northwoods manufacturing

What northwoods manufacturing does

Northwoods Manufacturing Inc. is a privately held, family-owned heavy metal fabrication company headquartered in Kingsford, Michigan (Upper Peninsula). Founded in November 1994 by Jon Pipp, an engineer, the firm has scaled from 5 employees in a 6,000 sq ft building to 75 employees operating approximately 200,000 sq ft of manufacturing and assembly space. Its core offerings are integrated custom metal fabrication, precision machining, AWS D1.1 certified welding (including submerged arc, TIG/stick, and 650-amp wire feed), and industrial painting/surface preparation — delivered as a single-source service under one roof, supplemented by add-on capabilities such as insulation, refractory, galvanizing, heat treating, and non-destructive testing.

The underlying production technology is capital-intensive physical manufacturing rather than software-driven. Key assets include plasma burn tables capable of cutting up to 8 inches thick, a 500-ton hydraulic press brake, large-format milling machines and lathes, a 20' x 60' paint booth, 20' x 40' blast booth, and overhead cranes and forklifts with capacities up to 30,000 lbs. The company holds AWS D1.1 and ASME pipe welding certifications, supporting work on structural steel and pressure piping.

The business model is project-based, quote-driven custom fabrication sold through a direct, relationship-led sales motion via a website "Request A Quote" form and inbound phone/email. Customers operate in four target verticals — Aggregate and Mining, Industrial Ovens, Conveyors, and Air Quality Equipment — with the first two flagged as primary. Pricing is negotiated per project; revenue is not publicly disclosed. Brian Pipp, founder Jon Pipp's son, serves as VP of Operations, formalizing second-generation family leadership. The company has no external funding, no subsidiaries, no public-company status, and no disclosed M&A activity.

Name

northwoods manufacturing

Legal name

Northwoods Manufacturing Inc.

Website

https://nwmfginc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Northwoods Manufacturing is a family-owned heavy metal fabrication shop in Kingsford, Michigan, providing integrated custom fabrication, machining, welding, and painting services to aggregate/mining, industrial oven, conveyor, and air quality equipment customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Metal Fabrication Services

NAICS

Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (33324)

SIC

Sheet Metal Work (3444)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAIACAD

Welding, Fabrication & Field Machining Services (On-site)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Services & Facility Operations/Industrial Maintenance & Plant Shutdown Services

SECONDARYIMAJALAH

Steelwork & Fabrication Facilities (Plate/Section Processing, Welding Lines)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Marine & Shipbuilding/Shipyards & Drydock Infrastructure (Facilities, Lifting, Docking Systems)

Keywords

• Custom metal fabrication
• Heavy metal machining
• Industrial welding services
• Structural steel fabrication
• Metal painting finishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingsford

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, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Metal Fabrication Services: Provides custom metal fabrication, machining, welding, painting, and assembly services. Revenue generated through project-based quotes for industrial equipment manufacturing. Services include processing of small parts for customers as well as complete fabrication of aggregate/mining equipment, industrial ovens, conveyors, and air quality equipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Northwoods Manufacturing is a custom heavy metal fabrication job shop offering integrated fabrication, precision machining, AWS D1.1 certified welding, and industrial painting services from a 200,000 sq ft facility. The company manufactures custom components and complete industrial equipment for aggregate/mining, industrial ovens, conveyors, and air quality equipment customers under quote-based project contracts.

Product overview

Northwoods Manufacturing is a family-owned metal fabrication company offering an integrated suite of manufacturing services as a single-source provider. The core service offerings include Fabrications (custom metal cutting and forming with plasma burn tables and hydraulic press brakes), Machining (precision metalworking with milling machines and lathes), Welding (AWS D1.1 certified welding using multiple processes), and Painting (industrial finishing with paint and blast booths). Additional support services including insulation, refractory, galvanizing, heat treating, and non-destructive testing are provided as add-on capabilities. The company operates from 100,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 60,000 square feet of assembly facility, serving industries including aggregate/mining, industrial ovens, conveyors, and air quality equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fabrications Custom metal fabrication services including plasma burn tables capable of cutting material up to 8 inches thick, hydraulic press brakes (500 ton, 200 ton, and 90 ton), hydraulic shear, band saws, roller, and iron worker equipment for forming and shaping metal components for industrial equipment manufacturers.
• Machining Precision machining services featuring milling machines (18" x 40" and 36" x 72"), horizontal lathes (Monarch 4" x 48", Gisholt 8" x 48"), and radial drills (Carlton 11" x 4', Cincinnati 14" x 5', American 19" x 5') for metalworking operations supporting industrial equipment builds.
• Welding AWS D1.1 certified welding services offering multiple processes including wire feed up to 650 amp, TIG/stick, air/arc, stud, plasma, and submerged arc welding, supported by rotary welding positioners, track welders, and powered tank rollers for heavy industrial fabrication.
• Painting Industrial painting and surface preparation services including a 20' x 60' paint booth, 20' x 40' blast booth, portable 200# blaster, and pressure washer for finishing metal fabrications.
• Additional Fabrication Services Supplementary metalworking services including insulation (foam or ceramic block, blanket), refractory (poured and gunned), galvanizing, certified electricians, ASME certified pipe welding, cladding, heat treating and stress relief, X-ray and third-party inspection, magnetic particle and dye penetrant testing, and certified engineering support for heavy industrial customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• On-time delivery for metal fabrication projects
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature18 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Peers

• Precision Industries (Lakeshore Plastics / Precision Metal Fab shops):

Direct peers

• Mayville Engineering Company (MEC): Public contract manufacturer serving heavy industrial, mining, construction, and oil & gas with custom fabricated and machined metal components. Closest scaled analog: diversified metal fabrication and machining under one roof serving similar heavy-industrial end markets.
• Klune Industries: Custom metal fabrication and contract manufacturing shop offering forming, machining, welding, and finishing for industrial and aerospace customers. Direct overlap in integrated heavy-metal fabrication services and project-based sales.
• Metaltek International: Metal castings and engineered components manufacturer serving mining, power generation, and heavy industrial markets. Comparable in delivering custom heavy-industrial components and serving capital-equipment end markets.

Broad incumbents

• Shiloh Industries: Custom engineered metal components and assemblies for industrial and commercial markets, including stamping, fabrication, and value-added services. Broader portfolio and larger scale than Northwoods but directly comparable custom metal-fab capability.
• Worthington Industries: Large diversified metal processor producing pressure cylinders, custom fabricated parts, and steel processing. Overlaps in custom metal fabrication and pressure-related work for industrial customers.
• Olympic Steel: Metal service center offering processing, fabrication, and distribution of carbon, stainless, and aluminum products. Comparable in delivering cut, formed, and fabricated metal components to industrial OEMs.
• NN, Inc. Global provider of engineered components and precision machined products serving industrial end markets. Overlaps in machining, custom-engineered components, and assembly for industrial customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Northwoods-Manufacturing-Inc-186621791361949

Compliance2 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 northwoods manufacturing