Who buys machine shops?

Larger shops and OEM suppliers (strategic buyers), individual owner-operators — often with SBA-backed financing — search funds, private-equity-backed consolidators for larger shops, and operator-owners such as IGM that buy the shop and its building and keep running it.

How much is my machine shop worth?

IGM does not publish valuation multiples. Buyers value a shop on its normalized earnings adjusted for customer concentration, backlog, equipment condition and owner dependence, and value the real estate separately. IGM discusses value with each owner after the NDA and information exchange; its indication of interest is always in writing and non-binding.

Is CNC machining a dying trade?

IGM does not see it that way. The shops IGM knows are constrained by skilled labor and by owner succession, not by a lack of work — which is exactly why a buyer that keeps the team matters.

I want to retire but my employees cannot afford to buy the shop — what are my options?

A management buyout with an outside partner providing the capital, an employee stock ownership plan, a sale to a strategic buyer, or a sale to an operator-owner with a transition period. IGM can be the partner in a management buyout or the buyer; either way the people who run the floor stay in charge of it.

Will IGM keep my employees and customers?

IGM's approach is to keep the team and the customer relationships and to grow the shop, not to move the work elsewhere. Plans for the team are discussed openly during the introductory call and diligence and are set out in the definitive agreements.

Does IGM buy the building?

Usually, yes — the shop and its building together is IGM's standard approach. Owners who prefer to keep the building can lease it to the business.

Should I sell the equipment separately?

Selling the machines piecemeal usually realizes less than selling the shop as a going concern with its customers, its team and its certifications intact. IGM buys shops as going concerns, equipment included.

Do I need a broker to sell my machine shop to IGM?

No. Owners can approach IGM directly through the form on this page. Manufacturing business brokers and M&A advisors are equally welcome to submit on an owner's behalf, and IGM does not charge the seller a fee.

Is my inquiry confidential?

Yes. Submissions are reviewed only by IGM's principals and used solely to evaluate a potential transaction. IGM signs a non-disclosure agreement before requesting financial statements, customer lists or job-cost data — please do not upload or paste confidential documents in your submission.

How long does a sale take?

It depends on the shop, the structure and how ready the records are. IGM does not commit to a timetable before diligence; the steps and their order are always the same, and the timeline is agreed with the owner at the indication-of-interest stage.

For machine shop and job shop owners

Selling your machine shop to an owner who will keep it running

IGM — Innovative Growth Management LLC — buys CNC machine shops, job shops, precision-machining and metal-fabrication businesses with up to $50 million of revenue from owners who want to sell, retire or plan succession, and typically buys the building along with the business. IGM is an operator-owner with manufacturing roots, not a fund with an exit clock: its portfolio includes WMT Precision, a machining plant in New York. Owners, partners and their advisors can describe a shop below; IGM's principals review every submission confidentially and sign an NDA before asking for financials.

Submit your shop How it works

Fit

What we buy

Job shops and contract manufacturers across the United States and Canada. You are likely a fit if most of the following describe your shop:

CNC milling and turning job shops, precision-machining, tool and die, metal-fabrication and contract-manufacturing businesses.
An established shop with repeat customers — not a start-up.
Revenue up to $50 million and EBITDA up to $5 million — IGM's published criteria.
Owner-operated, or with a second-tier team of leads and programmers who run the floor day to day.
Anywhere in the United States or Canada.
The business together with its building, preferably. Business-only, or with a lease of the building from you, can be discussed.

Not sure whether your shop fits? Submit anyway — a short description is enough for IGM to tell you quickly. All sectors IGM considers

Succession

When there is no one to take over

Many shop owners reach retirement with the shop depending on them, no family successor, and key employees who cannot finance a buyout. Stated plainly, these are the routes:

Family transfer

Works when a family member is already running part of the shop. Tax and legal consequences follow — consult your own advisors.

Management buyout or ESOP

Your leads and programmers keep the shop, but they usually need an outside partner to finance it. IGM can partner with management on a buyout — IGM provides the capital and management keeps running the floor.

