About Us
Why Blackout Equipment
Over forty years of machine tool experience, person-to-person sales, and a commitment to getting every detail right — from the first call to the customer's dock.
Our Background
Milestones
After seven years on the shop floor of a safety valve manufacturer in Indiana, our owner earned his BA in Organizational Behavior and moved into machine tool sales — joining a distributorship selling Mori Seiki lathes and mills in the Pacific Northwest.
Eight years with Finn Power as Regional Sales Manager and Senior Manager of 50 direct reports, then General Manager of Foremost Machinery, acquiring CNC lines including the JinFangYuan CNC busbar product.
Sold the first Chinese CNC busbar punching and shearing machine in the United States to Powercon in Severn, Maryland — a pivotal moment that opened the North American market.
Sold the first CNC busbar punch and shear in Calgary, Canada to Eaton Electrical, followed by installations at General Electric, ESAB, Switchboard Apparatus, Ometek, and ESS Metron.
Blackout Equipment LLC operates as a niche machine tool distributorship specializing in Lijian CNC busbar machines and MECO Mecanica CNC keyseaters, supporting customers across the US and Canada.
My name is Greg Sweigert and I have over 40 years in all phases of the machine tool business. Twenty-six years ago, I accepted a challenge to move to Chicago, IL to become the International Customer Service Manager — and to make it safe for customers to buy a Finn Power Night Train, press brake, right angle shear, or turret press from a builder with a damaged reputation due to its mismanaged parts inventory and high turnover in the service department.
My first day on the job, I faced angry plant managers and manufacturing managers from four Eaton plants in the Carolinas. They were not pulling any punches about the downtime on Finn Power equipment.
The solution was to take our best application and service engineer to those four plants, put out the fires, and begin the recovery process. They were manufacturing enclosures, and inside their switchgear was copper busbar. When I returned to Chicago, it was time to deal with the signal and not the noise.
I had to rebuild a service department that faced potential legal action from the Illinois Labor Board for not paying overtime, straighten out the inventory using cycle counts, and find out why open-top containers from Finland were being crushed by stacked containers — destroying the hydraulic systems on Finn Power press brakes.
Our owner spent seven years working on the shop floor in a safety valve manufacturing plant in Indiana while earning his BA Degree in Organizational Behavior. In 1981, after receiving his degree, he moved into machine tool sales — drawn by a partnership with equity in a distributorship selling Mori Seiki lathes and mills in the Pacific Northwest. Twice, he worked for a Japanese trading company, gaining exposure to machinery importing. His path steered him toward the fabrication sector, where eight years with Finn Power and then the General Manager role at Foremost Machinery shaped the expertise that drives Blackout Equipment today.
For the past eight years, he has operated Blackout Equipment LLC, a distributorship specializing in niche lines — MECO Mecanica CNC keyseaters and Lijian CNC busbars. The same office manager who was with him at Foremost remains with the company today. We do not pretend to be the builder. Lijian is the builder, period. We import and support those machines in Canada and the US, transparent with the builder and never hiding who the end user is — which facilitates faster parts response when needed.
Our Company
Built on Transparency and Experience
Blackout Equipment LLC is a Chicago-based machine tool distributorship with more than forty years of combined experience in every phase of the industry — from the shop floor to international logistics. We specialize in niche lines that we know deeply and support fully.
We are transparent with our builder partners and never hide who the end user is. That transparency facilitates faster parts response, clearer communication, and better outcomes for every customer. The owner fields incoming calls directly and manages after-sales service using live links to the builder.
Our sales remain person-to-person. Despite recent automation across the industry, we believe the best deals happen between people — business owner to end user, built on trust and expertise earned over decades.
Our Focus
Niche Lines, Deep Knowledge
We do not carry every machine type. We carry the lines we know best and can support completely — Lijian CNC busbar machines and MECO Mecanica CNC keyseaters. That focus means every customer receives expert guidance, not a catalogue search.
Initial assistance generally consists of verifying that blueprints match machine capacity, confirming power requirements, and arranging an inspection visit. It starts by listening to your requirements and understanding your production process before recommending a solution.
Our years in the business have also led us into the logistics world, where a machine deal can turn sour if care is not taken in getting it right to the customer's door. We account for every detail, including something as specific as ensuring that the manuals of a used machine are included — because they can be critically important to a maintenance staff.
Our Partners
The Builder and the Logistics Partner
The Builder
Lijian CNC Machinery
Founded in 2005 in Jinan, Shandong, China, Lijian CNC is the number one manufacturer of CNC busbar machines in China — and in the world. They specialize exclusively in CNC busbar processing machinery, including punching and cutting machines, bending machines, chamfering machines, and multi-functional processing machines.
With over 50 employees and more than 2,000 CNC busbar installations in their domestic market, Lijian has spent twenty years doing one thing: making the best CNC busbar machinery available. They are currently moving into a larger factory to meet growing demand.
Their machines come with a one-year warranty supported by a US-based machine tool distributor with forty years of install experience — not a Chinese trading company claiming to be the builder. Factory technical support is ongoing from machine assembly through power-up, programming, and running parts.
Featured Components
Logistics Partner
Watchpoint Logistics
Our preferred transportation partner, Watchpoint Logistics, takes the complexity out of importing machine tools to the US and Canada. Their team of staffed positions around the globe provides the knowledge to move freight for the best results — efficiently and without the costly surprises that can arise at the port.
Our Lijian CNC punching and shearing machines fill one 40-foot and one 20-foot container. Watchpoint handles every step: ocean freight from China, handling fees at Qingdao, container drayage, container offloading and transfer to a 53-foot trailer, or placement on an eastbound rail.
We can quote all the way to a customer's dock or to a nearby railhead. Customs charges are determined based on whether the customer has their own customs broker. A transportation quote provided at the front end is accurate and efficient — ending the expensive surprises that can occur at the port when logistics are left to chance.
Providing a transportation quote at the front end means the customer knows the full landed cost of their machine before committing to the purchase — a level of transparency that makes for a smooth, confident transaction from start to finish.
Our Approach
A Turnkey Solution for Your Business
We offer comprehensive turnkey solutions that provide a reassuring path for the purchase and implementation of our busbar machines into your production process. Our commitment is to eliminate delays, reduce complexity, and get your equipment producing parts as quickly as possible.
Delivery
Full logistics coordination from factory to your dock, handled by Watchpoint Logistics with precision.
Installation
Machine setup and commissioning by experienced technicians — factory or self-sufficient options available.
Training
Full personnel training on programming and operation so your team is self-sufficient from day one.
Technical Support
Ongoing support via direct links to the builder — fast parts response and expert guidance after the sale.