Educational only — not an offer to lend or a rate quote. Downloading a free guide or tool does not create a brokerage, advisory, or fiduciary relationship with Manufactor Finance.
There is no single number
The most common question we hear from Peoria, IL shops is "what credit score do I need?" The honest answer: it depends entirely on which program you are applying for. A industrial machinery & equipment operator with a 620 FICO and strong commercial invoices has real options. The same 620 with no receivables and no equipment has a much shorter list.
Program-by-program benchmarks
Rough shape of what underwriters look for from a industrial machinery & equipment and metal fabrication shop:
- Traditional bank loans & SBA 7(a)/504 — FICO 680+ typical, 2+ years in business, $250K+ annual revenue, clean financials.
- Equipment financing — FICO ~600+, 1+ year in business (startup programs exist), a real equipment quote, 3+ months of bank statements.
- Invoice factoring — FICO is a factor but not the driver; the funder cares far more about your customers' credit. Startups with a first real invoice can qualify.
- PO financing — a real PO from a strong buyer + a supplier the funder can pay. Personal credit matters less than the transaction quality.
- Working capital / revenue-based advances — FICO ~500+, 6+ months in business, roughly $10K+/month in deposits. Fastest, most expensive lane.
Revenue floors — what "$250K a year" actually means
Bank and SBA programs typically want $250K+ in annual revenue with a positive trend. Alternative lenders accept $100K–$150K. Factoring and PO finance have no strict revenue minimum — they underwrite the invoice or the order.
For a Peoria shop under $1M in revenue, the practical funding stack is almost always some combination of equipment financing, factoring, and possibly an SBA Microloan. Above $5M, ABL and full SBA 7(a) become realistic. Above $20M, bank lines become the primary conversation.
What to say upfront in your request
Say the ugly stuff first. Tax lien, bankruptcy, MCA stack, low personal credit, prior default — none of it kills referral automatically, but it does change which programs to lead with. Discovering it three weeks into underwriting wastes everyone's time.
Our team matches your request to a program and a funding partner that fits. That only works when the details are real from the first message.

