Tube Fab/Roman Engineering

What Tube Fab/Roman Engineering does

Tube Fab/Roman Engineering (legal entity: Tube Fab - Roman Engineering Co., Inc.) is a privately held, IATF 16949:2016-certified custom tube fabricator headquartered in Afton, Michigan, operating from a 150,000 square foot manufacturing facility since its founding in 1970. The company produces precision metal tubes and tube assemblies — including fuel lines, brake lines, actuator cooler tubes, transmission oil cooler assemblies, and dipstick assemblies — using cutting, multi-plane CNC bending, end forming, robotic MIG and Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) welding, and in-house custom tooling. Capabilities span tube diameters from .049 to 3 inches in carbon steel, stainless, copper, brass, and aluminum, supported by 60+ cutting machines, CNC benders, seven resistance/projection welding cells, and vision-based error-proofing inspection.

The company's primary customer segment is automotive OEM and Tier 1 suppliers (fuel, brake, coolant, and power-steering systems), with secondary demand from industrial fluid-handling applications including condensers and heat exchangers. The go-to-market is a direct, sales-led B2B model accessed through online quote requests and phone/email engagement, with product-engineering support embedded from design through APQP/PPAP and final audit. Pricing is quote-based per project; no public pricing exists and revenue is not disclosed.

Revenue mechanics rest on three streams: custom tube fabrication services (one-time project work), sale of finished tube products (hardware/parts shipped to customer plants), and prototype/design-support services (professional services). The business is family-led (founder Bob Redman; current President Thomas Redman), independently owned with no parent company, and dependent on a single Afton, MI site for all production, engineering, and customer service functions. Awards consist of repeat customer recognition for quality and delivery rather than external third-party rankings.

Name

Tube Fab/Roman Engineering

Legal name

Tube Fab - Roman Engineering Co., Inc.

Website

https://tubefab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tube Fab/Roman Engineering is a privately held, IATF 16949-certified custom metal tube fabricator in Afton, Michigan, producing precision tubes and assemblies (fuel, brake, coolant, transmission) for automotive OEM/Tier 1 customers and industrial fluid-handling buyers since 1970.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Metal Tube Fabrication

NAICS

Fabricated Pipe and Pipe Fitting Manufacturing (332996)

SIC

Steel Pipe & Tubes (3317)

akta.pro primary industry

Pipe & Tube Manufacturing (Seamless & Welded OCTG/Line Pipe/Structural Tube) (IMAKABAI)

Keywords

• Tube fabrication services
• Metal tube manufacturing
• Automotive tube assemblies
• CNC tube bending
• Robotic welding services

Headquarters

HQ city

Afton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Tube Fabrication Services: Custom tube fabrication services including cutting, bending, end forming, welding, and assembly. Works with various metals (carbon steel, stainless, copper, brass, aluminum) and serves automotive and industrial customers with custom-designed parts.
2. Finished Tube Products: Sale of fabricated tubes and tube assemblies. Products include actuator cooler tubes, fuel line tubes, brake line tubes, dipstick assemblies, transmission oil cooler assemblies, and hundreds of other tube configurations.
3. Prototype Services: Full-service prototype department offering custom prototype fabrication and design support services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Tube Fab/Roman Engineering is a full-service tubular supplier providing custom metal tube fabrication and assembly services. The company cuts, bends, end-forms, welds, and assembles tubes made of carbon steel, stainless steel, copper, brass, and aluminum for automotive and industrial customers. It also offers in-house tooling design and prototype services to support custom part development.

