Schuler Manufacturing

What Schuler Manufacturing does

Schuler Manufacturing is a privately held, founder-owned contract metal fabricator headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, founded in 1984 by Kevin Schuler as Schuler Machine & Tool Co. The company operates a single manufacturing facility at 1500 South 10th Street (Louisville, KY 40210), with footprint expanded over time through acquisition of adjoining properties. Its commercial posture is B2B project-based manufacturing serving a diversified set of industrial end markets — industrial (primary), plus material handling, automotive, automation, medical, railroad, aerospace, and defense.

The company's core capability set is built around advanced cutting and forming equipment: three Trumpf CNC laser systems (5000 Watt 5×10, 4000 Watt 5×10, 4000 Watt 6×12) capable of cutting ferrous and non-ferrous metals up to one inch thick; a Flow 98k water jet for heat-distortion-free cutting of any material; CNC machining; TIG/MIG welding; CNC beam drill and punch press lines; and 10–350 ton press brakes handling material up to 16 feet wide. A separate finishing line offers sandblasting, powder coating, and plastisol coating. The company maintains an extensive raw-material inventory to support fast turn-around and provides test reports/certifications on request. Lead engineer Brian Pillow provides design-for-manufacturability review prior to production.

Commercially, Schuler operates a direct, quote-based B2B sales motion with no publicly listed pricing, returning most quotes within 24 hours and serving customers from single prototype/mock-up jobs through high-volume production runs. For the first roughly 20 years the company had no salesperson — growth was entirely word-of-mouth. Kevin Ryan Schuler, the founder's son and a Bellarmine University graduate, was hired as the first salesperson approximately two years ago and now holds the title of President, signaling a generational leadership transition. The customer base is fragmented across multiple industrial verticals with no disclosed named logos, and the company has no disclosed external funding, parent, or subsidiary structure.

Name

Schuler Manufacturing

Website

https://schulermfg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Schuler Manufacturing is a Louisville, Kentucky-based contract metal fabricator offering laser cutting, water jet cutting, forming, welding, and finishing services to diverse industrial customers across automotive, aerospace, medical, defense, and material handling verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Metal Fabrication

NAICS

All Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (33299), Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3329)

SIC

Fabricated Structural Metal Products (3440), Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Products (3490)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAHADAD

Sheet Metal Machinery (Laser/Plasma/Waterjet Cutting, Punching)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Machinery & Heavy Equipment/Machine Tools & Metalworking Equipment

SECONDARYIMADACAA

Structural Steel Fabrication

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Building Materials & Products/Structural Steel & Metal Building Products

SECONDARYIMAHADAC

Metal Forming & Fabrication Machines (Presses, Bending, Shearing, Stamping)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Machinery & Heavy Equipment/Machine Tools & Metalworking Equipment

SECONDARYIMAKACAI

Aluminum Fabrication & Finishing (Machining, Anodizing, Coating)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Metals & Mining/Aluminum (Bauxite, Alumina & Primary/Secondary Smelting)

Keywords

• Custom metal fabrication
• Laser cutting services
• Water jet cutting
• Metal finishing services
• CNC forming

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Custom Metal Fabrication Services: Contract manufacturing for custom metal parts and components. Services include laser cutting, water jet cutting, forming, welding, and finishing. Revenue generated through project-based one-time transactions for custom fabrication orders ranging from single prototypes to high-volume production runs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Schuler Manufacturing is a custom contract metal fabricator that produces steel, stainless steel, sheet metal, and aluminum parts and structural components for industrial manufacturers. It operates a single Louisville, KY facility offering laser cutting, water jet cutting, CNC forming/fabrication, and finishing (sandblasting, powder coating, plastisol coating) under one roof, supporting customers from single mockups through high-volume production runs.

Product overview

Schuler Manufacturing is a metal fabrication company offering a unified suite of precision manufacturing services centered on advanced cutting and forming technologies. The core offerings include Laser Cutting (using three Trumpf laser systems ranging from 4000-5000 Watts), Water Jet Cutting (using Flow 98k technology), Finishing services (sandblasting, powder coating, plastisol coating), and Custom Metal Fabrication/Forming (CNC machining, welding, drilling, and press braking). The company supports the full production lifecycle from single mockups and prototypes through high-volume production runs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Laser Cutting Advanced laser cutting service using three CNC-controlled Trumpf laser systems (a 5000 Watt 5x10 bed, a 4000 Watt 5x10 bed, and a 4000 Watt 6x12 bed) capable of cutting ferrous and non-ferrous metals up to 1 inch thick. Targeted at industrial manufacturers needing precision-cut metal parts.
• Water Jet Cutting Precision water jet cutting service using Flow 98k technology, capable of cutting virtually any material without heat distortion. Each job is backed by QC reports and first-article inspection reports for industrial customers.
• Finishing Surface finishing services including sandblasting for surface preparation, powder coating for protective and aesthetic finishes, and plastisol coating for custom hardness, color, chemical, weather, and impact resistance with oven-baked curing. Targets manufacturers needing finished fabricated parts.
• Forming / Custom Metal Fabrication Custom metal fabrication and contract manufacturing for steel, stainless steel, and aluminum industrial parts and structural components. Uses CNC laser/plasma cutting, CNC machining, TIG/MIG welding, precision drilling, and 10-350 ton press brakes handling materials up to 16 feet wide.

Quantifiable outcome

• Returns most quotes within 24 hours or less
• +2 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hatfield MediaminorOthersHatfield Media is the web design company that developed and maintains the schulermfg.com website. They are a Louisville-based marketing agency providing website design, SEO, video production, and digital marketing services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mayville Engineering Company (MEC): MEC is a U.S. contract metal manufacturer with capabilities in laser cutting, forming, welding, machining, and finishing for industrial, automotive, and heavy-equipment customers — a close analog to Schuler's integrated contract fabrication model.
• BTD Manufacturing: BTD is a Midwest contract metal fabricator offering laser cutting, stamping, welding, powder coating, and assembly across industrial, agricultural, and transportation end-markets, with similar one-stop-shop positioning to Schuler.
• MetalTek International: MetalTek is a contract metal manufacturer providing sand casting, investment casting, and fabrication services to aerospace, defense, and industrial customers — relevant for Schuler's aerospace, defense, and industrial fabrication overlap.
• Service Steel Aerospace: Service Steel is a structural steel and titanium distributor and processor for aerospace and industrial markets, comparable to Schuler's structural steel fabrication work for aerospace and industrial customers.
• Precision Industries: Precision Industries is a U.S. contract metal manufacturer and fabricator offering laser cutting, forming, machining, and welding — overlapping with Schuler's core service mix for industrial OEMs.
• Mid-West Machine & Tool: Mid-West Machine is a contract machining and metal fabrication shop similar in scale and capabilities, serving industrial customers with laser cutting, forming, and welding services comparable to Schuler's offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Worthington Industries: Worthington is a large diversified metal processing company with pressure-cylinder, steel processing, and consumer-products segments, serving industrial customers that overlap substantially with Schuler's material-handling and industrial end-markets.
• Olympic Steel: Olympic Steel is a U.S. metal service center offering processing (cutting, forming, machining) and fabrication for industrial, aerospace, and automotive customers — overlapping directly with Schuler's cutting and forming services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/schulermfg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/schuler-manufacturing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Schuler Manufacturing