What Wemco does

WEMCO (Washington Equipment Manufacturing Company) is a family-owned, vertically integrated custom heavy equipment manufacturer founded in 1989 and headquartered in Spokane, Washington. The company designs, engineers, fabricates, machines, assembles, and installs industrial equipment — primarily overhead cranes (bridge, gantry, jib, and monorail systems) with capacities from 1/4 ton to 600 tons — alongside custom machinery such as self-propelled agricultural harvesters, concrete batch plants, cement terminals, aerospace tooling and test presses, and automated production systems. Manufacturing operations span ~98,500 sq ft including a 65,000 sq ft main fabrication and CNC machining facility, a 30,000 sq ft assembly and paint building, and a 3,500 sq ft administrative office, supported by large-format CNC (bridge mills up to 21ft x 60ft x 21ft, turning up to 118-inch swing and 100,000 lb capacity) and precision CMM measurement to .0002 inches using Romer, Mitutoyo, and Leica instruments.

The company serves a diverse set of regulated and infrastructure-heavy verticals: hydroelectric dam projects for the US Army Corps of Engineers, aerospace and defense (ISO9001/AS9100 certified, with Boeing among named customers), nuclear power (NQA-1 compliant with 100% traceability), steel and aluminum processing, agriculture, lumber, and wind energy. Control systems are built on Allen Bradley PLCs and Wonderware HMI interfaces, exemplified by a fully automated aluminum plate staging table for Kaiser Aluminum achieving 1/4 inch alignment accuracy in under 20 seconds.

WEMCO earns revenue through three primary streams: (1) one-time project-based sales of custom and build-to-print equipment, priced via quote-based consultative sales; (2) recurring crane service, inspection (NCCCO-certified), maintenance, and parts under OSHA-mandated annual inspection cycles; and (3) authorized distribution of standard cranes and hoists from major manufacturers. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting government agencies and large industrial customers in the Pacific Northwest, supported by a content-driven website and direct sales for custom projects. A new Vancouver, WA service and sales facility opened in 2025 to expand the company's footprint into the Portland metro market.

Name

Wemco

Legal name

WEMCO, Inc.

Website

https://wemcoinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

WEMCO is a family-owned, vertically integrated custom heavy equipment manufacturer founded in 1989 in Spokane, WA, designing and building overhead cranes (up to 600 tons), aerospace tooling, and custom industrial machinery for government, aerospace, nuclear, hydroelectric, and agricultural customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heavy Industrial Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Overhead Traveling Crane, Hoist, and Monorail System Manufacturing (333923)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Cranes, Hoists & Overhead Material Handling (Industrial) (IMAHABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crane & Hoist Safety & Monitoring Systems (Limiters, Anti-collision, Load Monitoring) (IMAHAJAL), Crane & Hoist Components (Wire Rope, Chain, Drums, Sheaves, Motors, Controls) (IMAHAJAK), Cargo Handling & Lifting Equipment (Cranes, Derricks, Hoists) (IMAJAIAB), Cranes, Hoists & Rigging Equipment MRO (Mobile/Tower Cranes, Winches) (TLAKAHAE)

Keywords

• Custom crane manufacturing
• Heavy equipment fabrication
• Industrial machining services
• Aerospace tooling
• Hydroelectric crane systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Spokane

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Equipment Manufacturing: Design-build and build-to-print manufacturing of overhead cranes (up to 600 tons), gantry cranes (up to 450 tons), jib cranes, monorail systems, self-propelled harvesters, concrete batch plants, and custom machinery. Revenue from one-time project-based equipment sales.
2. Crane Service & Inspection: Annual crane inspections per OSHA requirements, rigging inspection, maintenance and repairs, rehabilitation and upgrades. Revenue from service contracts and parts/labor.
3. Parts Sales: Sale of crane parts, hoist replacement, control system components, wire rope, and rigging equipment as part of repair and upgrade services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

WEMCO designs, engineers, and manufactures custom heavy industrial equipment, including overhead bridge cranes (up to 600 tons), gantry cranes (up to 450 tons), jib cranes, monorail systems, self-propelled harvesters, concrete batch plants, aerospace tooling, and automated industrial systems. The company also provides turnkey manufacturing services covering welding/fabrication, CNC machining, precision measurement, assembly, industrial painting, crane service and inspection, and full engineering (design-build, stress analysis, automation and controls) under ISO9001, AS9100, and NQA-1 quality systems.

