The Supply Chain CompanyCone Drive
Timken-owned, with harmonic (strain wave) gearing built in Michigan and a humanoid platform. About 165 people at one site and 11 named customers; Cone Drive says it serves over 3,000 customers in 30 markets.
Sample supplier report · October 14, 2026
Actuators for humanoid robots, made in North America, at 100,000 a year
I am looking to buy actuators for humanoid robots made in North America at a volume of 100,000 per year.The buyer’s question, as they typed it. Assumed: ISO 9001.
The answer
Send the RFQ to Cone Drive, Kollmorgen and Allient, with 5 questions to settle first. None has proven 100,000 units a year, so quote capacity first.
The shortlist
| Rank | Supplier | Role | Where | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cone Drive | Lead | Traverse City, MI | 12 / 24 |
| 2 | Kollmorgen | Second source | Radford, VA | 9 / 24 |
| 3 | Allient | Fallback | Williamsville, NY | 9 / 24 |
| 4 | Ewellix | Watch | Armada, MI | 9 / 24 |
| 5 | Lin Engineering | On hold | Morgan Hill, CA | 5 / 24 |
Scorecard, criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Cone Drive | Kollmorgen | Allient | Ewellix | Lin Engineering |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001Your ask | — | — | — | — | 3 |
| North American production ×2Your ask | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | — |
| Humanoid focus | 3 | 3 | — | 3 | — |
| Actuator scope | — | — | 3 | — | — |
| Scale backing | 3 | — | — | — | 2 |
| Total of 24 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 5 |
Points as weighted: the buyer’s asks count double where marked. A dash means nothing published backs a score, so it isn’t counted as zero.
The suppliers
Kollmorgen
Robot-ready frameless motors, owned by Regal Rexnord. About 600 people and $677.8m in revenue; names the most customers of the five.
Allient
Custom actuators with assembly in Tulsa and Reynosa. About 2,500 people across sites, ISO 9001:2015 shown; the only one scored on full actuator scope.
Ewellix
Roller screws and a rotary actuator, Schaeffler-owned, with a humanoid customer (a London start-up). Its ISO 9001:2015 certificate on file expired in August 2026.
Lin Engineering
A single certified California site with a Chinese-owned parent; motor manufacturing, vertically integrated. Not scored on North American production.
Key findings
- Cone Drive leads with 12 of 24 points and stays first with every one-website score set aside.
- 100,000 units a year is under the largest single-site output found (1,000,000).
- Kollmorgen names the most customers (2); Cone Drive is next (1).
- Changes to watch at four of the five makers, among them an ISO 9001 certificate (Ewellix's) that expired in August 2026.
Settle these before you send the RFQ
- Q1Confirm in writing: ISO 9001.
- Q2Revenue for the last full year.
- Q3Send the renewed ISO 9001:2015 certificate. (Ewellix)
- Q4Show how it meets North American production. (Lin Engineering)
- Q5Confirm any change of owner or site planned before award. (Lin Engineering)
How the research was done
522 pages read in 11 minutes · 22 found → 17 fit the brief → 5 ranked. Every score in the full report links to the page it came from, and the open questions are written out for the RFQ.
Sources
- conedrive.com
- kollmorgen.com
- allient.com
- thomasnet.com
- automation.com
- design-engineering.com
- hannovermesse.de
- moonsindustries.com
- and 22 more in the full report
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