Product overview

Tube Fab/Roman Engineering is a full-service tubular supplier that provides tube fabrication and assembly services through its integrated portfolio of products and services. The core offerings include fabricated tubes (over 60 types such as fuel lines, brake lines, and actuator tubes) and tube assemblies (16 assembly types including coolant delivery systems and transmission oil coolers). These are supported by manufacturing services including tube end forming, tube bending (CNC, multi-plane, rotary draw), tube cutting (snap, rotary, saw cut up to 24 feet), tube welding (robotic MIG, CMT, TIG, resistance), and in-house tooling development. Product engineering services provide design support for optimization and cost reduction. The company operates from a 150,000 square foot facility established in 1970.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fabricated Tubes Custom fabricated metal tubes including actuator cooler tubes, fuel lines, brake lines, and over 60 other tube types for automotive and industrial fluid handling applications.
• Tube Assemblies Completed tube assembly products including coolant delivery systems, fuel delivery systems, oil delivery systems, transmission oil cooler assemblies, and 15 other assembly types.
• Tube End Forming Custom tube end forming services including hose beads, flares, swaging, notching, piercing, roll grooves, and custom expansions.
• Tube Bending Tube bending services including multi-plane bending, coil bending, 180-degree bending, tight radius bending, and CNC bending for tubes from .049 to 3 inches diameter in steel, stainless, copper, brass, and aluminum.
• Tube Cutting Metal tube cutting including snap cut, rotary cut, and saw cut methods for tubes up to 24 feet in length, with value-added O.D. finishing and centerless grinding.
• Tube Welding Welding services including robotic MIG welding, robotic Cold Metal Transfer (CMT) welding, resistance/projection welding, and hand TIG/MIG welding.
• Product Engineering Comprehensive product design support including design changes for assembly process improvement, performance optimization, material specification advising, and manufacturing cost reduction.
• Prototype Services Full-service prototype department for developing and testing custom tube fabrication designs before production.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Wieland Group: Wieland is a global producer of copper and copper-alloy semi-finished products including tubes, with fabrication services for industrial customers. Comparable copper-tube fabrication capabilities but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Mueller Industries: Mueller Industries is a large diversified manufacturer of copper, brass, aluminum, and plastic tube and fitting products serving plumbing, HVAC, industrial, and automotive markets. Same core product family at much greater scale, providing a competitive benchmark for Tube Fab's industrial-fabrication offering.
• Shiloh Industries: Shiloh Industries is an automotive specialty manufacturer of lightweight noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), chassis, and powertrain components using proprietary metal-forming processes. Comparable B2B auto supplier model with overlapping customer base.
• Benteler Automotive: Benteler Automotive is a global Tier 1 supplier of chassis, powertrain, and body components including tubular sub-assemblies for OEMs. Same automotive supply-chain dynamics but at considerably greater scale and geographic reach.
• Martinrea International: Martinrea is a Tier 1 automotive supplier of metal-forming components and assemblies, including fluid handling and chassis systems. Targets the same OEM and Tier 1 customer base as Tube Fab but at vastly larger scale and with broader product portfolio.

Direct peers

• Plymouth Tube Company: Plymouth Tube manufactures and fabricates carbon, alloy, and stainless steel tubular products for industrial and automotive customers, including custom cutting, bending, and end-forming services. Closely comparable product/service portfolio and customer overlap.
• RathGibson: RathGibson produces welded stainless steel tubing and offers value-added fabrication services for industrial and mobility customers. Directly comparable as a tube manufacturer-fabricator serving fluid handling and industrial OEM clients.
• Vari-Form: Vari-Form specializes in tube hydroforming and fabrication for automotive structural and fluid handling applications, directly competing with Tube Fab for Tier 1/OEM fluid-system and chassis tube business. Comparable scale and end-market exposure to the North American auto industry.
• Webco Industries: Webco manufactures specialty carbon, alloy, and stainless steel tubing with custom cutting and fabrication capabilities, serving industrial, energy, and mobility end markets. Comparable integrated tube manufacturing and fabrication model.
• Eagle Stainless Tube & Fabrication: Eagle Stainless provides stainless steel tube fabrication services including cutting, bending, end forming, and welding for industrial and aerospace customers. Closely matched custom tube fabrication service offering to industrial buyers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/tubefabromanengineering

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tube Fab/Roman Engineering