Erect-A-Tube

What Erect-A-Tube does

Erect-A-Tube, Inc. is a privately held, employee-owned designer and manufacturer of general aviation hangars and hangar door systems, founded in 1963 and headquartered in Harvard, Illinois. The company operates a job-shop production model in which every hangar and door system is custom-fabricated to buyer specifications, using ASTM structural steel, a proprietary post-and-beam framing method (positioned as superior to competitor cantilever construction), and an exclusive steel open web truss that bridges door openings. Its product portfolio spans four hangar types — Nested T-Hangars, Standard T-Hangars, Rectangular Hangars, and Modified Rectangular Hangars — alongside five door systems, including Endwall, Self-Contained, Self-Framed, Roll-King, and LGR Doors, plus the pioneering Electric Bi-Fold Door System that the company commercialized and that forms a 'solid outside wall' when closed.

Revenue is generated through one-time, quote-based sales of custom hangar packages and complementary door systems, with engineering and value-engineering included in the scope. Erect-A-Tube's go-to-market is enterprise field sales: a 42-person employee-owned workforce with 20-year average tenure fields pilot-trained sales staff (150+ combined years of hangar-building experience) who engage airport managers, municipal governments, engineering firms, developers, contractors, FBOs, and individual aircraft owners from design conception through delivery. Half of the marketing budget is dedicated to industry associations — AAAE, AOPA, EAA, state aviation associations, and FAA regional events — rather than to traditional advertising, and the company reports over 30,000 operational hangar units installed across all 50 U.S. states and multiple international locations.

Name

Erect-A-Tube

Legal name

Erect-A-Tube, Inc.

Website

https://erect-a-tube.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Erect-A-Tube is an employee-owned designer and manufacturer of custom general-aviation aircraft hangars and proprietary hangar door systems, founded in 1963 in Harvard, Illinois, serving individual aircraft owners, FBOs/corporate aviation, and municipal airport operators across all 50 U.S. states and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aircraft Hangars and Aviation Storage Infrastructure

NAICS

Other Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (336413), Architectural and Structural Metals Manufacturing (3323)

SIC

Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728), Prefabricated Metal Buildings & Components (3448), Metal Doors, Sash, Frames, Moldings & Trim (3442)

akta.pro primary industry

Doors, Hatches, Canopies & Access Panels (IMABAEAF)

Keywords

• Aircraft hangar manufacturing
• Hangar door systems
• T-hangar design
• Aviation infrastructure
• Metal hangar fabrication

Headquarters

HQ city

Harvard

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Aircraft Hangar Sales: Custom-designed and manufactured aircraft hangars sold as one-time purchases. Production operates as a job shop meaning every hangar is customized to customer needs.
2. Hangar Door Systems: Proprietary door systems including Electric Bi-Fold Doors, Self-Contained Door Systems, Self-Framed Door Systems, Roll-King Doors, and LGR Doors sold alongside hangars or separately for existing buildings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Erect-A-Tube designs, engineers, and manufactures prefabricated aircraft hangars and specialized hangar door systems for general aviation airports, municipalities, fixed-base operators (FBOs), and corporate aviation operators. Its product line includes nested and standard T-hangars, rectangular and modified rectangular hangars, and multiple proprietary door systems including the Electric Bi-Fold Door, Endwall, Self-Contained, Self-Framed, Roll-King, and LGR doors. The company focuses on custom-configured, in-house fabricated steel structures.

Product overview

Erect-A-Tube is a manufacturer of general aviation hangars and hangar door systems, offering a complete portfolio of hangar products and door solutions. The product line includes four hangar types: Nested T-Hangars (space-efficient design nesting tail sections into the center), Standard T-Hangars (traditional stacked style), Rectangular Hangars (for various aircraft sizes from single-engine to business jets), and Modified Rectangular Hangars (customizable with jet pods). The company pioneered the Electric Bi-Fold Door System and offers complementary door systems including Endwall Door Systems, Self-Contained Door Systems, Self-Framed Door Systems, Roll-King Doors, and LGR Doors. All hangars feature 'post and beam' construction with steel open web truss over door openings. With over 30,000 operational hangar units installed across all 50 states and international locations since 1963, the company operates from Harvard, Illinois as an employee-owned corporation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nested T-Hangars

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 operational hangar units installed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerErect-A-Tube dedicates significant portion of marketing budget to supporting national and regional initiatives of AAAE, positioning the company as an active participant in the airport executive community.
• Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketing budget allocation supports AOPA national and regional initiatives, connecting the company with individual aircraft owner segment.
• Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketing budget supports EAA initiatives, reaching experimental aircraft builders and enthusiasts.
• State Aviation AssociationsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHalf of marketing budget dedicated to supporting state aviation conferences and state aviation associations across all 50 states.
• FAA Regional EventsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMarketing budget allocation supports FAA regional events, connecting with regulatory and airport planning stakeholders.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Butler Manufacturing: Large pre-engineered building manufacturer owned by BlueScope; serves the aviation hangar market as part of a broader industrial and commercial building portfolio with significantly larger scale.
• American Buildings Company: Nucor's pre-engineered metal building brand offering custom steel buildings for aviation and other applications; broad incumbent competing in hangar structures with much larger manufacturing footprint.
• Megadoor (Assa Abloy): Industrial vertical-lifting door manufacturer including large-format doors for aircraft hangars; competes as part of broader industrial door portfolio under Assa Abloy with significantly larger scale.
• Metallic Building Company: Pre-engineered metal building manufacturer offering custom hangar solutions among broader industrial building lines; competes in the same custom aviation hangar market with broader portfolio diversification.
• Nucor Building Systems: Major pre-engineered steel building manufacturer with aviation hangar offerings as part of broader industrial and commercial portfolio; competes on scale and customization.

Direct peers

• Schweiss Doors: Manufactures bifold and hydraulic doors specifically for aircraft hangars; direct competitor in the hangar door system product line with overlapping door sizes and aviation-focused GTM.
• Chief Buildings: Designs and manufactures pre-engineered metal buildings including custom aircraft hangars; direct competitor in steel hangar structures with similar custom-engineered approach for FBOs and airports.
• SteelMaster Buildings: Manufactures arch-style and steel buildings commonly used for aircraft hangars and storage; competes in custom steel structures for aviation customers with similar small-footprint specialty positioning.

Regional players

• Jewers Doors: UK-based manufacturer of large aircraft hangar doors with global reach including North American installations; competes in the same specialized aviation door market but with primary non-US operations.

Emerging players

• Sprung Instant Structures: Tensioned fabric structures for aviation including hangars and terminals; alternative building technology competing for the same aviation customers with faster deployable construction approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/erect-a-tube-inc.

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 Erect-A-Tube