Product overview

WEMCO (Washington Equipment Manufacturing Company) is a contract manufacturer specializing in design, engineering, and manufacturing of productivity-enhancing industrial solutions. The company's core product portfolio consists of overhead cranes (bridge, gantry, jib, and monorail systems) ranging from 1/4 ton to 600 tons capacity, complemented by custom machinery including self-propelled harvesters, concrete batch plants, cement terminals, material handling equipment, aerospace tooling, and automated systems like the Aluminum Plate Staging Table. WEMCO provides comprehensive manufacturing services including welding/fabrication (AWS certified), CNC machining (vertical/horizontal/bridge mills, lathes), assembly (up to 200 tons), industrial painting, precision measurement services (CMM, laser tracking), crane service and inspection (NCCCO certified), and full engineering services (design-build, stress analysis, automation). The company operates manufacturing facilities in Spokane, WA (98,500 sq ft) and Vancouver, WA, serving industries including aerospace, nuclear, hydroelectric, agriculture, steel/aluminum, lumber, defense, and wind energy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bridge Cranes Overhead bridge cranes in top running, under-hung, and freestanding configurations with single or double girder box girder designs, capacity ranging from 1/4 ton to 600 tons, sold to industrial and infrastructure customers.
• Gantry Cranes Single leg, double leg, stationary, and wheel-guided gantry cranes with capacities from 1/4 ton to 450 tons in manual and electric configurations, sold to industrial and infrastructure customers.
• Jib Cranes Freestanding and wall-mounted jib cranes with capacities from 1/4 to 10 tons for industrial material handling applications.
• Monorail Crane Systems Monorail chain conveyors and complete automated paint line systems for material handling applications.
• Self-Propelled Harvesters Custom-designed self-propelled harvesters for agricultural applications including potato and onion harvesting.
• Concrete Batch Plants Custom concrete batch plants for mixing operations designed to improve productivity and cost efficiency.
• Cement Terminals Custom cement terminal equipment for material handling and storage operations.
• Material Handling Equipment Custom build-to-print vacuum lifters and other material handling solutions for specialized industrial applications.
• Aluminum Plate Staging Table Fully automated heat treat furnace staging table for aluminum processing, aligning plates with 1/4 inch accuracy using photo-eye technology and Allen Bradley PLC control with Wonderware HMI interface, cycle time under 20 seconds.
• Aerospace Test Press Design-build 1.25 million pound articulating test press for aerospace testing applications.
• Aerospace Tooling Custom aerospace equipment including R&D, in-house prototyping, testing, and commissioning services for aviation, space, and defense organizations under ISO9001 and AS9100 certification.
• Welding & Fabrication Services AWS-certified fabrication services using MIG, TIG, flux-cored, and plasma arc welding with 150ft x 20ft laser-leveled layout tables for tight tolerance work.
• Machining Services CNC machining services including vertical mills, horizontal mills, bridge mills, and lathes with capacity up to 21ft width x 60ft length x 21ft height for milling and 118 inch swing x 312 inch length x 100,000 lbs for turning.
• Measurement Services Precision measurement services including CMM inspection, laser leveling, laser alignment, jobsite measurements, and third-party inspection using Romer Absolute Arm, Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex S, and Leica AT402 laser tracker to .0002 inch accuracy.
• Assembly Services Complex assembly of overhead cranes and equipment including mechanical, electrical, and automation assembly with capacity up to 200 tons.
• Industrial Sandblasting & Painting Industrial coating services including zinc coating, two-part epoxy, and urethane finishes using high-solid epoxy for long-lasting metal protection, performed in an isolated paint room.
• Crane Service & Inspection OSHA-compliant annual crane and hoist inspection, rail inspection, rigging inspection, plus maintenance, repairs, and rehabilitation performed by NCCCO certified inspectors.
• Engineering Services Full-service engineering including design-build, build-to-print, stress analysis, R&D, reverse engineering, and automation & controls.
• Crane Rehabilitation & Upgrades Full crane rehabilitation including removal of old cranes, rail evaluation and repair, control system updates, hoist repair or replacement, lead and asbestos abatement, and field and factory repainting.

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• All Major Crane & Hoist ManufacturerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for all major crane and hoist manufacturers. Provides access to standard equipment offerings alongside custom manufacturing capabilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Crane & Equipment Corporation: American Crane designs and manufactures custom overhead bridge cranes, gantry cranes, and hoists for specialized industrial applications including defense and aerospace. Closely comparable niche custom-crane OEM competing for similar government, defense, and industrial customers.
• Caldwell (B.E. Caldwell): Caldwell designs and manufactures below-the-hook lifting devices, gantry cranes, and customized material handling equipment for industrial customers. Comparable specialty manufacturer of custom material handling and lifting equipment with similar go-to-market via project-based custom work.
• Whiting Corporation: Whiting Corporation manufactures heavy-duty overhead cranes, gantry cranes, and custom material handling equipment for steel mills, rail, and heavy industrial customers. Comparable focus on custom-engineered, heavy-capacity overhead cranes and aftermarket service for aging industrial infrastructure.
• PaR Systems (a part of Kinetics): PaR Systems designs and manufactures custom material handling systems, robotic automation, and heavy-lift specialty equipment for aerospace, defense, nuclear, and industrial customers. Closely comparable for WEMCO's aerospace tooling, nuclear, and custom automation lines.
• Gorbel: Gorbel manufactures overhead bridge cranes, jib cranes, gantry cranes, and ergonomic lifting products, with significant custom-engineering capability for industrial and aerospace customers. Closely comparable niche-focused crane manufacturer competing with WEMCO for custom industrial material handling jobs.
• Spanco Inc. Spanco designs and manufactures overhead cranes, jib cranes, and gantry cranes, often for specialized industrial applications. Directly comparable size and product mix to WEMCO's custom crane business, with similar emphasis on custom-engineered solutions for industrial customers.

Regional players

• Northwest Crane & Heavy Haul: Northwest Crane is a Pacific Northwest-based crane services, sales, and inspection provider. Geographically adjacent to WEMCO's Spokane/Vancouver footprint and competes in crane service and distribution though less focused on custom manufacturing.

Broad incumbents

• Terex Corporation (Material Handling): Terex's Material Handling portfolio includes Demag, Genie, and other industrial crane and lifting brands serving ports, heavy industrial, and infrastructure. Major global incumbent comparable to WEMCO's overhead crane business in industry but at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• Konecranes: Konecranes is the largest global manufacturer of industrial cranes and lifting equipment, including overhead bridge cranes up to multi-hundred ton capacities, and operates a global service network. Directly comparable to WEMCO's overhead crane manufacturing business but at vastly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Columbus McKinnon Corporation: Columbus McKinnon is a major North American manufacturer of hoists, cranes, rigging, and material handling products, including overhead bridge cranes and jib cranes. Overlaps with WEMCO's crane product portfolio and authorized distributor model, but operates at much larger scale as a public OEM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wemco1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Wemco