WACO Products

What WACO Products does

WACO Products, Inc. is a privately held custom metal fabricator headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, operating from a 65,000-square-foot ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturing facility with overhead crane capacity to 10 tons and a 300-foot main bay. Founded circa 1950 with roots in structural aluminum design and construction, the company has built a 70-plus-year track record serving U.S. Navy and commercial maritime, municipal water and wastewater, and industrial/defense clients globally. Its three product lines — Marine Products (accommodation ladders, gangways and brows, vertical and inclined ladders, davits, deck gratings, ROV frames, telescopic battens, and replacement treads built to BUSHIPS and NAVSHIPS specifications), Environmental Products (slide gates, weir gates, stop gates, stop logs, barscreens, debris baskets, and vertical ladders compliant with AWWA C561/C562), and General Fabrication (field hospital frames, radar enclosures, utility boxes, custom bar grating platforms, and OEM components) — are produced primarily in aluminum (6061, 6063-T6, 5086) and stainless steel, with select stainless, duplex stainless, carbon steel, and fiberglass work.

The underlying technology stack centers on computer-aided design and drafting, CNC-supported metal cutting and forming, and welding certified to AWS D1.2 and Navy MIL-Std-1595, supported by in-house testing. Notable engineered components include Poly-Glide UHMW polymer bearing bars on slide gates (self-adjusting seats tested to 25,000 cycles), Duralite extruded stop logs with integral reinforcement and neoprene seals, and aluminum slide gates integrating third-party actuators (Auma, Rotork, Limitorque, EIM, BS-series).

WACO's go-to-market is sales-led and quote-driven: customers submit specifications via online quote request forms, the engineering team quotes against BUSHIPS/NAVSHIPS or AWWA reference designs, and product is built to order and shipped from Baltimore. There are no disclosed resellers or distributors. Revenue mixes one-time custom fabrication with standard product lines, replacement parts for the installed base, and OEM component supply; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Marketing is anchored on detailed downloadable product catalogs, a Gate Selection Guide, and a presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Name

WACO Products

Legal name

WACO Products, Inc.

Website

https://wacoproducts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WACO Products is a privately held Baltimore-based custom aluminum and stainless steel fabricator serving the U.S. Navy, commercial maritime, municipal water/wastewater, and industrial/defense sectors with marine accessories, environmental gates, and custom structural products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Metal Fabrication

NAICS

Ship and Boat Building (3366), Boiler, Tank, and Shipping Container Manufacturing (3324), Metal Can, Box, and Other Metal Container (Light Gauge) Manufacturing (33243)

SIC

Prefabricated Metal Buildings & Components (3448), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

Outfitting Modules & Skids (Accommodation, Machinery, E-House, Pipe Racks) (IMAJAKAF)

Keywords

• Marine metal fabrication
• Aluminum gangway ladders
• Water treatment gates
• Custom structural fabrication
• Industrial defense fabricator

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Fabrication: Project-based custom metal fabrication services for industry and government clients. WACO designs and builds to customer specifications or standard drawings, serving municipal water/wastewater plants, naval and commercial vessels, and industrial defense applications.
2. Standard Product Lines: Off-the-shelf fabricated products including marine accessories (ladders, gangways, gratings, battens), environmental gates (slide, weir, stop gates/logs, barscreens, debris baskets), and industrial components. Sold as complete units or replacement parts.
3. Replacement Parts: Original replacement parts for WACO gangways, accommodation ladders, and other equipment including treads, stanchions, platforms, and entire replacement ladders to reduce ship downtime and repair expense.
4. OEM Components: Critical components manufactured for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to be incorporated into their finished products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

WACO Products designs and manufactures aluminum and stainless steel fabricated products including marine accessories (gangways, accommodation ladders, deck grating, davits), environmental flow-control equipment (slide gates, weir gates, stop gates, stop logs, barscreens), and custom industrial fabrications (field hospital frames, radar enclosures, utility boxes). Products are produced at a 65,000 sq ft Baltimore facility to customer specifications and to military and AWWA standards, serving Navy, commercial maritime, municipal water/wastewater, and defense customers globally.

