What Tribus Aerospace does

Tribus Aerospace is a U.S.-owned precision machining platform serving the aerospace and defense market, organized around 'Power, Propel, Control' applications for turbine engines, auxiliary power units, motion control, and flow control systems. The company operates four acquired subsidiaries — Advanced Machining & Tooling (AM&T, Poway CA, founded 1989), Precision Aerospace Corporation and Precision Micro Mill (Grand Rapids and Wayland, MI, founded 1956), and Midwest Precision Holdings (Eastlake, OH, founded 1953) — consolidated under a single platform formed in June 2017 by Chicago-based private equity sponsor Shorehill Capital. Core capabilities span 5-axis CNC machining, wire and sinker EDM (NADCAP-approved to Pratt & Whitney PWA 97-2 for nickel and cobalt alloys), CNC turning, Swiss screw machining, cylindrical grinding, waterjet cutting with patented Tilt-a-Jet, NADCAP-approved GTAW welding to AWS D17.1, in-house NDT (MPI/FPI), and build-to-print assembly with kitting, serialization, and inventory management services. The platform is certified to AS9100D/ISO 9001:2015, holds NADCAP approvals for special processes, and maintains ITAR registration and DFARS compliance.

Name

Tribus Aerospace

Legal name

Tribus Aerospace LLC

Website

https://tribusaerospace.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tribus Aerospace is a Shorehill Capital-backed precision machining platform operating four U.S. facilities that build-to-print complex components and assemblies in exotic alloys for aerospace and defense primes and industrial OEMs in turbine engine, motion control, and flow control applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Precision Machining

NAICS

Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641), Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413)

SIC

Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728), Aircraft Engines & Engine Parts (3724), Aircraft & Parts (3720)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Airframe Structures & Machined Parts (IMABAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aerospace Structural Metals & Alloys (Titanium, Aluminum, Nickel) (IMABANAL), Aerospace Fuel System Components (Tanks, Lines, Valves) (IMABANAJ), Nacelles, Fairings & Aerodynamic Structures (IMABAEAE)

Keywords

• Precision machining
• Aerospace components
• Defense manufacturing
• CNC machining services
• Turbine engine parts

Headquarters

HQ city

Poway

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Precision Machined Components and Assemblies: Tribus Aerospace generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of complex, precision machined parts and assemblies. The company operates on a build-to-print model, supplying mission-critical components primarily for aerospace and defense applications. Revenue is transactional, based on purchase orders and long-term agreements with OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. The company supplies power, propel, and control components for turbine engines, auxiliary power units, motion control, and flow control applications.
2. Assembly and Kitting Services: Value-add assembly services including mechanical and electro-mechanical assembly, kitting, and inventory management. Services include SOI (Supplier Owned Inventory) and Kanban services under long-term agreements for high-volume critical components with JIT delivery.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Tribus Aerospace is a build-to-print precision machining manufacturer producing complex components and assemblies from exotic metals (titanium, Inconel, Kovar, stainless steel) at microscopic tolerances for mission-critical "Power, Propel, Control" applications on turbine engines, auxiliary power units, motion control and flow control systems. The company integrates 5-axis CNC machining, EDM, Swiss machining, grinding, waterjet cutting, welding, NDT, quality inspection, and mechanical/electro-mechanical assembly under AS9100D/NADCAP quality systems.

