Team & History

Put 100 Years of Excellence to Work for Your Company

AKS Cutting Systems is a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated business with over 100 years of experience. We’re proud to design and manufacture all of our products in the U.S., allowing us to bring the highest quality to our customers. Since 1912, we’ve been on the forefront of tool design and manufacturing from our factory headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. And we’re not slowing down anytime soon.

We have a strong reputation for durability, accuracy, and reliability with thousands of installations worldwide. We partner with many high-quality machinery sales dealers and have an extensive service and support network to give our clients a great experience. We also partner with Hypertherm to deliver the best consumables to our customers. Learn more about our history below, or reach out to our team for more information.

A Tradition of Innovation

AKS Cutting Systems started out in the early 1900s as Lyons Tool and Die. Lyons made a name for itself as a high-quality custom machine shop serving the Cleveland area. For over 50 years, Mr. Lyon owned and operated the company with his family’s support. The company maintained excellence with an engineering staff to rival the size of its sales staff, a tradition that continues today.

A Tradition of Quality

Stanley Midnight, father-in-law to current Chairman Dale Phillip, purchased Lyons Tool and Die in the late 1960s. With a limited staff and a couple of high-quality machines, they manufactured the finest thread gauges and precision tools in America.

A Tradition of Details

As Dale Phillip says, “The devil is in the details.” From designing to building, our attention to detail has kept AKS Cutting Systems around for years. Today, that same attention to detail keeps us on the cutting edge of machine design.

A Tradition of Growth

In 1995, Dale Phillip moved us to our current location across the street from Cleveland International Airport. It was a big change moving from our humble beginnings on Tillman Avenue to our modern, 55,000-square-foot facility. But we’ve been growing ever since.

A Tradition of Family

Four generations of the Phillips family have passed through the doors as employees of AKS Cutting Systems. The third and current leaders are a pair of brothers — Kent and Greg Phillip. Family values have provided a long-term vision for AKS Cutting Systems. We believe in staying the course and being in it for the long run.

A Tradition of Passion

Over the last 100 years, we have designed thousands of machines. We’ve found our passion and pride in our current line of plasma and waterjet cutting systems. Built with the same values in mind as always, we have developed a system that you can pass down from generation to generation. Paired with a partner who is just as focused as you are on maintaining a healthy and prosperous relationship, we’re ready to help you reach the next level of manufacturing excellence.

Partner with the Best in the Business

Since 1912, we’ve dedicated ourselves to developing great products and providing the best customer service. When you work with us, we’ll ensure you get exactly what you need to grow your business.

Want to learn more about what we can do for you? Reach out to our team today.