Fieldhill Loans helps machine shops, fabricators and small manufacturers in Columbus, IN and Bartholomew County, IN request equipment financing for CNC machines and press brakes, inventory financing for raw material, and term loans for new bays or contract ramp-ups. Partners review purchase orders, customer terms and equipment quotes, then decide.
| Bartholomew County, IN manufacturing employers | 139 employer locations (County Business Patterns 2023) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing payroll | About $892.8 million, CBP 2023 |
| Fabricated metal product employers | 37, CBP 2023 |
How small manufacturers use funding
Manufacturing cash has three long gaps: buying the machine, buying the material, and waiting on customers who pay on 30, 60 or longer terms after the parts ship. A shop that lands a larger contract can need all three at once.
The answer-first map: equipment financing for machines; inventory financing for material tied to orders; a term loan for a new bay or a major contract ramp-up; working capital for the receivables wait.
Factories and shops across Bartholomew County, IN
Manufacturing carried the largest annual payroll of any sector in Bartholomew County, IN in 2023, about $892.8 million, across 139 employer establishments and 14,384 paid employees (County Business Patterns). Only 25.2% of manufacturing establishments had fewer than five employees.
Fabricated metal product manufacturing (NAICS 332), which includes machine shops, numbered 37 employer establishments with 1,708 employees and about $91.7 million in payroll; 21.6% were under five people, and 21 had a ZIP 47201 address. Food manufacturing (NAICS 311) counted 6 establishments with 648 employees, and printing (NAICS 323) 4. Commercial and industrial machinery repair shops (NAICS 811310) counted 8.
Nonemployer Statistics found 77 manufacturing businesses without payroll in the county in 2024, including 23 in fabricated metal products. Those counts come from a different program and year.
Material, machines and long payment terms
Raw material
Steel, aluminum, bar stock and components are bought per order or in bulk to secure pricing. Material for a confirmed order can be financed against that order.
Machinists and overtime
Skilled labor may be paid weekly. A rush order can mean overtime before the invoice is even issued.
Machines
CNC mills, lathes, press brakes, lasers and inspection equipment can be the costliest single purchases, new or used.
Customer terms
Customers may pay on net-60 or longer terms, which means a wait after the parts ship.
Matching manufacturing needs to funding types
| Need | Where Fieldhill would start |
|---|---|
| CNC mill, lathe, press brake or laser | Manufacturing equipment financing |
| Raw material for a confirmed order | Inventory financing |
| Payroll while customers pay on long terms | Working capital |
| New bay, building improvements, contract ramp-up | Term loan |
| Uneven order flow | Line of credit |
Manufacturing equipment loans: new and used machines
Manufacturing equipment loans are reviewed on the machine as much as the shop. For used CNC equipment, partners ask for the control type, year, spindle hours, tooling included and whether it has been inspected under power. New machines come with dealer quotes and sometimes manufacturer financing; compare the total cost of each route.
The CNC machine payment calculator estimates the monthly payment and total cost, down payment included, from figures you enter. The Fieldhill post on how to finance a metal or machine shop covers a full shop setup.
Small business loans for manufacturing contracts
A small business loan for manufacturing growth can follow a specific contract. Partners read the purchase order or supply agreement, the customer's payment terms and the shop's capacity. If the contract needs a new machine, split the request: equipment financing for the machine, inventory or working capital for the material and labor.
Premises
New equipment can mean new power, ventilation or floor loading, and a new bay can mean permits. The Columbus, Indiana zoning and permits checklist lists the questions to settle with the city first.
Quoting, first articles and the cash before production
A new part number may not ship in its first week. Programming, fixturing, first-article inspection and customer approval can take weeks before production runs start, and the customer's payment terms only begin once parts ship and are invoiced. A request sized around the production run alone can come up short in that set-up period.
Write the timeline down: material order, set-up, first article, approval, first shipment, first payment. That sequence gives a partner more to read than a single total, and it shows which part of the gap each funding type should cover.
What partners commonly review for a shop
- Purchase orders or supply agreements, with payment terms.
- Receivables aging by customer.
- Equipment quotes, with control type and year for used machines.
- Twelve months of bank statements and recent financial statements.
- Machine loans and leases already on the books.
A labeled example, not an offer
Hypothetical figures only: a 14-person shop wins a two-year supply agreement that needs a second 5-axis machine quoted at $185,000, plus about $26,000 of bar stock for the first run. The customer pays net-60. Equipment financing for the machine, inventory financing for the first material order, and a working capital cushion for two months of extra payroll match each cost to its own schedule. The real figures come only from a partner.
Related pages
Auto repair and machinery repair shops share some equipment patterns; see auto repair funding. All sectors are on the industries page, and the county's figures on the Columbus, IN page.
By Fieldhill Loans · Updated
