Factory Pipe

What Factory Pipe does

Factory Pipe, LLC is a privately held, founder-owned metal fabrication company founded in 1978 by Ross Liberty and headquartered in Ukiah, California. The company designs, engineers, prototypes, and manufactures custom exhaust systems and deep-draw stampings for the powersports and motorsports industry, serving as a Tier 1 OEM supplier to manufacturers of ATVs, snowmobiles, personal watercraft, and motorcycles. It operates from a 140,000 square-foot vertically integrated facility with approximately 70-73 employees, employing deep-draw stamping, ten robotic welding cells, a FANUC fiber laser cutting cell, 3D printing for prototyping, and in-house low-cost flexible tooling to compete on total cost of ownership against low-cost country suppliers in the 250-25,000 unit production band.

The company's business model is anchored in long-cycle OEM design partnerships. Factory Pipe embeds its DFMEA-led design expertise early in customer product development, then delivers finished exhaust assemblies directly to OEM assembly lines with a publicly stated 100% on-time delivery record over six years and single-digit PPM defect rates. A secondary revenue stream consists of the company's own line of branded aftermarket high-performance PWC exhaust systems sold under the Factory Pipe Watercraft sub-brand. Pricing is quote-based B2B and not publicly disclosed; the company competes on total cost of ownership, lead time, and design flexibility rather than bill-of-materials cost.

The company has grown organically and profitably with zero debt since founding, achieved a 48% sales increase in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is not backed by venture capital or private equity. Its customer base is concentrated in a narrow vertical of powersports OEMs (Polaris being a named anchor), with leadership tenure ranging from 11 to 45+ years across the founder, department managers, and engineering leadership.

Name

Factory Pipe

Legal name

Factory Pipe, LLC

Website

https://factorypipe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Factory Pipe is a founder-owned metal fabricator in Ukiah, California that designs and manufactures custom exhaust systems and deep-draw stampings for powersports OEMs (ATVs, snowmobiles, PWCs) and the aftermarket, operating a vertically integrated 140,000 sq-ft facility with ~70 employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Exhaust System Manufacturing

NAICS

Motor Vehicle Gasoline Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing (33631), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Engines & Turbines (3510)

akta.pro primary industry

Aftermarket Exhaust & Emissions Components Manufacturing (Mufflers/Catalysts/DPF/EGR) (IMACANAE)

Keywords

• Exhaust systems manufacturing
• Powersports OEM supplier
• Deep-draw stamping
• Metal fabrication services
• Tier 1 automotive supplier

Headquarters

HQ city

Ukiah

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. OEM Exhaust System Manufacturing: Designs, engineers, and builds custom exhaust systems for powersports OEMs, delivered right and on time to assembly lines. Revenue comes from production contracts with OEM customers for low to medium volume (250 to 25,000 units).
2. Aftermarket Exhaust Products: Own line of high-performance Personal Water Craft (PWC) exhaust systems sold to aftermarket customers. Original business started as aftermarket motocross exhaust provider.
3. Deep-Draw Stamping Services: Provides prototype, low-to-medium production deep-draw stampings with very short lead times for the motorsports industry. Customers can attest to short lead time and flexibility.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Factory Pipe designs, engineers, and manufactures complete exhaust systems for the motorsports and powersports industry, supplying OEMs such as Polaris with finished assemblies for ATVs, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and personal watercraft. The company operates a turnkey, vertically integrated model covering design (DFMEA), prototyping, iterative review, production, and on-time delivery to customer assembly lines for low-to-medium volume runs of 250 to 25,000 units, and also sells its own line of aftermarket PWC exhaust systems under the Factory Pipe Watercraft brand.

