The World’s Top 10 Welding Equipment Manufacturers
PCL Group application engineering, Jinan · Updated 20 October 2026
Ten companies supply most of the professional welding equipment used in fabrication shops, shipyards and car plants around the world. This list explains who they are, what each is known for and, just as useful when you buy, which brands now belong to which group. It is ordered by global reach and installed base, not by revenue; there is no official ranking.
On this page
The ten at a glance
| Company | Headquarters | Founded | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Electric | Cleveland area, Ohio, USA | 1895 | Arc welding power sources, consumables, automation |
| ESAB | Gothenburg, Sweden | 1904 | Covered electrodes, consumables, welding and cutting equipment |
| Miller Electric (ITW) | Appleton, Wisconsin, USA | 1929 | MIG, TIG and multiprocess power sources |
| Fronius | Pettenbach, Austria | 1945 | Digital MIG/MAG and TIG power sources, robotic welding packages |
| Kemppi | Lahti, Finland | 1949 | Inverter power sources, welding management software |
| Daihen (OTC) | Osaka, Japan | 1919 | Welding robots and power sources as one system |
| Panasonic | Osaka, Japan | — | Welding robots with integrated power sources (TAWERS) |
| Cloos | Haiger, Germany | 1919 | Robotic welding cells, tandem and laser-hybrid welding |
| EWM | Mündersbach, Germany | 1957 | Inverter power sources, TIG and MIG/MAG processes |
| Lorch | Auenwald, Germany | — | MIG/MAG and TIG power sources, automation packages |
The ten companies
1. Lincoln Electric
Cleveland area, Ohio, USA · since 1895
Founded by John C. Lincoln. One of the largest companies dedicated to welding and cutting. In 2017 it completed the purchase of Air Liquide Welding, which brought the French SAF-FRO and Oerlikon welding brands into the group.
2. ESAB
Gothenburg, Sweden · since 1904
Founded by Oscar Kjellberg, the inventor of the covered electrode. Its parent Colfax bought Victor Technologies (formerly Thermadyne: Victor, Thermal Dynamics, Tweco, Arcair, Stoody) in 2014 and folded it into ESAB. ESAB became a separately listed company in 2022.
3. Miller Electric (ITW)
Appleton, Wisconsin, USA · since 1929
Founded by Niels Miller and part of Illinois Tool Works since 1993. ITW’s welding segment also includes Hobart, known for flux-cored and solid wires and workshop machines.
4. Fronius
Pettenbach, Austria · since 1945
Founded by Günter Fronius. Widely used in automotive and robotic welding; the company also has solar energy and battery charging divisions.
5. Kemppi
Lahti, Finland · since 1949
Founded by Martti Kemppi. Kemppi introduced its first inverter power source in 1977 and moved to digital welding control in 1993. Strong in shipbuilding, heavy fabrication and digital weld procedure management.
6. Daihen (OTC)
Osaka, Japan · since 1919
Started as Osaka Transformer Company, which is where the OTC brand comes from. Builds both the robot and the power source, which suits high-volume automotive lines.
7. Panasonic
Osaka, Japan
Panasonic’s welding business makes robots and power sources designed and controlled together. Its joint venture in Tangshan, China has operated since 1996.
8. Cloos
Haiger, Germany · since 1919
Founded by Carl Cloos. Has designed and built its own industrial robots since 1981 and supplies complete welding systems for heavy fabrication.
9. EWM
Mündersbach, Germany · since 1957
Started as Elektrowerk Mündersbach making rectifiers. Launched an AC/DC TIG inverter in 1988 and develops its own welding processes for thick plate and aluminium.
10. Lorch
Auenwald, Germany
German manufacturer of industrial power sources for workshops and automated welding, sold mainly through dealers in Europe.
Who owns whom
The welding industry has consolidated. Several well-known brands are now part of larger groups, which matters for spare parts and service:
| Brand | Now part of | Since |
|---|---|---|
| SAF-FRO, Oerlikon (Air Liquide Welding) | Lincoln Electric | 2017 |
| Victor, Thermal Dynamics, Tweco, Arcair, Stoody (Victor Technologies) | ESAB | 2014 |
| Miller | ITW | 1993 |
| Hobart | ITW | — |
Power sources and robots are not the same market
Lists of “welding giants” mix two kinds of companies. Power source makers such as Lincoln, ESAB, Miller, Fronius, Kemppi, EWM and Lorch build the machines that make the arc. Robot makers such as Yaskawa, FANUC, ABB and KUKA build the arms. Daihen (OTC), Panasonic and Cloos do both, which is why their systems are often bought as one package.
For an automated cell the important question is how well the robot and the power source talk to each other: wire feed, voltage, arc start and crater fill should all be set from the robot program. See 2 m reach welding robots for MAG welding.
How to choose a brand for structural steel
- Service and spare parts within reach of your plant.
- Consumables (wire, contact tips, liners) available locally at a sensible price.
- Processes you need: pulsed MAG for thin to medium plate, spray and multi-pass for thick joints.
- Duty cycle at the current you actually weld at.
- A full digital interface to your robot, if you automate.
- The same brand across the shop, so welders and spares are interchangeable.
PCL Group builds automated welding stations for structural steel, including teaching-free stations that weld beams and columns from a vision scan or Tekla model. The robot and power source for a cell are chosen with each customer. For how the robots are programmed, see drag teaching, pendant and teaching-free compared.
Common questions
Who are the biggest welding companies in the world?
Lincoln Electric and ESAB are the two best-known global names, followed by ITW’s welding brands (Miller and Hobart), Fronius, Kemppi, Daihen (OTC), Panasonic, Cloos, EWM and Lorch.
Which welding brands does Lincoln Electric own?
Besides Lincoln itself, the group includes the former Air Liquide Welding brands such as SAF-FRO and Oerlikon, bought in 2017.
Who owns Miller welders?
Miller Electric has been part of Illinois Tool Works (ITW) since 1993. ITW also owns Hobart.