Steel-Fab

What Steel-Fab does

Steel-Fab, Inc. is a privately held precision contract manufacturer founded in 1969 and headquartered in Arlington, Washington. The company operates a 50,000 square foot production facility with four 10-ton overhead cranes and an adjacent 4-acre staging area, supported by multimodal access (interstate, marine, and rail). Its core business is project-based custom steel fabrication and precision machining for industrial OEMs, with the aerospace vertical as its primary end market and additional exposure to marine, nuclear, food processing, electronics, and energy customers. Steel-Fab sells directly to enterprise customers under quote-based, one-off project contracts rather than through recurring or licensed revenue agreements.

The company's technical capability centers on a comprehensive manufacturing equipment suite, including a Romeo Waterjet Gold Series Dual Head machine (120" x 240" cutting area, no-heat-affected-zone cutting of exotic metals), a FARO Laser Tracker ION paired with CAM2Q Measure X software for portable coordinate measurement and CAD-to-part inspection, MIG/TIG/arc welding systems (Miller, Lincoln, Thermal Arc, Linde), 400-ton and 175-ton press brakes, CNC mills and lathes, and emerging additive capability via an Ultimaker Factor 4 3D printer and Peel 3 3D scanner. Quality assurance is supported by NIST-traceable gauges, on-line calibration, magnetic particle testing, and ROMER Absolute Arm measurement. The firm holds ISO 9001:2015 certification (PRI Programs accredited), ITAR registration, Boeing Gold Level Status, and Boeing Delegated Tooling Quality Assurance, which together authorize it to perform delegated tooling QA functions for Boeing.

Steel-Fab is owned and operated by the Matter family, with Rob Matter as President and Rand Matter as Vice President of Operations. No external institutional investors, parent companies, or M&A activity are disclosed in the available data. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales to a defined set of aerospace OEMs and Tier-1 automation suppliers (Boeing, Electroimpact, MTorres, Rockwell Automation, Janicki Industries, AMT), with marketing limited to a corporate website and an Instagram presence. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is determined per project based on specifications, materials, complexity, and volume.

Name

Steel-Fab

Legal name

Steel-Fab, Inc.

Website

https://www.steel-fab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Steel-Fab, Inc. is a privately held, single-site precision contract manufacturer founded in 1969 in Arlington, WA, providing custom steel fabrication, machining, water jet cutting, and quality inspection to enterprise customers in aerospace and other industrial verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Fabrication Manufacturing: Project-based custom steel fabrication and manufacturing of precision machinery, fabricated parts, and assemblies for industrial customers. Revenue generated through one-time project contracts based on specifications and requirements of each customer order.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Steel-Fab, Inc. manufactures custom precision machinery, fabricated parts, and assemblies for industrial customers in aerospace, marine, nuclear, food processing, electronic, and energy industries. Services are delivered from a 50,000 square foot facility in Arlington, WA, utilizing advanced equipment such as water jet cutting, FARO laser tracker inspection, welding, forming, machining, and quality inspection. All work is performed under ISO9001:2015 quality certification and ITAR registration, with project-based contract pricing per customer specifications.

