Appleton Marine Inc.

Appleton Marine Inc., a small business manufacturer of specialized marine deck machinery headquartered in Little Chute, Wisconsin, serves as a prime contractor to federal maritime agencies, supplying cranes, winches, windlasses, capstans, and associated repair parts and technical support services across a broad portfolio spanning 26 federal customer agencies. The company is a Subchapter S Corporation competing predominantly full-and-open rather than under set-asides, though it qualifies for and has received total small business set-aside awards from the Coast Guard and other defense agencies.

The Coast Guard dominates Appleton Marine's customer concentration by both award count and dollar value: 876 awards (78% of the portfolio's top-tier volume) valued at $146.8 million represent integrated crane systems with computer-controlled capabilities, repair parts, maintenance services, and technical training across the service's vessel fleet. Naval Sea Systems Command, Military Sealift Command, and Naval Supply Systems Command together account for $94.8 million in additional combined potential value across 472 awards, reflecting Appleton Marine's established role as a critical OEM supplier to Navy and Military Sealift Command vessel programs. Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime places high transaction volume (368 awards, $4.3 million) in smaller spare-parts procurements. The company maintains relationships with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Department of Defense Land and Maritime agency for specialized crane and marine equipment needs.

Appleton Marine's primary vehicle position rests on two significant Coast Guard indefinite delivery contracts: a single-award IDC valued at $18,843,027 running through December 2032, designated as a total small business set-aside, covering design, manufacture, and installation of cranes with integrated computer control systems, onboard repair parts, and technical representative services for commissioning and maintenance training; and a subordinate IDC valued at $3,736,105 for telescoping boom cranes and related support. Recent delivery orders under the primary IDC include a $1,112,817 order (September 2025) for aids-to-navigation crane design and installation on the CGC Abbie Burgess with completion targeted November 1, 2027, and a $1,112,809 delivery order (July 2024) for aids-to-navigation crane fabrication on the CGC Ida Lewis. Beyond Coast Guard vehicles, Appleton Marine holds positions on five additional Navy and DLA IDIQs carrying task-order volumes in the $1.4 million to $15.1 million range, including Navy single-award IDCs for davits and cargo handling equipment.

Representative prime capability work includes a $2,591,626 definitive contract from the Coast Guard (December 2024) for mission-critical depot spare aft folding boom cranes for National Security Cutter class vessels; a $1,134,088 delivery order from Naval Sea Systems Command (September 2024) for production davits with factory test reports; a $815,100 purchase order from NOAA (September 2024, total small business set-aside) for a telescoping crane to replace a knuckleboom crane on NOAA Ship PISCES; and a $567,044 delivery order from Naval Sea Systems Command (May 2025) for SLAD material supporting DDG modernization. Appleton Marine also supplies high-volume spare-parts and component orders: a $372,517 delivery order from the Coast Guard (September 2025) for inspection, evaluation, and potential overhaul of an Appleton-manufactured crane (AMD-1881 model), and recurring orders for hydraulic cylinders, control valves, winch gearboxes, and structural components across the military maritime fleet.

Activity has remained relatively flat, averaging 110 awards per year over the past five years, with 2024 reaching 116 awards and 2025 through August at 81 awards. Fifteen awards valued at $4.2 million reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, creating moderate recompete exposure concentrated in Coast Guard crane systems and parts replenishment. The company's NAICS footprint centers on Overhead Traveling Crane, Hoist, and Monorail System Manufacturing (733 awards) and Ship Building and Repairing (292 awards), with secondary concentration in Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturing and Equipment Repair and Maintenance. PSC coding reflects Miscellaneous Ship and Marine Equipment (361 awards) and Winches, Hoists, Cranes, and Derricks (311 awards).

In its subcontractor role, Appleton Marine supplies deck machinery components and systems to major shipbuilders: Huntington Ingalls Incorporated engages Appleton Marine on DDG 51 destroyer construction (multiple five awards through February 2025, covering integrated crane and deck machinery systems); Marinette Marine Corporation awarded Appleton Marine subcontracts (December 2024) for marine offshore and shipboard cranes, winches, windlasses, and capstans for FFG(X) guided-missile frigate detail design and construction; National Steel and Shipbuilding Company sourced Expeditionary Sea Base hull 6 long-lead-time materials (May 2025); and Vigor Marine LLC engaged Appleton Marine for hoses and miscellaneous parts supporting USNS Matthew Perry maintenance (March 2025). Appleton Marine's subcontract footprint is modest (44 awards, 2% of total) relative to its dominant prime position, with most sub work flowing through shipyard integration programs rather than independent defense primes.

The company's posture across the prime portfolio is predominantly full-and-open competition, with set-aside designations appearing primarily in Coast Guard procurements (total small business set-asides account for recurring portions of smaller spare-parts and component orders) and occasional small business set-asides from NOAA and other civilian maritime agencies. Appleton Marine does not hold 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, or other SBA certifications reflected in the source; its small business qualification rests on size standards under NAICS 333923 (Overhead Traveling Crane, Hoist, and Monorail System Manufacturing).

Manufacturer of Marine Cranes, Winches, Windlasses, and Captans