Product overview

WACO Products, Inc. is an aluminum and stainless steel fabrication company with over 70 years of experience serving marine, environmental, and general industrial markets. The company operates a 65,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Baltimore, Maryland, with overhead crane capacity to 10 tons. The product portfolio comprises three main product lines: Marine Products (gangways, brows, accommodation ladders, vertical/inclined ladders, deck grating, davits, ROV frames, telescopic battens, and replacement treads for naval vessels), Environmental Products (slide gates, weir gates, stop gates, stop logs, barscreens, debris baskets, and vertical ladders for municipal water and wastewater systems), and General Fabrication (custom structural products including field hospital frames, radar enclosures, utility boxes, and industrial platforms). Products are available in aluminum (6061, 6063-T6, 5086), stainless steel (300 series), carbon steel, and fiberglass (GRP), with capabilities including design, computer-aided drafting, welding (AWS D1.2, Navy MIL-Std-1595 certified), and testing. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 certification and serves Navy, commercial maritime, municipal water treatment, and defense industry clients worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marine Gangways & Brows Aluminum gangways and brows providing access to naval and commercial vessels, including installations on the U.S.S. Constellation and modern Navy ships.
• Marine Ladders Inclined ladders for inter-deck access, vertical ladders for engine rooms and cargo areas, and ladder chutes built to BUSHIPS specifications, available in aluminum, steel, stainless steel, and fiberglass (GRP).
• Deck Grating Non-slip punched and unpunched grating panels for walking surfaces and storage rooms in Light Series and Heavy Duty versions, made from extruded aluminum 6063-T6 per MIL-G-18015.
• Subsea Cable Racks Marine racks providing secure storage and management of subsea cables on ships and offshore platforms.
• Marine ROV Frames ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) frames and custom marine frames for underwater vehicle support and deployment operations.
• Accommodation Ladders Fixed tread and feathering tread accommodation ladders built to BUSHIPS 804 and 805 hull type drawings, including upper and lower platforms, boat fenders and shell bumpers.
• Davits and Sockets Davits and sockets for stowing or deploying accommodation ladders and gangways, manufactured in accordance with NAVSEA drawing 803-1645271 Rev F.
• Telescopic Battens Adjustable and fixed-length telescopic battens for securing supplies and cargo in storage rooms, fabricated from 6061 and 5086 aluminum or stainless steel.
• Ladder and Cap Treads Replacement treads for Navy ladders including Type F, Type G, Type D, Type I Full Tread, and Type II Cap Treads per NAVSHIPS drawing 804-860041 and MIL-T-24634.
• Slide Gates Aluminum and stainless steel slide gates for water flow control in treatment plants, featuring 1/4 in. thick slide plates, UHMW polymer bearing bars, and handwheel or electric motor operators. Configured for embedment, wall mounting, or port mounting.
• Weir Gates Weir gates for flow control through port openings with adjustable slide plates allowing water to cascade over the top edge, with handwheel or electric operators and reinforced 1/4 in. thick slide plates.
• Vertical Ladders Aluminum vertical ladders for access into underground pump stations and work areas, with non-slip rungs and optional safety harness systems and safety extensions.
• Barscreens Influent barscreens for intercepting coarse loading and debris at treatment plant headworks, available in aluminum or stainless steel with adjustable bar spacing.
• Debris Baskets Corrosion-resistant aluminum debris baskets for pumping station installations to protect lift pumps, available with coarse or fine openings and extruded guide channels.
• Stop Gates Economical stop gates for flow control through channels or port openings with hand lift operation, available with V-notch, rectangular, proportional, or other weiring cutouts for flow measurement.
• Stop Logs Duralite extruded stop logs with integral reinforcement for shutting off flow through channels, available individually or preassembled in 8 in. increments, with neoprene seals to minimize leakage.
• Field Hospital Frames Aluminum structural frames for field hospital installations in military and defense applications.
• Radar Enclosures Custom enclosures for radar equipment in defense and military applications.
• Utility Boxes Custom utility boxes for industrial and defense applications, including electric utility enclosures.
• Handicap Ramps Aluminum handicap ramps for accessibility compliance in various applications.
• Carbon Steel River Screens Carbon steel river screens and support beams for water intake and debris filtering applications.
• Bar Grating Platforms with Handrails Custom bar grating platforms with handrails for industrial access and safety applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25,000 cycle tested UHMW seat/seals
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions: Large, publicly-traded defense and naval supplier with metal fabrication, enclosures, and shipboard equipment divisions. Competes for adjacent DOD/defense fabrication spend and represents both customer (OEM) and competitive incumbent to WACO's radar enclosures and field hospital frames.
• Imtra (marine outfitting): Larger marine equipment distributor and manufacturer of outfitting products (ladders, hatches, deck hardware) for commercial and naval vessels. Overlaps with WACO's commercial maritime accessories but operates at broader scale across many product categories.

Direct peers

• Hydro Gate: Long-standing U.S. manufacturer of fabricated aluminum and stainless steel water control gates used in municipal water/wastewater, flood control, and hydroelectric applications. Competes head-to-head with WACO slide gates, weir gates, and stop logs on AWWA-spec projects.
• Almaco Group: Global marine outfitting specialist delivering accommodation ladders, galleys, doors, and prefabricated accommodation modules for cruise ships, offshore vessels, and naval platforms. Closely analogous to WACO's Marine Products line in product type, customers, and aluminum-intensive fabrication model.
• Marine Fabricators Inc. U.S. custom metal fabricator producing aluminum ladders, gangways, gratings, and ship outfitting for commercial and naval vessels. Direct overlap on Marine Products line, similar materials and customer profile.
• Muskegon Castings / RAMHOL (marine fabricators): Custom aluminum and steel fabrication shops serving naval and commercial shipyards with marine outfitting, structural components, and cast/forged marine hardware. Comparable scale, customer base, and BUSHIPS-style qualification profile.
• AWC Industries: Custom aluminum fabrication shop producing marine hardware, architectural products, and industrial fabrications with in-house design, welding, and finishing capabilities. Closely parallels WACO's full custom + standard product model and aluminum-centric capability set.
• Rodney Hunt / Fontaine Aquanox: Manufactures engineered sluice gates, slide gates, weir gates, and stop logs for water and wastewater treatment plants. Directly comparable to WACO's Environmental Products line in customer base (municipal water utilities), materials (aluminum and stainless steel), and AWWA-driven specifications.
• Norseman Systems & Marine Fabricators (Offshore): Custom marine fabrication shops producing ROV frames, subsea cable racks, and offshore platform fixtures. Overlaps directly with WACO's marine ROV frames and subsea cable rack product lines for offshore/defense customers.

Regional players

• Thompson Fabricating: Regional custom metal fabricator specializing in aluminum and steel products for water/wastewater, marine, and industrial customers, primarily in the Southeastern U.S. Comparable scale and product mix to WACO's General Fabrication and Environmental Products lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wacoproducts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waco-products-inc.

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 WACO Products