The best business loan broker for manufacturers (2026)

Name: Bay Street Lending
Address: 11 Broadway, Suite 1131, New York, NY, 10004, US
Price range: $25K-$10M

Full disclosure: we are Bay Street Lending, a broker, so we're biased. We say plainly below where your bank, an SBA lender or another firm is the better choice for a manufacturer, and every competitor fact links to its source.

Updated October 2026 · Competitor facts checked October 2026

TL;DR

Your bank or an asset-based lender is better for a manufacturer with clean, reviewed financials: a line backed by receivables and inventory is the cheapest working capital you can get.
Bay Street Lending fits manufacturers and distributors that need $25K to $2.5M quickly, or a mix of products: factoring on net-60 invoices, purchase-order financing for a large order, equipment financing for a machine. In 2026 we arranged $750K for a filter-and-supply distributor and $100K for a manufacturer.
National Business Capital is better when you already have a bank or asset-based line and need subordinated capital behind it, from $250K up to $15M.
An SBA 504 loan is better for buying your building or heavy machinery on a long fixed rate. Fundera is better for small shops and requests under $25,000.

Financing options for manufacturers at a glance

Option	Best for	Typical size	Speed
Bay Street Lending	Fast or mixed needs: factoring, PO, equipment, working capital	$25K–$2.5M working capital; factoring to $10M	As fast as 6 hours (working capital)
Your bank or an asset-based lender	Clean financials, steady receivables and inventory	Set by your borrowing base	Weeks to set up
National Business Capital	Capital behind an existing bank line	$250K–$15M	3–7 business days for $1M–$15M, it says
SBA 504 lender	Building or heavy machinery, long fixed rate	Up to program limits	Commonly 60–90 days
Fundera	Small shops and small requests	From $5,000	Not published

What lenders look at for manufacturers

Inventory, purchase orders, receivables, and whoever already holds a lien.

Receivables: Aging, payment terms and customer concentration
Inventory: Finished goods and commodity raw materials count most; work in process often does not
Orders: Signed purchase orders, backlog and the margin on each
Liens: Any bank or asset-based lender with a lien on receivables and inventory

A manufacturer pays for material long before it gets paid. Raw materials are bought up front or on supplier terms, production takes time, finished goods sit until they ship, and large customers may pay on 60-day terms or longer. The longer that cycle, the more working capital a growing order book eats, which is why profitable manufacturers run short of cash when sales jump.

Lenders value each stage differently. Receivables from creditworthy customers are usually the strongest collateral. The OCC's handbook for bank examiners says finished goods and commodity-like raw materials usually get the highest inventory advance rates because they are easiest to sell, while work in process has limited liquidation value and is frequently excluded from the borrowing base. Signed purchase orders show demand, but a funder will look at the margin and at who supplies the goods. Concentration matters too: the same handbook lists receivables above concentration limits among those commonly treated as ineligible.

Then the existing lien. A bank or asset-based line is typically secured by receivables and inventory, and the lender may have filed on equipment and other assets too; the OCC handbook notes that receivables and inventory must be subject to the bank's perfected first-priority interest to count. Any new funder either needs the bank’s consent, sits behind it, or finances something the bank does not cover, such as a specific machine. Read your loan agreement before you apply; it may restrict additional debt.

Manufacturing working capital: uses and costs →

1. Bay Street Lending

This is us. Our pick when speed or a mix of products matters.

Best for: Manufacturers and distributors 6+ months old with $25K+/month in deposits
Product fit: Factoring for net-terms invoices; PO financing for resold goods; equipment financing for machines; working capital for raw materials
Amounts: Working capital $25K–$2.5M; factoring $25K–$10M; equipment $25K–$5M; PO financing from $25K
Cost to you: No fee from us; the funder pays us if you fund

Bay Street Lending is a broker, not a lender, founded by an investment banker and a partner who has spent his career in commercial finance. You apply once (a soft credit pull, about two minutes), one named advisor works the file, and it goes only to funders among our 100+ partners that fit it. Every option comes back priced side by side, with total cost, payment and term in writing before you sign, and no obligation to accept.

In 2026 we arranged $750K for a filter-and-supply distributor in July and $100K for a manufacturer in May. Manufacturers often need more than one product at once, and that is where a broker helps: factoring advances 80% to 95% of invoices to creditworthy customers, and equipment financing covers the machine for a new contract. Purchase-order financing pays a third-party supplier that makes or supplies the goods you resell or distribute, as NerdWallet’s explainer describes it, so it fits distributors and contract-manufactured goods better than goods you make in-house.

Where we fall short: we do not serve companies under six months old or requests under $25,000, we do not offer subordinated debt, and we have fewer public reviews than the bigger brokers and marketplaces (45 on Google, rated 5.0).

Invoice factoring for manufacturers →

2. Your bank or an asset-based lender

Better and cheaper for manufacturers with clean financials.