Product overview

Steel-Fab is a highly-diversified, single-source manufacturer of precision machinery, fabricated parts, and assemblies founded in 1969. The company offers an integrated portfolio of manufacturing services centered around custom steel fabrication, including water jet cutting, laser tracker inspection, welding, forming, machine shop services, and quality inspection. All services are delivered from a 50,000 square foot Arlington, WA facility equipped with advanced manufacturing equipment including a FARO Laser Tracker ION and Romeo Waterjet system. The company serves aerospace, marine, nuclear, food processing, electronic, and energy industries with a focus on precision, quality, and on-time delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Precision Machinery Manufacturing Custom precision machinery manufacturing services for aerospace, marine, nuclear, food processing, electronic, and energy industries. Delivered from Steel-Fab's 50,000 sq ft Arlington, WA facility under ISO9001:2015 and ITAR frameworks.
• Fabricated Parts Custom fabricated steel parts and components manufactured to specification using advanced equipment including drill presses, shears, saws, and forming machinery for industrial customers in aerospace, marine, nuclear, food processing, electronic, and energy sectors.
• Assembly Services Complete assembly services for fabricated parts and machinery components with quality assurance integrated throughout the manufacturing process, delivered to aerospace, marine, nuclear, food processing, electronic, and energy customers.
• Water Jet Cutting Services High-precision water jet cutting services using a Romeo Waterjet Gold Series Dual Head machine with a 120-inch x 240-inch cutting area and abrasive removal system. Capable of cutting almost any thickness and density with no heat-affected zone, retaining original molecular properties of materials including exotic metals.
• Laser Tracker Inspection Services Precision measurement and inspection services using the FARO Laser Tracker ION portable coordinate measuring machine paired with CAM2Q Measure X software. Enables building complex products with high accuracy, monitors and compensates for temperature, air pressure, and humidity changes, and supports CAD-to-part comparison.
• Welding Services Comprehensive welding services including MIG, TIG, and arc welding using Miller, Lincoln, Thermal Arc, and Linde equipment for various metals and thicknesses, supporting aerospace, marine, nuclear, food processing, electronic, and energy applications.
• Forming and Fabrication Services Metal forming and fabrication services using 400-ton and 175-ton press brakes, tube and pipe benders, ironworkers, and hydraulic presses to deliver precision shaping of steel components for industrial customers.
• Machine Shop Services Full-service machine shop operations using bed mills, vertical mills, lathes, and precision tooling for detailed machining operations supporting custom fabricated parts and assemblies.
• Quality Inspection Services Comprehensive quality inspection services using the FARO Laser Tracker ION, ROMER Absolute Arm, coordinate measuring equipment, torque wrenches, and magnetic particle testing to verify conformance of fabricated parts and assemblies.
• 3D Printing and Scanning Services Additive manufacturing using the Ultimaker Factor 4 3D printer and 3D scanning services using the Peel 3 scanner for reverse engineering and quality verification of components.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly half a century of delivering job-proven solutions on schedule

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Janicki Industries: Janicki Industries is a precision machining and composite tooling manufacturer serving aerospace, marine, and space customers. It is a direct peer because Steel-Fab explicitly lists Janicki as a customer and both compete for similar high-precision aerospace tooling and fabrication work.
• Electroimpact: Electroimpact designs and manufactures aerospace assembly tooling, automation, and fabricated components for major OEMs. It is a direct peer because Steel-Fab names it as a customer and both operate in the same precision aerospace tooling and fabrication niche, often co-serving Boeing programs.
• MTorres: MTorres is an aerospace tooling and automation specialist producing large-scale assembly tooling for OEMs like Boeing and Airbus. It is a direct peer because Steel-Fab counts MTorres as a customer and both compete in the same large-format aerospace tooling fabrication category.
• AMT (Advanced Manufacturing Technologies): AMT designs and builds aerospace tooling, assembly systems, and precision fabricated parts for OEMs and tier-one suppliers. It is a direct peer because Steel-Fab lists AMT as a customer and both compete for similar precision aerospace tooling, fixtures, and fabrication programs.

Broad incumbents

• Precision Castparts Corp (PCC): PCC is a Berkshire Hathaway-owned manufacturer of complex aerospace components, investment castings, and fabricated structures. It is a broad incumbent because, while far larger and broader in scope than Steel-Fab, it competes for the same Boeing precision parts and assemblies that anchor Steel-Fab's revenue.
• Triumph Group: Triumph Group is a large diversified aerospace supplier offering structures, precision machined parts, and assemblies for commercial and defense platforms. It is a broad incumbent that competes with Steel-Fab on Boeing and aerospace machined-parts and assemblies, but at significantly greater scale and scope.
• Howmet Aerospace: Howmet Aerospace is a global leader in aerospace engine and structural components, including precision castings and fabricated assemblies. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with Steel-Fab in aerospace structural fabrication and assembly work, though at vastly larger scale and across engine platforms.
• Heroux-Devtek: Heroux-Devtek designs and manufactures landing gear, hydraulic systems, and precision aerospace components for commercial and defense markets. It is a broad incumbent that competes with Steel-Fab in precision aerospace structural and mechanical components, with greater scale and a broader product portfolio.
• Barnes Group (Aerospace): Barnes Group's Aerospace segment manufactures engineered components, precision assemblies, and fabricated structures for OEMs. It is a broad incumbent because it competes with Steel-Fab for precision aerospace fabricated and assembled parts, but across multiple programs and geographies.

Regional players

• Tooling & Equipment International (TEI): TEI is a US-based aerospace tooling and fabrication supplier serving Boeing and other US OEMs from Pacific Northwest-adjacent facilities. It is a regional peer because it competes with Steel-Fab for similar Boeing and aerospace tooling work within the same US domestic market but at a comparable small/mid scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SteelfabInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/steel-fab-inc

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Steel-Fab