Johnston Engineering

What Johnston Engineering does

Johnston Engineering is a privately held, founder-led product development engineering firm headquartered in Spokane, Washington. Founded in 2015 by Andy Johnston, P.E., the company provides integrated mechanical engineering design and physics-based analysis services using SolidWorks 3D CAD and ANSYS simulation software for finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and thermal analysis. Its core service offering follows a five-step process from discovery call through project estimation, design and analysis, prototype fabrication, and handoff to manufacturing partners for high-volume production. The firm positions itself as "the region's only product development engineering firm with truly integrated design, analysis, and fabrication capabilities" and holds specialized expertise in thermal management, two-phase flow, microchannel cold plates, electronics cooling, and critical mineral recovery systems.

The company's customer base spans startups and inventors, research institutions, engineering firms, and mid-market/enterprise corporations across industries including carbon capture, hydrogen, energy storage, critical mineral recovery, medical devices, consumer products, and aerospace/military electronics cooling. Notable customers include Schweitzer Engineering Labs, Plug Power, Kore Power, Avista, Heirloom Carbon, Oklo, SquareKeg (featured on Shark Tank), and HAA Backsaver (FDA-approved medical device). Revenue is generated through project-based professional services contracts quoted on engineering hours, materials, and tooling, with free discovery consultations used to qualify leads. The firm operates exclusively through direct sales with no resellers or distribution channels, supplemented by memberships in climate-tech and regional industry organizations including Greentown Labs, Pacific Northwest National Laboratories, Clean Tech Alliance, and Third Derivative.

The business is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or institutional investors, and has grown to a team of 1-10 employees. Andy Johnston retains full operational leadership as principal engineer and President, and the firm's competitive positioning centers on the founder's 20+ years of subject-matter expertise in thermal management and aerospace electronics cooling, combined with an integrated methodology that validates designs digitally before physical prototyping to reduce costly iteration cycles.

Name

Johnston Engineering

Legal name

Johnston Engineering

Website

https://johnstonpe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Johnston Engineering is a privately held, founder-led product development engineering firm in Spokane, WA, providing integrated mechanical design, FEA/CFD/thermal analysis, and prototyping services to startups, research institutions, and enterprises across clean tech, energy, medical, and consumer products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mechanical Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Industrial Design Services (541420)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Product Design & Mechanical Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial & Process Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAF), Systems Engineering & Technical Program Management (BPAHAIAI)

Keywords

• Mechanical engineering design
• Product development engineering
• Thermal analysis services
• Computational fluid dynamics
• Prototype fabrication

Headquarters

HQ city

Spokane

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Design & Analysis Services: Project-based professional services revenue from mechanical engineering design, thermal analysis, structural analysis, CFD simulation, and custom part design services. Projects are scoped and quoted individually based on engineering time, material costs, and tooling costs.
2. Prototype Fabrication Services: Custom prototype fabrication and testing services including 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, injection molding, welding, and laser/water jet cutting. Revenue generated through material sourcing and fabrication services.
3. Product Development & Project Management: Turnkey project management and new product development services from concept to production-ready designs, including connection to manufacturing partners for high-volume production.
4. Engineering Contracting Services: Contract engineering services where Johnston Engineering serves as an extension of the client's team, providing design and analysis expertise on an as-needed basis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Johnston Engineering provides product development engineering services, delivering integrated mechanical engineering design, physics-based analysis (FEA, CFD, thermal), and prototype fabrication for clients developing new products, devices, and machines. The firm works from concept through prototype and connects clients with manufacturing partners for high-volume production. Specialized services include critical mineral and material recovery systems engineering for demo, pilot, and commercial-scale systems.

Product overview

Johnston Engineering is a product development engineering firm offering integrated mechanical design and analysis services. Their core offerings include Mechanical Engineering Design (using SolidWorks 3D CAD), Engineering Analysis (FEA, Thermal Analysis, CFD using ANSYS), Prototyping (fabrication using 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal, injection molding, welding), and New Product Development (turnkey from concept to production). Specialized services include Critical Mineral & Material Recovery Systems Engineering for demo, pilot, and commercial-scale systems. The company provides these as interconnected services forming a complete product development lifecycle: design and analysis validate products digitally before prototyping, then connect clients to manufacturing partners for high-volume production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mechanical Engineering Design Customized mechanical engineering design services using SolidWorks 3D CAD modeling, including component, assembly, and system design, advanced surfacing, design optimization, and design for manufacturability (DFM) for clients developing new products, devices, and machines.
• Engineering Analysis (FEA, Thermal, CFD) Physics-based simulation and analysis services using ANSYS software, covering Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Thermal Analysis, Structural Analysis, and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to validate designs before prototyping and avoid costly part failures.
• Prototyping Proof-of-concept and pre-production prototype design, fabrication, assembly, and testing services using 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, injection molding, welding, laser cutting, and water jet cutting for clients across multiple industries.
• New Product Development Turnkey product development from concept to market, encompassing engineering design, analysis, prototype fabrication, design for manufacturing, cost optimization, and connection to high-volume production manufacturers for clients bringing new products to market.
• Critical Mineral & Material Recovery Systems Engineering Specialized engineering for demo-scale, pilot plant, and commercial-scale systems that recover critical minerals, rare earths, and materials from brines, black mass, tailings, red mud, wastewater, and industrial process streams, using electrochemical, membrane, hydrometallurgical, and thermal separation systems.
• Engineering Contracting Contract engineering services where Johnston Engineering serves as an extension of the client's team, providing mechanical design, fabrication, and engineering analysis expertise on an as-needed basis.