Product overview

Tribus Aerospace is a precision machining company operating multiple acquired manufacturing facilities (Precision Aerospace Corp., Precision Micro Mill, Advanced Machining & Tooling, and Midwest Precision) that produce complex machined components and assemblies primarily for aerospace and defense applications. The company offers integrated manufacturing capabilities including 5-axis machining, milling, turning, grinding, Swiss machining, EDM, waterjet cutting, welding, NDT, assembly, quality assurance, and engineering services. These capabilities are organized around 'Power, Propel, Control' applications for turbine engines, auxiliary power units, motion control and flow control systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advanced Machining & Tooling (AM&T) Founded in 1989, AM&T is a Poway, California-based manufacturer of precision, complex machined parts and assemblies for aerospace, military, space, industrial, medical, electronics, and laser industries with capabilities including CNC machining, EDM, and waterjet cutting.
• Precision Aerospace Corporation (PAC) Grand Rapids, Michigan-based manufacturer of complex parts and assemblies for commercial aerospace and defense applications, including hydraulic manifolds, port caps, mounting flanges, housings, rotor parts, and assemblies for hydraulic pumps, fuel systems, and transmissions. Houses NADCAP-approved NDT and welding operations.
• Precision Micro Mill LLC (PMM) Wayland, Michigan-based captive contract manufacturer to PAC specializing in small volume, short lead time parts production.
• Midwest Precision Holdings Inc. Eastlake (Cleveland), Ohio-based precision manufacturer of complex components for aerospace, defense, energy, and engineered products markets, including a Comptrol division manufacturing tension measurement solutions, linear motion products, and connecting rod weight verification products.
• 5-Axis Complex Machining Advanced 5-axis CNC machining capability using Matsuura Cublex-35 machines with 32 pallets and 320 tools, supporting lights-out machining for high complexity Port Cap and Impeller product families.
• Milling CNC milling services enabled by expertise in fixture design and fixture fabrication, maintaining industry leading tolerances for complex machined components.
• Turning CNC turning services using Okuma CNC Lathes with capabilities up to 26 inch diameter titanium parts and precision tolerance down to .0004 inches.
• Grinding CNC cylindrical OD grinding using Studer favorit machine for customer-specific requirements, expanding in-house capability to reduce costs and lead times.
• Swiss Machining High mix, low volume Swiss screw machining with 13 production machines (16mm, 20mm, and 32mm bar capacities) achieving precision tolerances to +/- .0005 diameter.
• Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) Wire EDM and sinker EDM capabilities including five Charmilles machines for positioning accuracy, shape and detail accuracy; NADCAP approved with Pratt & Whitney approval for Ni & Co based alloys, producing .001 inch tolerance holes in high nickel alloys with no burr.
• WaterJet Cutting Omax 2626XP waterjet cutting for precision straight-edge cutting of exotic materials including Inconel, Kovar, titanium, and stainless steel up to 40 x 29 x 8 inches, equipped with patented Tilt-a-Jet option.
• Welding NADCAP approved GTAW (TIG) welding to AWS D17.1 standards for aluminum and stainless steel, also approved by Boeing, Parker Hannifin, and Woodward.
• Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) NADCAP approved NDT lab for Mag Partial Inspection (MPI) and liquid fluorescent Penetrant Inspection (FPI), integrated into the Grand Rapids facility.
• Assembly, Kitting and Inventory Management Close tolerance assembly work including mechanical and electro-mechanical components, kitting with serialization and full traceability, and inventory management services including SOI (Supplier Owned Inventory) and Kanban under long-term agreements for JIT delivery.
• Quality Assurance Quality labs equipped with Zeiss CMM machines, Zeiss Rondcom, Zeiss CONTOURECORD form tracer, Wenzel CMMs with Renishaw heads, and Surfcom 480A surface analyzer for precision inspection.
• Engineering Services Build-to-print engineering including solid models, fixture designs, CNC programs, and CMM programs; uses APQP, FMEA, and PPAP processes with PTC Creo and SOLIDWORKS software, with offline CNC programs verified by VERICUT.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hydraulic manifold components with >1,800 and >2,000 measured features produced with complex geometries and microscopic tolerances.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 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

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bill R. HoyercoreOthers · 1 March 2018President and sole owner of Precision Aerospace Corp. and Precision Micro Mill LLC acquired in March 2018. Bill Hoyer continues as President of both companies and became a shareholder in Tribus Aerospace. He is described as a proven leader with incomparable knowledge of the aerospace market.
• Paul Hastings LLPminorOthers · 14 June 2017Legal advisor to Tribus Aerospace and Shorehill Capital for the AM&T acquisition. Served as legal counsel for formation and transaction.
• Crowe Horwath LLP / Crowe LLPminorOthers · 14 June 2017Accounting and tax advisor to Tribus Aerospace and Shorehill Capital. Provided due diligence and transaction advisory services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ducommun Incorporated: Ducommun is a publicly traded provider of engineering and manufacturing services for aerospace and defense, including precision-machined structural and electronic components. It directly competes with Tribus in build-to-print machined parts for major primes, with overlapping customer base and similar AS9100/NADCAP-driven business model.
• Triumph Group: Triumph Group manufactures complex aerospace and defense structural components, including precision-machined and assembled parts, with extensive supply relationships with Boeing, Lockheed, and other OEMs. It operates at significantly larger scale than Tribus but competes directly in similar product categories (aerostructures, engine components).
• Senior plc: Senior plc is a UK-listed precision-engineered components manufacturer serving aerospace, defense, and industrial markets, with comparable capabilities in fluid conveyance, motion control, and structural machined parts. The product portfolio, customer base (including Boeing, Pratt & Whitney, Honeywell), and AS9100/NADCAP-driven model make Senior a direct strategic comparable.
• Barnes Group: Barnes Group's Aerospace segment manufactures precision-machined components, engineered assemblies, and flight-critical parts for engine and airframe OEMs. It has overlapping capabilities with Tribus in exotic-alloy machining and serves many of the same blue-chip customers (Pratt & Whitney, Honeywell, etc.).
• Loar Holdings: Loar Holdings is a PE-backed (and recently IPO'd) niche manufacturer of aerospace components, often acquiring small precision machining shops serving engine and airframe OEMs. Its roll-up acquisition strategy and customer overlap with Tribus (e.g., Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney) make it a close comparable in size and business model.

Broad incumbents

• Howmet Aerospace: Howmet Aerospace (formerly Arconic) is a global leader in engineered nickel and titanium aerospace structures, including investment castings and machined components for jet engines. While much larger and broader in scope, it competes with Tribus for the same engine OEM business, particularly on turbine and structural parts made from exotic alloys.
• Precision Castparts Corp: Precision Castparts (a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary) is one of the largest suppliers of complex metal components for aerospace and industrial gas turbines. It offers investment castings, forgings, and machined parts across the same engine and structural categories that Tribus serves, but at vastly larger scale and with vertically integrated capabilities.
• Moog Inc. Moog is a broader motion-control and fluid-control systems supplier that is both a customer of Tribus and a competitor for similar motion/flow-control components in aerospace. Its scale and systems-integration focus position it as a broad incumbent with overlapping product capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/tribusaerospace
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tribus-aerospace

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A3 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Tribus Aerospace