Industrial Equipment Financing – Guide + Leasing from $10M

The term “industrial equipment” refers to the machines and equipment that industries use. Companies use it in the manufacturing, processing, compounding, or production of goods and other equipment. It includes devices such as jigs, dies, tools, robotic arms, etc. necessary for the control, regulation, or operation of machinery. In this article, we’ll explore financing of industrial equipment priced at $10 million and greater. You can do industrial equipment financing through loans and leasing, so we’ll look at both.

What is Industrial Equipment Financing?

Industrial equipment financing involves the leasing and lending programs that manufacturers and others employ to pay for industrial equipment.  Furthermore, industrial equipment helps to manufacture and engineer products and machinery on an industrial scale. Industrial equipment financing allows manufacturers to secure the output of industrial equipment without paying all cash for the equipment. In this way, companies can preserve their cash for use elsewhere. Industrial equipment collateralizes the loans and leases that finance its acquisition and use.

The following industry groups are part of the industrial machine/equipment sector:

• Engines and turbines
• Farm/Garden machinery and equipment
• Construction, mining, and materials handling
• Metalworking machinery and equipment
• Special industry machinery excluding metalworking
• General industrial machinery and equipment.
• Computer and office equipment.
• Refrigeration and service industry machinery.
• Miscellaneous industrial and commercial equipment and machinery.
• Automobile manufacturers
• And many, many more!

Leasing vs Loans

Video:  Equipment Financing – Loans vs Leasing

How Assets America Can Help

Assets America® can provide you with unlimited industrial equipment financing starting at $10 million. We can arrange a lease or loan much quicker than a your typical funding sources can and with less red tape. Please contact us today for more information at 206-622-3000, or simply fill out the below form for a prompt response!

Apply For Financing

If you don’t want to purchase industrial equipment for cash, then you must decide whether to employ borrowing or leasing, in other words, industrial equipment financing. They each have their pros and cons, but both let you extend your payments over months or years. With industrial equipment leasing, you pay a monthly rental fee and then keep or return the equipment at lease-end, however, you are usually offered a buy-out provision at lease-end. If you’d rather own the equipment, you can take out an industrial equipment loan. You post the asset and liability to the balance sheet, whereas you may keep leased assets off-balance-sheet. You retire the liability when you pay off the loan, usually without any balloon payment.

Borrowing from a Bank vs an Equipment Finance Company

The best reason, and perhaps the only one, to borrow from a bank is that you might get a less-expensive loan. However, there are many disadvantages when borrowing from a bank, including:

• Your loan request may not get approved.
• You will have to complete a substantial amount of tedious paperwork.
• The process may take several weeks or longer.
• You might have to pay sales tax upfront.
• Expect to pay a large down payment.
• Conceivably, you may negatively impact your credit lines.

You can avoid many of these challenges by borrowing from a bank alternative. You have a better chance of receiving approval more quickly without less paperwork. Also, your down payment can be smaller, and you might not affect your other credit lines. On the negative side, equipment loans may require higher payments that those for a lease, and your tax savings may be smaller.

Leasing Industrial Equipment

Leasing is sensible when the equipment rapidly becomes obsolete or you must upgrade it soon. In contrast, loans can be better for stable equipment. It’s hard to say whether leasing or borrowing is cheaper because it depends on your unique circumstances. You should run both sets of numbers to see which option saves more money.

How Do Industrial Equipment Loans Work?

You can obtain industrial equipment loans from banks, alternative lenders like Assets America®, or from the manufacturer. You can purchase all sorts of industrial machines and equipment with debt. These include manufacturing equipment, specialized equipment, and many other types of industrial equipment. Loan uses include new purchases, refinancings, and replacement of existing equipment.

The prices of industrial equipment vary widely. You might need a dye that sells for $10,000 or a huge CNC machine costing more than $10 million. The equipment serves as collateral for the deal, and a blanket UCC lien may apply. With decent credit (credit score 680+), you would expect to pay an interest rate of 6% to 16%. Down payments typically range from 5% to 20%. The loan term may be as short as two years up to seven years or longer.