Named customers24 records

Segments5 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

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Clean Tech AlliancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerActive member of Clean Tech Alliance, a regional organization supporting clean technology companies and sustainable business development in the Pacific Northwest.
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratories (PNNL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with PNNL for technology development, research commercialization, and access to advanced laboratory facilities and expertise.
• Third DerivativeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAccelerator program member focused on climate technology commercialization and startup support.
• Greentown LabscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMember of the largest climatetech hardware incubator in the US, providing access to startup ecosystem and collaborative innovation opportunities.
• Washington VerticalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization supporting vertical industry development and business connections in Washington State.
• Consortium For Hydrogen And Renewably Generated E-Fuels (CHARGE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium focused on hydrogen and e-fuel technology development and commercialization.
• Evergreen BiosciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndy Johnston serves on the board of Evergreen Bioscience Innovation Cluster, providing connections to regulatory compliance and IP protection professionals for medical device clients.
• BUILTminorGTM or Marketing PartnerClean Tech Alliance program supporting advanced manufacturing and hardware development.
• Clean Energy Supplier AllianceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupplier alliance focused on clean energy industry connections and procurement support.
• American Made NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNational network supporting US manufacturing and supply chain development.
• Maritime Blue WashingtonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBlue economy organization supporting maritime and marine technology development in Washington State.
• Ignite NWminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional startup and innovation support organization in the Northwest.
• Inland Northwest Aerospace ConsortiumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional aerospace industry consortium supporting defense and aviation sector connections.
• Greater Spokane Inc.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional economic development organization supporting business growth in Spokane area.
• Tri-City Development Council (TRIDEC)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEconomic development organization for the Tri-Cities region supporting technology and manufacturing sector growth.
• Air MinersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity of companies focused on direct air capture and carbon removal technology.
• Manufacturing Partner NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of skilled fabricators and manufacturers capable of handling high-volume production, primarily in Washington State, used to introduce clients to production capabilities at project completion.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Velentium: Medical device and embedded systems engineering firm providing concept-to-production design, analysis, and FDA submission support. Directly comparable in regulated medical device and embedded product development execution.
• Bresslergroup: Philadelphia-based product design and engineering consultancy combining industrial design, mechanical engineering, and human factors. Comparable as a mid-sized integrated product development services firm serving consumer, medical, and industrial customers.
• Worrell: Minneapolis-based medical device and consumer health product development firm offering design, engineering, and human factors services. Comparable in regulated medical device execution and turnkey product development.
• Pivot International: Engineering services firm providing product design, prototyping, and low-volume manufacturing across consumer, medical, and industrial markets. Comparable in offering integrated design-to-production services with in-house fabrication.
• Synapse Product Development: Seattle-based product development consultancy offering mechanical, electrical, and firmware design with embedded analysis capabilities for startups and enterprise hardware clients. Highly comparable in service stack, customer profile (hardware startups), and Pacific Northwest footprint.
• Integrated Design Solutions (IDS): Mid-sized engineering services firm specializing in mechanical design, analysis, and prototyping for automotive, aerospace, and industrial clients. Comparable in turnkey product development and small-team technical execution.
• HS Design: Medical and life science product development consultancy providing design, engineering, and usability services with FDA experience. Comparable in regulated device development focus and small-team delivery model.
• Nottingham Spirk: Cleveland-based product design, engineering, and innovation consultancy delivering turnkey product development for consumer and industrial clients. Comparable in offering integrated design, prototyping, and manufacturing handoff as a fee-for-service model.

Broad incumbents

• TEAGUE: Larger, established product design and innovation consultancy serving transportation, aerospace, and consumer industries. Comparable in offering integrated industrial design and engineering, but with broader scale and global footprint than Johnston.

Emerging players

• Cincinnati Sub-Zero (CSZ) Engineering Services: Engineering services arm focused on thermal and environmental testing and design support. Comparable as a thermal analysis and product development services provider in the electronics cooling / environmental testing space Johnston specializes in.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/JohnstonPE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/johnston-engineering

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 Johnston Engineering