Sinclair Designs & Engineering

What Sinclair Designs & Engineering does

Sinclair Designs & Engineering is a U.S. manufacturer of commercial and residential solar racking solutions headquartered and producing at a single facility in Albion, Michigan. Founded in 2007 by Kyle Sinclair as a veteran and family-owned business, the company designs, fabricates, and welds ground-mount and carport solar mounting systems, supported by an in-house CNC division. Its flagship product, the Sky Rack 2.0 Ground Solar Mount, is configurable for 10-50 panels with fixed or seasonally adjustable tilt and sells direct to consumers online for $2,000-$6,700. The company also offers three commercial carport configurations (Y-CANOPY, T-CANOPY, L-CANOPY) with ASCE-compliant structural calculations for parking-lot and walkway installations.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market combining a self-serve e-commerce storefront for DIY installers with quote-based enterprise sales for commercial carport projects. To complement its core racking line, Sinclair is an authorized distributor of Aptos Solar panels, Sol-Ark inverters (15K and 30K), and Poly U-Guard wire management products, enabling bundled turnkey solar system sales. Certifications include ISO 9001:2015 (valid 2026-2029), UL 2703, BABA, IIJA, and AIS compliance — qualifications that position the company for federally funded infrastructure work. Marketing is community-led, leveraging customer installation videos from YouTube creators (Engineer775, Practical Preppers, Johnny Valentine, Advancing Solar Solutions) alongside downloadable technical documentation and a product-configurator website.

Revenue is generated entirely through hardware sales — proprietary manufactured racking systems and redistributed third-party solar components — with unit-based pricing, quantity discounts, and bespoke quoting for commercial projects. The company carries no disclosed funding, no institutional investors, and operates as an independent private entity with 11-50 employees and nearly two decades of operating history.

Name

Sinclair Designs & Engineering

Legal name

Sinclair Designs & Engineering

Website

https://sinclair-designs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sinclair Designs & Engineering is a veteran and family-owned Michigan manufacturer of solar racking and commercial carport systems, selling configurable ground mounts and bundled solar components direct to DIY installers and commercial buyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solar Racking and Mounting Systems

NAICS

Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing (332322)

SIC

Sheet Metal Work (3444)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar Mounting, Racking, Trackers & Structural BOS Manufacturing (EUAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Solar Mounting, Racking & Trackers (Fixed-Tilt, Single/Dual-Axis, Rooftop Mounts) (EUAMABAF), Solar Balance-of-System Components (Cables, Combiner Boxes, Switchgear, Transformers) (EUAMABAG)

Keywords

• Solar racking systems
• Ground mount systems
• Commercial solar carports
• Solar mounting hardware
• Photovoltaic mounting solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Albion

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Solar Racking Hardware Sales: Direct sales of proprietary ground mount systems (Sky Rack 2.0) and commercial carport systems. Products manufactured in-house at Albion, Michigan facility. Unit-based pricing with quantity discounts available.
2. Solar Components Distribution: Authorized distributor of Aptos Solar panels (DNA-120-BF10-440W Bi-Facial) and Sol-Ark inverters (15K, 30K). Includes wire management products (Poly U-Guard). Revenue from markup on redistributed components.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sinclair Designs & Engineering manufactures and sells solar racking solutions, principally the Sky Rack 2.0 Ground Solar Mount system (configurable for 10–50 panels with fixed-tilt or seasonal-adjust options) and three commercial carport structures (Y-CANOPY, T-CANOPY, L-CANOPY). The company fabricates, CNC-machines, and welds racking components in-house at its Albion, Michigan facility, and also distributes complementary components such as Aptos bi-facial panels, Sol-Ark inverters, and Poly U-Guard wire management products.