Strategic buyer

A larger shop or an OEM supplier buys yours for its capabilities, certifications and customers. The shop is often folded into the buyer's operation.

Operator-owner

IGM buys the shop and its building, keeps the name, the team and the customer relationships, and agrees a transition period with you.

Buyer types

Operator-owner, private-equity platform or strategic buyer

What tends to change for the team, the customers and the building under each kind of buyer. Every route suits some shops; none is named here.

Private-equity platform or add-on: The shop becomes part of a larger group with a fund life and a resale planned from the start. Reporting, systems and management often move to the group's standard; the building is frequently sold or leased separately.
Strategic buyer: A larger shop or OEM supplier buys the capabilities, certifications and customer list. Work may move between plants; the name and the location may not survive.
Operator-owner — IGM: IGM buys the shop and its building and keeps running it under its own name with its own team. There is no fund clock forcing a resale, and decisions are made by the people you meet.

Business + real estate

Business and building together

A shop's building carries things a buyer must check — crane capacity, power service, floor loading, environmental history. IGM prefers to buy it with the business; three structures are possible.

Business and real estate in one transaction

IGM buys the operating company and the property together. One closing; the shop keeps its home, its cranes and its power service. This is IGM's standard approach.

Business only, with a lease from you

If you would rather keep the building, IGM buys the operating business and leases the building from you on terms agreed in the same negotiation.

Business only, existing lease

If the shop leases from a third party, the lease term, renewal options and the cost of relocating equipment are reviewed in diligence.

A Phase I environmental site assessment is normally part of diligence whenever the building is included. No prices or terms are stated on this page. We own what we operate

Preparing

What IGM looks at in a shop

The things IGM's principals ask about first. Having them at hand makes the introductory call and the NDA stage faster — none of it is needed to submit.

01Customer concentration — share of revenue from the top customers, and how long they have been with you.
02Backlog, repeat work and long-term agreements.
03Certifications: ISO 9001, AS9100, ITAR registration, ISO 13485 or customer-specific approvals.
04Equipment list with age, hours and condition; recent capital spending and what is due next.
05Programming and CAM depth — who programs, in what software, and whether programs are documented.
06Workforce: ages, tenure, pay structure and how many people can set up and run a job unattended.
07Shop rate, utilization and how quotes are built.
08Owner dependence: which customer relationships, quotes and approvals only you handle today.
09The building: crane capacity, power, air, floor condition, deed or lease terms.
10Historical financial statements and job-cost data — requested only after the NDA is signed.

Technology

How IGM operates a shop after closing

The name, the team and the customer relationships stay; IGM's role is to back them with capital for equipment and with its own operating technology. VionOS — Vision On OS — the AI operating system IGM has built and proved at its own family entertainment center, collects a business's data automatically, briefs its managers daily and puts recommended actions in front of them with the reasoning shown; a person approves every action. Which parts apply to a shop is worked out with the team after closing — nothing is imposed on day one.

How VionOS works

Five steps

What working with IGM looks like

Five steps, in this order. IGM does not ask for confidential financial statements before an NDA is in place.

1
Submit your business
Use the form below. A short description and the ranges you are comfortable sharing are enough to start — no documents are needed.
2
Confidential introductory call
An IGM principal reads every submission and, where there is a potential fit, schedules a call to understand the business, your goals and the timing you have in mind.
3
NDA and information exchange
IGM signs a non-disclosure agreement before requesting historical financials, job-cost and customer data, or other confidential material.
4
Indication of interest
If the business fits, IGM shares a written, non-binding indication of the structure and terms it would propose, so you can decide whether to proceed.
5
Diligence and closing
Confirmatory diligence, definitive agreements and closing — including the property, if it is part of the transaction — on a timetable agreed together.

Working with a manufacturing business broker

Manufacturing business brokers, M&A advisors, accountants and attorneys are welcome to submit a shop on the owner's behalf — select “Broker or advisor” as your role in the form. IGM does not charge the seller a fee.