Product overview

Factory Pipe is a vertically integrated manufacturing company offering exhaust systems and deep-draw stampings primarily for the motorsports and powersports industry. Their core product portfolio includes exhaust systems for ATVs, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and personal water craft (PWC), alongside deep-draw stamping services. The company operates a design-through-delivery model, providing design for manufacturability services, prototyping, iterative design review, and series production as a complete solution. Their manufacturing capabilities include robotic welding cells (10 welding robots), 3D laser cutting, and tube bending. They specialize in low-to-medium volume production (250 to 25,000 units) with rapid turnaround times. Their PWC exhaust systems are sold under their own brand through a separate web property.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Factory Pipe Watercraft: High-performance Personal Water Craft (PWC) exhaust systems - the company's own line of branded products

Products and services

• OEM Exhaust Systems for Powersports and Motorsports Factory Pipe designs, engineers, and manufactures complete exhaust systems for the motorsports and powersports industry, covering two-stroke and four-stroke engines for ATVs, snowmobiles, motorcycles, and personal watercraft, delivered right and on time to OEM assembly lines for low-to-medium volume runs of 250 to 25,000 units.
• Deep-Draw Stampings Prototype and low-to-medium production deep-draw stampings with very short lead times for the motorsports industry, using in-house low-cost flexible tooling that runs thousands of parts at a small fraction of the cost of classic high-production hard tooling, with typical runs of 2,000 to 3,000 units and largest runs of up to 20,000 units.
• Factory Pipe Watercraft PWC Exhaust Systems Factory Pipe's own line of high-performance Personal Water Craft exhaust systems, sold directly to aftermarket customers through the Factory Pipe Watercraft web property, extending the company's OEM exhaust expertise into a branded consumer product.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% on-time delivery for 6 years running with single-digit PPM defects
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dynamic Robotic Solutions (DRS)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2018Provided FANUC robotic fiber laser cutting cell integration. Equipment tailored for Factory Pipe's workflow enabling single-piece flow. Cell can be loaded with up to 20 different parts at any one time and integrates with welding department operations.
• Keith Curtis RacingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFactory Pipe is the exhaust supplier for Team Keith Curtis Racing, a snowmobile racing team. Company provides performance exhaust systems for racing applications and receives race results coverage.
• Adventist Health Ukiah ValleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuring COVID-19 pandemic, Factory Pipe designed and manufactured prototype tent brackets for hospital beds at Adventist Health Ukiah Valley. Ross Liberty and team delivered custom supports to help combat airborne droplets during airway management procedures.
• Looney Tuned ExhaustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWelded the final pieces together for the COVID-19 tent bracket project created for Adventist Health Ukiah Valley.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MBRP: Performance exhaust systems for trucks, SUVs, side-by-sides, and snowmobiles. Comparable on metal fabrication, exhaust system design, and tier-1 supplier competencies.
• Akrapovič: Premium titanium exhaust systems for motorcycles, automobiles, and powersports. Comparable on exhaust manufacturing craftsmanship, OEM and aftermarket go-to-market, and tier-1 supply relationships.
• HMF Engineering: Performance exhaust systems, ECU tuners, and related components for UTV, ATV, and side-by-side platforms. Comparable niche focus on powersports exhaust with strong OEM and aftermarket presence.
• Yoshimura: Long-established Japanese-origin performance exhaust manufacturer serving motorcycle, ATV, and UTV markets. Comparable in product category (aftermarket/OEM powersports exhaust) and customer base.
• FMF Racing: Aftermarket and OEM performance exhaust manufacturer for motocross, off-road, and PWC applications. Directly comparable to Factory Pipe on two- and four-stroke exhaust systems for powersports end markets.
• Bassani Xhaust: Performance exhaust systems and headers for V-twins, metric, and powersports motorcycles. Comparable mid-sized specialty exhaust manufacturer serving OEM and aftermarket channels.
• Two Brothers Racing: Aftermarket exhaust systems for motorcycles, ATVs, and UTVs. Directly comparable niche in powersports/UTV exhaust manufacturing and dealer/aftermarket distribution.
• Vance & Hines: American aftermarket motorcycle exhaust and fuel management systems company. Comparable in two-stroke/four-stroke exhaust manufacturing and brand-led aftermarket channel model.

Broad incumbents

• Faurecia: Global Tier-1 automotive supplier with a major exhaust systems business (now FORVIA). Comparable on OEM exhaust manufacturing, but at vastly larger scale and with focus on passenger vehicle OEMs.
• Tenneco: Large automotive components manufacturer with significant exhaust and emissions control operations. Comparable on exhaust systems manufacturing and OEM supply relationships, though focused on high-volume passenger vehicles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Factory-Pipe-LLC-110473327790617
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/factory-pipe-llc
• Instagraminstagram.com/factory_pipe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Factory Pipe