USM

What USM does

USM, Inc. is a Houston, Texas-based custom engineering, design, and manufacturing firm founded in 1966, owned and operated by the Johnson family (Chris Johnson, CEO; Paul Johnson, President/Sales). The company specializes in fabricating scale models, full-scale and lightweight mockups, operation and maintenance training devices, test models, custom-machined components, and prototypes for aerospace, defense, and industrial customers including NASA/JSC, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, the Naval Air Warfare Center-TSD, and major oil & gas firms (Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes, BP, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell). Its 40,000+ sq ft facility integrates an 8,000 sq ft CNC machine shop, an 8,000 sq ft model shop with CO2 laser cutting, a 30 ft. high assembly bay with a 7.5-ton overhead crane, a 16 ft. paint booth, composite fabrication capabilities, FDM 3D printing, and over 20 AutoCAD engineering workstations. The company is ISO 9001:2015 certified and has earned multiple customer commendations from NASA, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and the U.S. Air Force.

USM operates a project-based custom manufacturing business model. Engagements range from fabrication to supplied drawings through turnkey projects encompassing design, engineering, and fabrication, priced on a quote basis with no publicly disclosed price list; the company cites multi-year contract relationships on program work. Go-to-market is direct: a small sales team led by the owners handles inbound phone and email inquiries (800.324.4144), supplemented by recurring presence at ExhibitorLive and OTC Week trade shows and a content-marketing website showcasing its portfolio. Customer segments are organized vertically — primary aerospace & defense contractors and government space agencies (NASA), with secondary oil & gas and military/naval — and the service mix is concentrated in physical training articles, pre-production prototypes, and trade-show display models rather than software or recurring subscription offerings.

Revenue, funding, and detailed financial metrics are not publicly disclosed, and the company is privately held with no venture capital or private equity investment. Headcount is stated at 85 with surge capacity via qualified contract labor, and the company continued operating through the COVID-19 pandemic. There is no evidence of M&A activity, no subsidiaries, and no expansion beyond the single Houston facility beyond a single minor partnership signal related to a MENA digital ecosystem webinar.

Name

USM

Legal name

USM, Inc.

Website

https://usminc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

USM, Inc. is a Houston-based, Johnson-family-owned custom engineering and manufacturing firm founded in 1966 that designs and fabricates scale models, full-scale mockups, training devices, prototypes, and precision-machined components for aerospace, defense, and industrial clients including NASA and Boeing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Manufacturing Services: Project-based custom fabrication services ranging from simple fabrication from supplied drawings to comprehensive turnkey projects including design, engineering, and fabrication. Services include mockups, scale models, 3D printing, custom machining, training devices, and interactive exhibits for aerospace, defense, and industrial clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

USM, Inc. is a custom engineering, design, and manufacturing facility that fabricates scale models, full-scale mockups, training devices, prototypes, and custom machined parts for aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial clients. Services range from fabrication from supplied drawings to full turnkey projects encompassing design, engineering, and fabrication across ferrous/non-ferrous metals, plastics, and wood materials.

Product overview

USM, Inc. is a custom engineering, design, and manufacturing facility offering six core product/service categories: Mockups, Scale Models, 3D Printing, Interactive Exhibits, Custom Machining, and Training Devices. The company fabricates custom products ranging from full-scale engineering mockups to scale models and prototypes, serving aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial sectors. Services span from supplied drawings to turnkey projects including design, engineering, and fabrication using materials including ferrous/non-ferrous metals, plastics, and wood.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mockups

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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 minor.

• TEDCO (Maryland's economic engine for technology companies)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 March 2026Collaboration with TEDCO, WTCI, and Jordan Source for a webinar exploring Jordan's digital ecosystem and opportunities for tech engagement in the MENA region. The webinar will feature Jordanian leaders and discuss Jordan's strategic location, innovation ecosystem, and private equity landscape, aiming to expand cross-border collaborations. Event rescheduled to April 6, 2026.
• WTCIminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 March 2026Collaboration with TEDCO, USM, and Jordan Source for a webinar exploring Jordan's digital ecosystem and opportunities for tech engagement in the MENA region. The webinar will feature Jordanian leaders and discuss Jordan's strategic location, innovation ecosystem, and private equity landscape, aiming to expand cross-border collaborations. Event rescheduled to April 6, 2026.
• Jordan Source (Kingdom of Jordan's Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 March 2026Jordan Source is collaborating with TEDCO, WTCI, and USM for a webinar exploring Jordan's digital ecosystem and opportunities for tech engagement in the MENA region. The webinar will feature Jordanian leaders and discuss Jordan's strategic location, innovation ecosystem, and private equity landscape, aiming to expand cross-border collaborations. Event rescheduled to April 6, 2026.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Triumph Group: Aerospace structures and systems manufacturer supplying major OEMs and defense primes. Comparable to USM's aerospace-customer base and custom fabrication orientation, though Triumph operates at much greater scale across metallic and composite aerostructures.
• L3Harris Technologies: Major defense prime with a substantial training and simulation business serving military aviation, naval, and ground customers. L3Harris is both a potential customer-adjacent prime and a competitor for full-scale training hardware programs where USM also bids.
• Kratos Defense & Security Solutions: Defense provider of unmanned systems, training, and aerospace products to US and allied militaries. Overlaps with USM in defense training hardware and shares a customer base among US defense primes and government agencies.
• CAE Inc. Global leader in training systems for civil aviation, defense, and healthcare. CAE competes with USM in the aerospace/defense training-device market but operates at vastly larger scale and focuses on full-motion simulators rather than fabricated physical mockups.
• FlightSafety International: Provider of flight training devices and full-flight simulators, primarily serving commercial and business aviation with a defense footprint. Overlaps with USM's aircraft-trainer work (e.g., F-22, C-17, C-130) but at much higher integration scale and with software-centric simulator offerings.

Others

• Moog Inc. Designer and manufacturer of high-performance precision motion control products used widely in flight simulators and training devices. Moog's motion bases and actuators are commonly embedded inside the type of training equipment USM fabricates, making it a complementary rather than directly competing supplier.

Direct peers

• Applied Research Associates (ARA): Employee-owned research and engineering firm that designs, prototypes, and fabricates custom defense and aerospace hardware, including training and test articles. Closely mirrors USM's small-shop, high-mix custom-fabrication model serving defense primes and government agencies.
• SimIS Inc. Modeling, simulation, and training company serving the US Navy, Marine Corps, and other DoD customers with custom training systems and prototype hardware. Comparable niche custom training-device fabrication work targeting the same defense customer base as USM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/usm-inc.

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 USM