Best for: Reviewed or audited statements, steady receivables and inventory
Structure: A revolving line sized to a borrowing base
Trade-off: Monthly reporting, field exams, covenants

If your financials are clean and your bank will extend a line backed by receivables and inventory, that is the better choice. It is usually the cheapest working capital available and grows with your borrowing base as sales grow.

The cost is paperwork and time: borrowing-base certificates, periodic field exams, and covenants you must meet. Banks also move slowly when an order arrives that is bigger than the line. That is where factoring or purchase-order financing for a single order can fill in, with your bank’s consent.

3. National Business Capital

Better for capital behind an existing bank line.

Best for: Manufacturers with 1+ year and $600K+ in revenue needing $250K–$15M
Products: Subordinated debt, term loans, lines, equipment; no factoring or PO financing on its current menu
Speed: $1M–$15M in 3–7 business days, it says
Reviews: Trustpilot 4.9 (2,773), BBB A+

National Business Capital describes itself as a direct lender of private credit and junior capital, funding up to $15M from its own balance sheet, and lists subordinated debt as "growth capital behind senior debt." If you already have a bank or asset-based line and need more capital behind it, National Business Capital is the better choice. We do not offer subordinated debt.

Its current product menu does not list invoice factoring or purchase-order financing, it publishes no fee schedule, and its minimums are one year in business and $600,000 in annual revenue.

National Business Capital products ↗

4. An SBA 504 loan for a building or heavy machinery

Better for long-lived assets on a long fixed rate.

Best for: Buying your plant or major machinery
Requirements: Typically 2+ years in business, good credit, a down payment
Speed: Commonly 60–90 days

For a building or a major machine you will run for years, an SBA 504 loan is the better choice. The SBA describes 504 loans as long-term, fixed-rate financing of up to $5 million for major fixed assets, made through certified development companies working with a senior lender. Short-term money cannot do that.

We arrange SBA 7(a) and 504 loans ($50K–$5M, typically 680+ credit and two years in business), but they take 60 to 90 days. If the machine is needed for a contract that starts next month, equipment financing is faster.

Manufacturing equipment financing →

5. Fundera (NerdWallet)

Better for small shops and requests under $25,000.

Best for: Small manufacturers and makers, requests from $5K
Minimums: Not published; Finder cites 600 credit and $60K+ revenue
Products: Term loans, equipment, invoice financing, lines, cards
Reviews: Trustpilot 4.8 (1,214), BBB A+

Fundera is NerdWallet’s small-business loan marketplace. Its application starts at $5,000, and a Funding Advisor walks you through offers. For a small shop below our $25,000 minimum, Fundera is the better choice.

Its consent language lets it share your information with NerdWallet and its partners and permits autodialed calls and texts, and an account is required. Finder lists excessive solicitation as a con.

How Fundera works ↗

Our pick

If your bank line covers you, stay with it. When an order outgrows the line, the bank is too slow, or you need factoring, purchase-order financing and equipment at once, Bay Street Lending is our pick: one advisor, every option priced side by side, and your file kept to funders that fit.

Choose National Business Capital for subordinated capital behind a bank line, an SBA 504 loan for a building or major machine, and Fundera if you need less than $25,000.

What we'd do today

Pull your receivables aging and an inventory report split into raw materials, work in process and finished goods.
Read your bank loan agreement for limits on additional debt and for who holds a lien on what.
List signed purchase orders with the margin on each and who supplies the goods.
Match each need to a product: factoring for slow invoices, PO financing for resold goods, equipment financing for machines, working capital for raw materials.
Compare offers on total cost and on how each one affects your bank line.

Questions

Can a manufacturer use purchase-order financing?

Sometimes. PO financing pays a third-party supplier for goods that ship to a creditworthy customer. It fits distributors and contract-manufactured goods; goods you build in your own plant usually call for working capital or factoring instead.

Will a lender count my inventory as collateral?

Finished goods and commodity-like raw materials usually count, at an advance rate below their value. Work in process often does not, because it needs more production before anyone can sell it.

Can I get more financing if my bank already has a blanket lien?

Often, with the bank’s consent or in a position behind it. Equipment financing on a specific machine and subordinated debt are possible routes. Check your loan agreement first.

Is Bay Street Lending a lender?

No. Bay Street Lending is a broker. The funder that approves your file pays us; you pay us no fee and are under no obligation to accept an offer.

What size manufacturer does Bay Street Lending work with?

Companies at least six months old with $25,000 or more a month in deposits, for requests from $25,000. Factoring facilities run up to $10M.

See what Bay Street Lending can do for you

One application, one named advisor, and every option priced side by side. Your file goes only to funders that fit, we never sell your information to other lenders, and there is no obligation to accept.

Start your application

Sources

We checked every competitor fact on this page in October 2026. Terms change; confirm on the provider's site before you apply. Bay Street Lending is a broker, not a lender.