If your credit is poor, industrial equipment financing interest rates may climb as high as 30%. Rates that high are hard to justify unless the payback period is short. Many borrowers seek loan terms matched to the useful life of the equipment or to its IRS recovery period. The latter is the number of years over which you depreciate the asset according to IRS rules. It’s always a good idea to speak with your accountant or CPA for determining such matters.

The ability of a machine or equipment to act as collateral is situational. For example, a highly customized machine might not have much value after repossession, if it can’t be resold due to its specialty. However, much utility equipment can serve as collateral and therefore help tame the loan’s interest rate.

SBA CDC/504 Loan

Your small business may qualify for an SBA CDC/504 equipment loan. The process involves a bank that provides half the loan. The remainder of the loan originates from a Certified Development Company (CDC). You put down 10% and the SBA guarantees the loan.

To be eligible for this loan, you must have the following:

• An active, for-profit company
• An employee count within the limits that the SBA establishes.
• Have an average net after-tax income below $5 million for two years prior to application and a net worth less than $15 million.
• Create or retain jobs or encourage other public policy objectives.

The SBA caps the maximum loan amount at $20 million. Expect to pay between 5% and 20% interest with a repayment period between 10 and 25 years.

Depreciation

Depreciation is a non-cash expense. You deduct the cost of capital assets (such as industrial machines and equipment) over a defined number of years. We call this the recovery period, which is typically at least five (5) years for industrial equipment. You use the IRS tables to determine the exact recovery period to use. The method of depreciation can be straight-line or accelerated.

The cost over the asset’s lifecycle will encompass insurance, interest, maintenance, incentives, options and operating expenses. You deduct these expenses in the current year rather than depreciating them throughout the recovery period. Be aware of Section 179 rules that allow you to expense capital assets in the first year of ownership. For 2020, you can use Section 179 to expense $1.04 million this way. You lose this option if your equipment purchases exceed $2.59 million in 2020. On the plus side, you get 100% bonus depreciation on your 2020 equipment purchases.

Industrial Equipment Financing Requirements

Equipment leasing requirements are looser than those for equipment leasing. They include:

• Credit Score: You want a credit score of at least 620+.
• Tenure: Your business should have an operational history of at least one year.
• Cash Flow: The equipment cost should be low relative to your business revenues.
• Down Payment: Expect to put down between 0% and 30%.

Some negative events can trip up your loan request. These include collections, bankruptcies, foreclosures, fraud, and other financial indiscretions. Barring these lapses in judgement, your lender will take all factors into consideration before offering you an interest rate. If you accept the offer, you’ll need to provide the following:

• A business check marked “void”.
• Tax returns and financial statements (business and personal)
• A driver’s license
• Recent bank statements
• Vendor invoice or equipment quote

Equipment Leasing & Loans FAQs

How do I know if I need industrial equipment leasing or loans?

Compare the potential revenues with and without the equipment or machinery. Only get the equipment if you can justify the expenditure. Factor in the addition to business growth versus the possibility of losing money on a bad investment.

What kinds of industrial equipment does AAI provide funding for?

We fund industrial equipment with a combined value in excess of $10 million. Our terms can cater to persons or companies with less than perfect credit. We work with a network of private money lenders, specialized funding sources, local and national banks, and life companies, etc. to get you the industrial equipment financing you need.

Is it worse to get industrial equipment financing from a bank?

A bank will probably charge less, but most assuredly it will take more time and paperwork, require a larger down payment, and go through very stiff underwriting guidelines. Unless you have great credit, an industrial equipment financing loan is probably much more feasible than a bank loan.

What are the pros and cons of vendor industrial equipment financing?

The pros are convenience, lower upfront costs, easy upgrading, and very compelling deals. On the con side, they may have equipment that may be unavailable, may have a price tag that is high for used equipment.

Related Articles