Sell a Manufacturing Company in Fort Worth, TX

A Shop Town Built Around Aircraft

Fort Worth has built aircraft for generations. Lockheed Martin and Bell both run major operations here, and a long chain of smaller shops grew up around them.

Many of the owners who call us run CNC machine shops, sheet metal and weld fabricators, or suppliers that make parts and assemblies for larger manufacturers. Some sell straight to a prime contractor. Most sell a tier or two down.

That supply chain is a big reason buyers look at Tarrant County. It also means they will ask detailed questions about who you make parts for and how you prove the parts are right.

Your Certifications Carry Real Weight

For a parts supplier, a quality certificate can be worth as much as a machine. It is often the ticket that gets a shop onto an approved supplier list in the first place.

ISO 9001 is the general quality standard. AS9100 builds on ISO 9001 and adds requirements for aerospace work, such as risk control and tighter oversight of your own suppliers.

Buyers will want to see:

• Current certificates and the dates of your last audits
• Any findings from those audits and how you closed them out
• Your quality manual, inspection records and traceability process
• Whether you are registered to handle defense work, such as under ITAR

A shop that keeps its certificates current and its audits clean tells a buyer the systems work without the owner checking every part. That lowers risk, and lower risk lifts the price.

When One Customer Is Most of the Work

Shops that grew alongside one big program often end up with one or two customers carrying most of the sales. Buyers notice this first.

If that customer slows down or moves the work, the new owner takes the hit. So buyers protect themselves with a lower price, a bigger seller note or an earnout tied to future sales.

You can soften that worry. Show long purchase history, multiyear agreements, approved supplier status and part numbers that only your shop is qualified to make.

If you have a few years before selling, winning work in a second industry such as medical, energy or industrial equipment can do more for your price than almost anything else.

Equipment Buyers Will Walk Past

Buyers and their lenders will tour the floor. Have a clean equipment list ready with make, model, age, condition and any liens or leases.

Five axis mills, inspection gear like a CMM, and machines that hold tight tolerances draw attention. So does open capacity, since it shows a buyer room to grow without new spending.

Be honest about deferred upkeep. A buyer who finds a worn spindle or an aging press brake in due diligence will take the repair cost out of the offer, and maybe more.

If you own the building in a separate company, decide early whether to sell it or lease it to the buyer at a fair rent.

People and Programs

Skilled machinists and programmers are hard to find. Buyers want to know who writes the programs, who runs quality and who talks to the customers' buyers and engineers.

A shop where the owner quotes every job and approves every first article is harder to sell. Start handing off those roles now and write down how jobs move from quote to shipment.

Who Buys Fort Worth Manufacturers

• Larger aerospace and defense suppliers adding capacity or certifications
• Private equity groups building precision machining platforms
• Competitors that want your customers and your skilled crew
• Individual buyers with plant experience, often using an SBA 7(a) loan

The SBA caps 7(a) loans at $5 million, so larger shops usually go to buyers with their own capital. Our mergers and acquisitions advisory reaches that group.

Most shops of this size are priced on EBITDA, with add-backs for owner costs and one time expenses. A business valuation shows where your numbers land before a buyer sees them.

Getting Started

Find out what your shop could sell for. Fill out the free valuation form or call (817) 555-0142 for a confidential talk.