Cartel Industries

What Cartel Industries does

Cartel Industries, LLC is a precision sheet metal fabrication company founded in 1971 and headquartered in a 50,000-square-foot facility in Irvine, California (Orange County). The company manufactures custom metal products and assemblies for aerospace, defense, medical, electronics, and broader industrial customers, with a stated value proposition of delivering aerospace-quality fabrication at commercial prices. Cartel operates as a privately held LLC with 101-250 employees and has been ISO 9001 certified continuously since 1998.

The company organizes its offering into three integrated service lines: Manufacturing Services (laser cutting up to 4,000 watts, CNC punching, up to 150-ton stamping, welding, hardware insertion, automated orbital deburring up to 48-inch width, metal finishing, and value-added assembly, coating, and packaging); Engineering Solutions (free Design-for-Manufacturability support, reverse engineering via CMM scanning, an in-house tool and die shop, and an extensive proprietary tooling library including louvers, stiffening ribs, knockouts, and embosses); and World Class Quality (laser scanning, 3D inspection, FAI and PFMEA reporting, custom inspection control plans, and capability studies for GD&T-validated specifications). Equipment includes 10-foot shear and bend capacity, real-time bar-coded work order tracking, and KanBan/JIT inventory programs operating under Lean Manufacturing principles.

Cartel's business model is project-based contract manufacturing. Revenue is generated through one-time fabrication engagements plus engineering and value-added services, with quote-based pricing that is not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is sales-led and primarily direct: phone outreach, a website contact form with PDF upload capability, and minimal digital marketing. Customer acquisition leverages free engineering support as a funnel into fabrication work, with an emphasis on early design engagement to lock in production orders. Distribution is domestic US-only with no channel partners or resellers. Cartel maintains a partnership with SolidWorks for CAD integration and has no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or external funding.

Name

Cartel Industries

Legal name

Cartel Industries, LLC

Website

https://cartelind.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Cartel Industries is a US precision sheet metal fabricator serving aerospace, defense, and industrial customers from its ISO 9001-certified 50,000 sq ft Irvine, California facility, offering integrated manufacturing, engineering, and quality inspection services on a project-quote basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Irvine

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, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Precision Sheet Metal Manufacturing: Contract manufacturing of custom precision sheet metal products and assemblies. Revenue generated through fabrication services, tooling development, and value-added services including assembly, finishing, and packaging. Operates on a project/quote basis with customers specifying requirements for custom fabrication work.
2. Engineering and Design Services: Free engineering support and Product Development services provided to customers to drive manufacturing engagements. Design for Manufacturability solutions help customers optimize designs for production, generating downstream fabrication revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Cartel Industries is a precision sheet metal fabricator that produces metal components and assemblies for OEMs in the aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial sectors. The company operates a 50,000 square foot facility in Irvine, California, and delivers its work through three service lines: Manufacturing Services, Engineering Solutions, and World Class Quality assurance. It has been ISO 9001 certified since 1998 and has operated continuously since its founding in 1971.

Product overview

Cartel Industries is a sheet metal fabrication company offering three integrated service lines: Manufacturing Services (diverse metal fabrication capabilities including laser cutting, CNC punching, welding, and finishing), Engineering Solutions (free engineering support, reverse engineering, DFM solutions, and in-house tooling), and World Class Quality (ISO 9001-certified inspection, compliance verification, and quality reporting). The company operates as a unified service portfolio where engineering engagement during design phase supports manufacturing production, which is then validated through quality assurance processes—enabling aerospace-quality fabrication at commercial prices for customers from initial concept through finished product delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Aerospace quality at commercial prices (cost reduction through built-in quality)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Mueller Industries: Large diversified manufacturer of copper, brass, aluminum, and steel products including fabricated components. Comparable to Cartel through fabricated metal components but operates at substantially greater scale across multiple product categories.
• Mayville Engineering Company (MEC): Larger US contract metal manufacturer serving commercial vehicle, powersports, military, and industrial markets with fabrication, stamping, machining, and assembly. Comparable to Cartel in core capabilities but operates at significantly greater scale, multiple facilities, and broader end-market exposure.
• Metaltek International: Diversified metal manufacturing group providing casting, fabrication, and machining services to industrial, aerospace, and defense markets. Comparable to Cartel through its fabrication capabilities but with broader metallurgical offerings and multiple facilities.

Regional players

• Midwest Metal Products: Custom metal fabrication, stamping, and assembly serving industrial customers from Midwest US facilities. Comparable to Cartel in core sheet metal services but with different geographic footprint and primarily industrial (non-aerospace) customer mix.

Direct peers

• Astro Manufacturing & Design: Precision sheet metal and machined parts manufacturer focused on aerospace, defense, and medical OEM customers with CNC machining, laser cutting, and assembly. Closely comparable to Cartel in customer base, capabilities, and quality positioning.
• Protolabs: Digital-first custom contract manufacturer offering CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, injection molding, and 3D printing with automated quoting. Directly competes with Cartel for low-to-mid volume precision sheet metal jobs, with Protolabs leading on digital customer experience and Cartel leading on aerospace-grade high-mix work.
• Kapco Metal Stamping: Contract metal stamping, fabrication, and assembly serving aerospace, medical, and industrial OEMs. Comparable to Cartel in customer base and fabrication capabilities with similar mid-market positioning.
• HBR Metalworks: Precision sheet metal fabrication and machining shop serving aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial customers with laser cutting, forming, welding, and finishing. Operates in a similar size band to Cartel with comparable aerospace-quality positioning at commercial pricing.
• Fabriform (formerly Fabri-Tech): Custom precision sheet metal fabrication and contract manufacturing serving aerospace, medical, and industrial customers. Operates with similar in-house engineering, tooling, and quality capabilities as Cartel in a comparable size band.
• Cole Manufacturing: Precision metal stamping, machining, and assembly serving aerospace, defense, automotive, and industrial customers. Comparable to Cartel in customer mix, capabilities, and mid-market tier.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Cartel Industries