Product overview

Sinclair Designs & Engineering offers a focused portfolio of solar racking solutions centered on the Sky Rack 2.0 Ground Solar Mount system and Commercial Carport Systems. The Sky Rack 2.0 is the core ground mount product supporting 10-50 panels with fixed tilt or seasonal adjustment options. Commercial carport offerings include Y-CANOPY, T-CANOPY, and L-CANOPY systems designed for different array orientations. To complete installations, the company distributes complementary products including Aptos DNA-120-BF10-440W Bi-Facial solar panels, Sol-Ark inverters (15K and 30K), and Poly U-Guard wire management solutions. The company manufactures all racking products at their facility in Albion, Michigan and provides supporting documentation including installation guides, structural calculations, and 25-year warranties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sky Rack 2.0 Ground Solar Mount Flagship ground-mount solar racking system configurable to support 10 to 50 solar panels with either a fixed-tilt or seasonal-adjust orientation; supports 72-cell modules on I-BEAM construction and is priced between $2,000 and $6,700 depending on configuration, intended for residential, small commercial, and DIY ground-mount solar installations.
• Commercial Carport Systems (Y-CANOPY, T-CANOPY, L-CANOPY) Three commercial carport configurations for parking-lot and walkway solar canopies — Y-CANOPY (north-south arrays, 36× 72-cell modules per I-beam), T-CANOPY (east-west arrays, 36× 72-cell modules per I-beam), and L-CANOPY (single-side, 18–24× 72-cell modules per I-beam) — supplied with ASCE-compliant certified structural calculations and detailed construction drawings for commercial project buyers.
• Aptos Solar Panels Authorized distribution of Aptos DNA-120-BF10-440W 440W Bi-Facial solar panels, sold as a complementary component guaranteed to easily integrate with Sinclair racking configurations for complete solar installations.
• Sol-Ark Inverters (15K and 30K) Authorized distribution of Sol-Ark inverters in 15K and 30K models (including the newly added 30K) offered as complementary power-management components for solar installations integrating with Sinclair racking.
• Poly U-Guard Wire Management Wire management product (Poly U-Guard) for covering and protecting cabling in solar installations, sold as a complementary balance-of-system item alongside Sinclair racking.
• RAMBO Post Pounder Ground-mount installation accessory for driving posts, referenced in Sinclair Designs product brochures as a complementary tool for post-driven ground-mount solar installations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25-Year Warranty on products
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Aptos SolarcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor of Aptos DNA-120-BF10-440W 440W Bi-Facial Solar Panels. Components guaranteed to easily integrate with Sinclair racking configurations.
• Sol-Ark InverterscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for Sol-Ark inverters including 15K and 30K models. Great choices for power management in solar installations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PanelClaw: PanelClaw specializes in ballasted and penetrating flat-roof solar racking as well as ground-mount systems for commercial installations. It competes with Sinclair in the commercial mounting category with similar engineering-driven go-to-market.
• RBI Solar: RBI Solar manufactures ground-mount and carport solar racking systems for commercial and utility-scale projects. It is one of the closest direct competitors to Sinclair, offering comparable configurable mounting structures with engineering support.
• IronRidge: IronRidge designs and manufactures solar mounting hardware, primarily for rooftop and ground-mount residential and light commercial applications. It is a direct competitor with a comparable DIY-friendly brand and e-commerce channel.
• Sunmodo: Sunmodo manufactures residential and commercial solar mounting solutions, including ground-mount and roof-mount racking with UL certifications. It directly competes with Sinclair's Sky Rack ground-mount line on product and channel.

Broad incumbents

• Unirac: Unirac is one of North America's largest solar mounting manufacturers, offering roof-mount, ground-mount, and rail-less systems. It competes broadly with Sinclair, especially in the commercial and residential ground-mount categories.
• GameChange Solar: GameChange Solar is a large incumbent in fixed-tilt and tracker racking for utility-scale and commercial projects. It overlaps with Sinclair's ground-mount segment but at materially larger scale and project size.
• Schletter Group: Schletter is a global, established manufacturer of solar mounting systems for residential, commercial, and utility-scale projects. It overlaps with Sinclair across ground mounts and carports but operates at a much larger, multinational scale.
• Array Technologies: Array Technologies is a leading U.S. manufacturer of single-axis solar trackers for utility-scale projects. While focused on trackers rather than fixed-tilt, it represents a broader incumbent competing for the same downstream solar project budgets Sinclair targets.

Regional players

• Mounting Systems GmbH: Mounting Systems GmbH (now part of GrahamTek/ideematec) produces commercial and utility-scale ground-mount and carport racking in Europe. It is comparable to Sinclair on product scope but primarily serves European geographies.
• K2 Systems: K2 Systems is a European-headquartered solar racking manufacturer with growing North American presence. It is a relevant peer on product comparability, though its core market is European and it does not directly compete head-to-head with Sinclair in Michigan.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SinclairDesignsEngineering

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Sinclair Designs & Engineering