one machine. It easily converts from a stationary horizontal band saw to a handheld portable saw, supporting quick, precise free‑hand cuts on the jobsite. Or you can lock the band saw into the stand for consistent, repeatable results. While connected to the stand, the band saw can deliver 0°-45° angled cuts. Also, when using the stand, the vise with quick-adjust clamp holds workpieces at 90°– 45° relative to the blade.
For metalworking finishing processes, the new G0974 Deburring Machine streamlines finishing processes for busy metalworking shops. Its four-point articulating arm, dual-spindle variable-speed motor with DRO, and vacuum table hold-down enable fabricators to work for hours at a time without injury or strain, all while maintaining consistent quality and cleaner shop air.
Also released last year is the new T34359 Metalworking Downdraft Table, which enables high-efficiency dust collection when soldering, grinding, polishing, or sanding metal workpieces. The downdraft table features a ¾ hp motor that powers the steel squirrel cage impeller producing 1850 CFM of suction, drawing down metal debris through holes in the steel table. This process keeps the work area free of most debris, cutting down on delays.
Grizzly Industrial also released two new metal-cutting machines in 2025: a 3-in-1 welder, and a plasma cutter. The T34311 3-in-1 multi-purpose welder is equally effective for stick, MIG, and TIG welding, powered by IGBT power conversion technology, which ensures precise control and durability.
The T34312 50A Plasma Cutter offers both 110V and 220V power options for both household use and industrial operation. With the adjustable amperage users can change the amps between 20 and 50 as needed for consistent, clean cuts through varied thicknesses. The high-frequency start minimizes electrode wear and increases electrode lifespan for improved welding performance.
While Grizzly Industrial’s product and engineering design teams are aggressively building the company’s capabilities and inventory to support the future of automation in the metalworking industry, they haven’t lost sight of their product lines that keep small-sized fabrication shops floors humming. This includes products such as brakes, shears, and smaller machines, which remain a cornerstone of their metalworking product inventory. Saez pointed out the reliability of these machines make them some of the most exciting machines the company offers, which deliver immediate results to a fabrication shop’s productivity levels and bottom line.
Grizzy Industrial already provides CNC units, and company leaders see an untapped opportunity to help its customers scale operations through computer automation with advanced machining products. “There is big growth coming on that front,” Saez pointed out, which will be announced in the near future.
The company aims to respond to customers’ demands for product differentiation to address modern manufacturing needs. Saez said the products in development by Grizzly Industrial are designed with the end user in mind. He said the goal is to make the entire customer interaction — from purchase to set up to the use of the product to maintaining the machine — a frictionless process.
To that end, the Grizzly Industrial team looks beyond what its machines are being used to produce, taking into consideration what happens when the machine is not producing — how or where else can it be used? Thinking through the entire lifecycle of the machine on a fabricator’s shop floor is an important factor in the team’s process.
Enduring Collaborations
Partnering and connecting with customers is an important component of Grizzly Industrial’s service so they can quickly deliver direct responses to real-world challenges. This is just one of the many reasons 40-year-old Grizzly Industrial machines are still being used on shop floors. In fact, the machinery can be found all over the world. For one helicopter company, which has purchased a number of metal fabricating machines from Grizzly Industrial for use in repairing and maintaining their fleet, the machines have been put to work as far as Antarctica to support one of the helicopter company’s research projects.
In another company partnership, Northwest Maritime is a standout example of a post purchase partnership Grizzly Industrial aims to build with its customers. Since delivering and setting up the manufacturer’s entire boat shop more than a year ago, Grizzly Industrial has maintained a close working relationship to ensure the equipment continues to run smoothly and reliably. “Our U.S.-based technical support team stays in regular contact with their staff, offering quick responses to questions and proactive check-ins to address potential issues before they impact their operations,” Saez said.
“Beyond day-to-day support, we also make a point to participate in many of Northwest Maritime’s events whenever we’re able,” Saez added. “This allows us not only to stay connected with their team but also to better understand how our equipment is being used within their educational programs.”
Participation in workforce development initiatives is paramount to Grizzly Industrial’s team. The company has long supplied machines and services to technical schools and high school technical programs.
In fact, Saez shared the future product developments at Grizzly Industrial align with the company’s relationships with technical schools and high schools. While Grizzly Industrial was unable to share the vision at print time, the company is very tied into metalworking workforce development initiatives. The company is calibrating its products to meet untapped opportunities between Grizzly Industrial and training programs and schools. “We believe that is where everything starts,” Saez said.
As part of Grizzly Industrial’s school program partnerships, the company creates customized plans to support the unique educational objectives at each organization. Grizzly Industrial sets up and manages each program, which allows instructors to focus on the technical skills development of their students.
Beyond training initiatives, Grizzly Industrial also aims to be a large part of the effort by manufacturers across the country to rebuild (reshore) the manufacturing base in America. “We want to provide the machines that these companies need,” Saez said.
And, in addition to offering the best prices possible for its machinery, Grizzly Industrial’s top management team wants customers to understand how strong their customer service is when it comes to shipping and logistics, parts inventory and technical support — “so it’s not only the machine and it’s not only the price — it’s the whole package,” Saez said.
“It’s what we’ve been doing for quite a long time, so we have a lot of muscle built on that. Now, we want to extend that with the new products that we’re bringing in.”
About the Author: Rachel Duran
