Steel Systems Engineering

What Steel Systems Engineering does

Steel Systems Engineering, Inc. (SSE) is a privately held structural steel detailing firm founded in 1981 by Simon Schusterman and headquartered in Sherman Oaks, California, with a wholly owned subsidiary in Manila, Philippines. The company translates structural engineering designs into shop fabrication drawings, mill orders, 3D models, and production files for steel fabricators, general contractors, and project owners. Its service portfolio is organized around two integrated offerings: Steel Detailing (the preparation of fabrication-ready shop drawings) and 3D Building Information Modeling (BIM), which together enable model-based coordination, collision detection, and machine-ready output (NC1/DSTV, DXF, KSS) for automated fabrication machinery. SSE serves six end markets — highrises, government, healthcare, commercial/retail, industrial, and academic/entertainment — with named engagements for customers including The Herrick Corporation, Schuff Steel, Cedars-Sinai, Hoag Memorial Hospital, Microsoft, and Google.

The firm operates 100% on computerized workflows using legally licensed latest versions of major detailing platforms: SDS2 and Tekla Structures as primary tools, supported by Fabtrol, Autodesk Revit Structure, AutoCAD, IntelliCAD, Softscan, and Softburn. SSE's value proposition is built on drawing accuracy, on-time delivery under fast-track schedules, expertise in innovative structural systems (Buckling Restrained Bracing, SidePlate Systems, Steel Plate Shear Walls), and an experienced team that includes former manual detailers and civil engineering scholars. Cumulatively, SSE has detailed over 1,000 steel structures surpassing 1 million tons of structural and miscellaneous steel, and won the 2014 Tekla Global BIM Award for the San Jose Earthquakes Stadium.

Revenue is generated through project-based B2B contracts acquired via competitive bidding and long-term relationships, with quote-based pricing that is not publicly disclosed. The company employs approximately 170 people split between the Los Angeles headquarters and the Manila subsidiary, maintains a single-contact-point sales model through Sherman Oaks, and relies on portfolio display, industry awards, and client testimonials as its primary marketing channels. SSE is founder-owned with no disclosed institutional investors, no external funding rounds, and no public revenue disclosures.

Name

Steel Systems Engineering

Legal name

Steel Systems Engineering, Inc.

Website

https://sseus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Steel Systems Engineering is a privately held structural steel detailing and 3D BIM firm, founded in 1981 and based in Sherman Oaks, California with a Manila, Philippines subsidiary. It serves steel fabricators, general contractors, and project owners across highrise, government, healthcare, commercial, industrial, and academic/entertainment sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Structural Steel Detailing Services

NAICS

Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturing (332312), Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

Fabricated Structural Metal Products (3440), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Steel Plate, Sections & Welded Assemblies (IMADACAD)

Keywords

• Structural steel detailing
• Shop fabrication drawings
• 3D BIM modeling
• Steel construction services
• Building information modeling

Headquarters

HQ city

Sherman Oaks

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Steel Detailing Services: Preparation of shop fabrication drawings derived from accurate interpretation of project design documents. Includes mill orders, 3D models, automated machinery production files, and shop drawings.
2. 3D Building Information Modeling (BIM) Services: Digital modeling services for steel construction projects including cost management, construction management, project management, and facility operations coordination.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Steel Systems Engineering is a structural steel detailing firm that prepares shop fabrication drawings and 3D Building Information Modeling deliverables for steel construction projects. Detailers translate structural engineering designs into mill orders, 3D models, production files for automated fabricator machinery (NC1/DSTV, DXF, KSS), and shop drawings, while coordinating across architectural, structural, and MEP disciplines. The company serves fabricators, general contractors, and project owners across highrise, government, healthcare, commercial, industrial, and academic/entertainment sectors.

Product overview

Steel Systems Engineering (SSE) is a structural steel detailing company offering two integrated core services: Steel Detailing (shop fabrication drawings) and 3D Building Information Modeling (BIM). These services work together — BIM models serve as the digital foundation from which detailed fabrication drawings are generated, enabling coordination, collision detection, and model-based shop drawing review. The company operates 100% computerized, employing legally licensed versions of SDS2 and Tekla Structures as their primary detailing platforms, with supporting software including Fabtrol, Autodesk Revit Structure, and AutoCAD. Deliverables include shop drawings, 3D models, and production files (NC1/DSTV, DXF, KSS) for fabricator automated machinery, along with supporting reports such as bolt reports, weight lists, RFI reports, and IFC/BIM coordination files.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Steel Detailing Preparation of shop fabrication drawings derived from accurate interpretation of project design documents. Detailers translate structural engineering designs into the language of steel fabrication, developing mill orders, 3D models, automated machinery production files, and shop drawings for steel fabricators, general contractors, and project owners.
• 3D Building Information Modeling (BIM) Digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility, enabling coordination between all disciplines, virtual modeling, collision detection, visualization, and analysis throughout the construction lifecycle. Serves steel fabricators, general contractors, and project owners requiring coordinated 3D models for construction and facility operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• On-time deliverables consistently achieved even under extreme and demanding pressures of fast-track project deliveries
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Burns & McDonnell: Large engineering/construction firm with structural and industrial practices that overlap with SSE's industrial, healthcare and government project exposure.
• Black & Veatch: Engineering and construction firm active in industrial and infrastructure sectors where SSE also delivers detailing services, with overlapping project owner relationships.
• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture and consulting firm with a structural practice that competes for design-adjacent detailing and BIM work, particularly on larger institutional projects.
• Thornton Tomasetti: Large structural engineering consultancy that performs advanced structural analysis, often adjacent to or upstream of SSE's detailing scope on complex projects.

Direct peers

• SteelVision: Steel detailing and BIM service provider serving fabricators across commercial, industrial and infrastructure projects — a closely comparable specialty detailing shop.
• Dowco Consultants: US-based structural steel detailing firm offering shop drawings and BIM services to fabricators and general contractors, directly overlapping SSE's core offering and customer base.
• Detailing Solutions Inc. Structural steel detailing firm producing shop drawings and 3D models for steel fabricators, operating in the same niche as SSE with similar project-based delivery.
• Tru-Fit Detailing: Specialized steel detailing services firm using Tekla/SDS2 platforms — directly comparable in technology stack, customer profile and project-based services.

Emerging players

• Pivotal Engineering: Smaller structural detailing and engineering firm serving similar fabricator customers with comparable BIM-led workflows, though at smaller scale.

Others

• Trimble (Tekla / SDS2): Provider of Tekla Structures and SDS2 — the primary steel detailing platforms SSE relies on. Not a direct competitor but an enabling/ecosystem player whose pricing and roadmap affect SSE's cost structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 Steel Systems Engineering