The Growth and Success of C.R. Onsrud, Inc., an American Manufacturing Company
In 1976, Charles “Charlie” Rudolph Onsrud founded C.R. Onsrud, Inc. Initially the company built three models of his patented Inverted Routers. While sales were okay, the company was losing ground to an emerging CNC machinery market. Additionally, customers kept asking for larger and larger table sizes, and it was proving difficult to manipulate sizable panels of phenolic materials on the router.
In 1992, Charlie’s son, Tom and Tom’s brother, Bill, engineered a twin-table CNC machine to assist with the manufacturing of the large phenolic worktables. As Tom predicted, once manufacturers heard about C.R. Onsrud’s CNC machine, they wanted one on their shop floors. So, under his direction the company redesigned the product line to include high-quality CNC Machining Centers. This broadened the company’s market, covering a range of industries from cabinetry to aerospace.
Having a prime location off of I-77 at Exit #42 in Statesville, NC, Charlie wanted to sell the property as opposed to developing it, while his son, Tom, knew they needed to expand.
In December 2005, Tom and his brother, John, were heading to lunch when they saw a 4′ by 8′ sign alongside Murdock Road in Troutman, a few miles from their Statesville factory. Spray painted with “4 SAIL” [sic] and a phone number, Tom placed the call expressing interest in purchasing a few acres. The terse response was “all or nothing.”
So, Tom asked, “Well, how many acres are there?”
“Forty-eight,” the man said brusquely. “Interested?”
“Well, how much are you selling it for?” Tom asked.
“$850,000,” the man replied. “And close by year-end or the deal’s off. Can you?”
“I don’t know,” said Tom. “Let me call the bank.”
The bank assured him they could secure the loan and, in record time, C.R. Onsrud Inc. closed on the property. Moving 50 employees from a 20,000-square-foot facility to a newly constructed 55,000-square-foot one, Charlie was convinced his three sons, Tom, Bill, and John, would bankrupt the company. “What are you ever going to do with all this space?” he grumbled, envisioning go-kart races on the factory floor and people roller skating down the halls.
Well, six years later they were already at capacity, extending the building to 100,000 square feet to include the sales offices and the machine shop.
With the growing demand for C.R. Onsrud CNC machines and to accommodate the workforce which had grown to 130 employees, the company needed more space. So, in 2017, they added another building for the fabrication of machine frames and expanded the Machine Shop as they continued to increase their manufacturing of CNC machines.
Meanwhile, the composites industry grew, the large panel processing market grew, and the need for large, specialized machinery to process these materials grew, and so C.R. Onsrud grew … again.
In 2025, the company celebrated the completion of their 83,000-square-foot building. This addition brought their manufacturing campus to its current size of 250,000 square feet.
“Even I never envisioned a facility of this magnitude,” said Tom, “and yet here we are!” The support the company received over the years not only has had a positive impact on its growth but has also supported the U.S. economy, the Iredell County and surrounding community, and countless manufacturers across a wide range of industries.
About every six years, the company finds itself in need of more manufacturing space, so that initial forty-eight-acre purchase is proving to be a wise investment; although, Tom and John never did make it to lunch that day.
(above) This is the first CNC machine (C-Series) that C.R. Onsrud sold in 1996, and it still runs! (Video recorded March 25, 2026 at the company’s annual Demo Day and company’s 50th Anniversary celebration).
(above) Sam Morrison demonstrates operation of the Inverted Router, a well-made product that still sells!
