Skybank Business Loans, a small-business funding service in Wausau, Wisconsin, explains manufacturing equipment financing for Marathon County makers and machine shops: new and used CNC machines, metal shop equipment, raw materials and working capital. Manufacturing paid the largest payroll of any sector in the county in 2023, $1.22 billion (CBP).
At a glance
- Manufacturing employers, Marathon County, WI
240 (CBP 2023)
- Manufacturing payroll
$1.22 billion (CBP 2023)
- Fabricated metal product makers
54 (CBP 2023)
Marathon County, WI manufacturing payroll and machine shop counts
Manufacturing equipment financing matters here because manufacturing paid more in wages than any other sector in Marathon County: $1.22 billion to 18,923 employees across 240 establishments in 2023 (CBP). Only 21.2% of those establishments had fewer than five employees. Dividing payroll by headcount (our arithmetic) gives about $64,506 per employee.
| Group | Employers | Fewer than 5 employees |
|---|---|---|
| Fabricated metal products (incl. machine shops) | 54 | 13 |
| Food manufacturing | 25 | 4 |
| Printing | 13 | 6 |
Industrial manufacturing equipment financing: a Marathon County, WI overview
Industrial manufacturing equipment financing covers machines that run for years: CNC mills and lathes, press brakes, lasers, welding robots, injection molders, packaging and conveying lines. Equipment financing ties each payment to the machine's working life; a term loan suits a plant expansion.
Machinery finance companies for Marathon County, WI businesses
Machinery finance companies include equipment manufacturers' finance arms, independent equipment lenders, banks and credit unions. Skybank Business Loans matches your request with funding partners, who review it and make their own decision. Marathon County also had 48 machinery and equipment wholesalers with employees in 2023 (CBP), one channel through which machines are bought.
Manufacturing financing services: a Marathon County, WI overview
Manufacturing financing services also cover raw materials and payroll. A maker buys steel, resin or ingredients before it ships, and customers pay on terms. Inventory financing or a line of credit carries that cycle; bring the receivables aging report and purchase orders.
Used CNC machine financing for Wausau, WI companies
Used CNC machine financing depends on the machine's age, control, hours and condition. Bring the make, model, year, control type, spindle hours and an inspection or run-off report. Some partners set age limits; others adjust the down payment.
Illustration only, invented figures: a used five-axis machine priced at $210,000 with $30,000 down, financed over 84 months at an assumed annual rate of 8.75%, costs about $2,873 a month. In this invented example, the shop compares that with the outsourced machining it will bring in-house.
Metal shop loans: what Wausau, WI owners should know
Metal shop loans cover welders, plasma and laser tables, press brakes, saws and finishing equipment. Fabricated metal product makers in the county employed 5,636 people in 2023 (CBP), and 4 of those establishments had an address in ZIP 54403 (ZBP).
Machine shop financing around Wausau, WI
Machine shop financing for a small job shop reads the same records as a larger plant: customer concentration, backlog, margins and existing equipment payments. A shop that depends on one or two customers should expect questions about those contracts.
Buying an established Marathon County, WI manufacturer
An acquisition is valued on earnings, equipment, customer contracts and the workforce. The partner reads the seller's returns, the equipment list with appraisals, customer concentration and backlog, plus the buyer's experience.
Food manufacturing and packaging lines
Marathon County had 25 food manufacturers with employees in 2023 (CBP). Food plants finance mixers, ovens, filling and packaging lines, refrigeration and wastewater equipment, much of it specialized. Specialized equipment has a narrower resale market, so a partner may weigh the plant's cash flow more heavily than the machine's value. Bring the line quote with installation and validation costs listed separately.
Raw ingredients and packaging are bought ahead of orders; inventory financing or a line of credit carries them.
Employer size in Marathon County, WI manufacturing
Manufacturing establishments in the county averaged about 79 employees each in 2023 by our arithmetic (CBP), and fabricated metal makers about 104. Larger plants bring larger requests, more documentation and, sometimes, an appraisal for the equipment being financed. A small job shop with five machinists sends the same kind of request on a smaller scale.
Nonemployer Statistics counted 204 manufacturing businesses without paid employees in 2024, a separate program; one-person makers can request equipment funding too.
Questions to settle before a machine purchase
- How many hours a week will the machine run on current orders?
- Is the work it replaces currently outsourced, and at what cost?
- Does the floor need power, air or foundation work?
- What does training and programming cost in the first months?
- What is the machine's resale value if plans change?
Records for a manufacturing request
- Three to six months of business bank statements
- The latest filed business tax return
- A year-to-date profit and loss statement
- Equipment quotes or seller listings with hours
- Receivables aging and backlog
- Customer concentration
- Existing equipment payments
The machinery loan article works through a full request. Related: financing for contractors, the industries list and the Wausau, WI figures.
By Skybank Business Loans ยท Updated