If your shop is already listed with a broker, the broker can send the teaser directly; IGM signs an NDA before receiving the full package.

Confidentiality

Submissions are reviewed only by IGM's principals. Your information is used solely to evaluate a potential transaction and to contact you about it; it is not shared with third parties or used for marketing.

IGM will sign a non-disclosure agreement before requesting detailed financial statements or other confidential material. Please do not upload, paste or email confidential documents at this stage — a description is enough.

See our Privacy Policy.

Step 1

Submit your shop

Tell us about the shop and what you are looking for. Ranges are fine — please don't include confidential financial statements; we'll request details under NDA.

Brokers, bankers and advisors are welcome to submit on an owner's behalf.

Prefer to talk first? Contact us

This page describes how IGM works with owners of machine shops and precision-manufacturing businesses. It is not an offer of any kind, and submitting a shop creates no obligation on either side. Disclosures

About you

Your name *

Your role *

Email *

Phone *

About the business

Company name *

Company website (optional)

Industry *

Headquarters (city, state / country) *

Years in business *

Employees *

Annual revenue *

A range is enough — we'll request detail under NDA.

EBITDA or annual profit *

What you're looking for

I am interested in *

Real estate *

Timeline *

How did you hear about IGM? *

Brief description of the business *

Please don't include confidential financial statements — we'll request details under NDA.

ConfirmationI consent to IGM contacting me about this submission by email or phone, and I have read the Privacy Policy. *

Or email contact@igmfund.com. Submitting is not an offer or a commitment by either side.

FAQ

Machine Shops — frequently asked questions

Who buys machine shops?: Larger shops and OEM suppliers (strategic buyers), individual owner-operators — often with SBA-backed financing — search funds, private-equity-backed consolidators for larger shops, and operator-owners such as IGM that buy the shop and its building and keep running it.
How much is my machine shop worth?: IGM does not publish valuation multiples. Buyers value a shop on its normalized earnings adjusted for customer concentration, backlog, equipment condition and owner dependence, and value the real estate separately. IGM discusses value with each owner after the NDA and information exchange; its indication of interest is always in writing and non-binding.
Is CNC machining a dying trade?: IGM does not see it that way. The shops IGM knows are constrained by skilled labor and by owner succession, not by a lack of work — which is exactly why a buyer that keeps the team matters.
I want to retire but my employees cannot afford to buy the shop — what are my options?: A management buyout with an outside partner providing the capital, an employee stock ownership plan, a sale to a strategic buyer, or a sale to an operator-owner with a transition period. IGM can be the partner in a management buyout or the buyer; either way the people who run the floor stay in charge of it.
Will IGM keep my employees and customers?: IGM's approach is to keep the team and the customer relationships and to grow the shop, not to move the work elsewhere. Plans for the team are discussed openly during the introductory call and diligence and are set out in the definitive agreements.
Does IGM buy the building?: Usually, yes — the shop and its building together is IGM's standard approach. Owners who prefer to keep the building can lease it to the business.
Should I sell the equipment separately?: Selling the machines piecemeal usually realizes less than selling the shop as a going concern with its customers, its team and its certifications intact. IGM buys shops as going concerns, equipment included.
Do I need a broker to sell my machine shop to IGM?: No. Owners can approach IGM directly through the form on this page. Manufacturing business brokers and M&A advisors are equally welcome to submit on an owner's behalf, and IGM does not charge the seller a fee.
Is my inquiry confidential?: Yes. Submissions are reviewed only by IGM's principals and used solely to evaluate a potential transaction. IGM signs a non-disclosure agreement before requesting financial statements, customer lists or job-cost data — please do not upload or paste confidential documents in your submission.
How long does a sale take?: It depends on the shop, the structure and how ready the records are. IGM does not commit to a timetable before diligence; the steps and their order are always the same, and the timeline is agreed with the owner at the indication-of-interest stage.