Tie Down Engineering | From Anchors to Automation: A Family Business Forged in Steel
Roots in Anchoring America
Tie Down Engineering’s story begins in 1967 with Chuck MacKarvich, an inventive problem-solver who saw opportunity where others saw risk. In the decades following World War II, affordable housing was booming across the United States. Mobile homes, fast to produce and easy to transport, were at the heart of this movement. But they came with a danger: in severe weather, lightweight homes could tip, roll, and collapse.
In response, the federal government mandated that every mobile home be secured to the ground. Chuck, working from a one-car garage attached to his Miami home, designed a ground anchor with a helical auger blade that could be screwed into the earth and secured with steel strapping to the main I-beams under the mobile home chassis. He began hand-making anchors in small batches.
Demand grew quickly, but production was slow; he could manufacture no more than 50 per week. Chuck’s breakthrough came when an installer suggested visiting a local metal shop. Walking into a facility where steel parts fell rhythmically into bins, he recognized instantly that automation was the future. He invested in tooling and scaled up production. The success of his anchor design earned him a reputation across Florida: Chuck MacKarvich, “the anchor guy.”
That reputation soon drew attention from another industry entirely: boating. Marina owners and boat manufacturers approached him, asking for anchors. Chuck hesitated, but the challenge fit his mindset. He expanded into boating, then into trailer components. This opportunistic approach became Tie Down’s growth philosophy: develop capabilities first, then explore where they can lead.
If you don't see them automatically, please activate the subtitles in your language.
A Family Legacy of Innovation
Today, Tie Down Engineering is a multi-division manufacturer headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with 11 facilities covering 830,000 square feet. The company produces 7,000+ SKUs across industries ranging from mobile home anchoring to rooftop safety systems, and agricultural equipment. Tie Down holds over 100 patents, with approximately 70 active.
Chuck’s son, Sloan MacKarvich, grew up inside the business. Now Chief Business Development Officer, Sloan recalls summers spent running early CO₂ laser cutting machines. “I always wanted to be in the shop, on the floor,” he says. “We had a 1,500-watt CO₂ system at the time, and I was learning how to adjust mirrors and optics before I could drive.” That hands-on experience shaped Sloan’s view of manufacturing as an adaptive craft, where each new technology is a tool to unlock growth.
The company moved operations from Miami to Atlanta in 1981, gradually building its own tooling, stamping, and automation expertise. By the late 2000s, Tie Down installed one of Atlanta’s first 5 kW fiber lasers, embracing fiber technology well before it became mainstream.
“We’ve always believed in acquiring capabilities before we ‘need’ them,” Sloan explains. “My dad would buy equipment without a defined project, confident we’d find the application. That mindset has kept us ahead.”
Power, Precision, and a Market Advantage
Tie Down evaluated multiple manufacturers, visiting factories to assess technology and culture. Eagle Lasers stood out. “I first saw an Eagle machine at FABTECH,” Sloan recalls. “The shuttle table change was unbelievably fast. With linear motors on every axis and high optical power managed reliably, it felt like a leap forward.”
The company invested in a 20 kW Eagle iNspire fiber laser with a CraneMasterStore and eTower 110 automation system. The machine now runs three shifts, nearly 24/7, cutting primarily ½-inch plate but capable of extreme throughput on thinner materials.
“Installation was straightforward,” Sloan says. “We were fully self-sufficient within six weeks, and Eagle’s support was excellent.”
Tie Down’s current cutting operations are a testament to that philosophy. The company processes a broad range of materials: Mild steel makes up 85% of total volume, with thicknesses varying from 0.060" (16 ga) sheet up to 1" plate. Aluminum and stainless steel are smaller but essential segments for safety products and custom components. For plate thicker than one inch, Tie Down relies on plasma or oxy-fuel cutting.
Material handling and throughput are critical for a manufacturer operating around the clock. Tie Down’s automation journey started nearly two decades ago with tower-fed CO₂ lasers and has expanded to large-scale material handling systems. But as production demands grew, even this infrastructure began to strain.
“We had a bottleneck on half-inch steel plate,” Sloan says. “We needed more power and speed. That’s when we started looking outside our usual suppliers.”
Changing the Equation
The Eagle fiber laser effectively replaced the output of two machines, doubling cutting speed and throughput. This shift required Tie Down to rethink downstream processes, from unloading to maintenance cycles, but the impact has been transformative.
One of the company’s most striking successes involved re-engineering an imported safety component. Formerly a cast steel part sourced overseas, it was redesigned for sheet and plate processing. “We were at cost parity with imports, even before tariffs,” Sloan says. “Now that product dominates its market segment. The Eagle laser gave us the capacity and precision to bring that work home.”
The system’s productivity has also opened opportunities to compete directly with stamping, a remarkable shift in a field traditionally dominated by tooling-based production. “With today’s laser speeds and accuracy, and with tooling costs rising, it’s often faster and cheaper to laser-cut parts that would have been stamped,” Sloan notes.
Tie Down now focuses on empowering its 315-person production team with better tools, not simply adding headcount. “There’s no shortage of manufacturing opportunities in the U.S.,” Sloan says. “Technology like this gives us flexibility and confidence to move into new markets quickly.”
For Sloan, Eagle represents more than a machine purchase. “Would I recommend them? One hundred percent,” he says. “It feels like working with a family business rather than a corporation. The machine was delivered on time, it performs beyond expectations, and their service matches the quality of the product. It’s a tool that has fundamentally elevated what we can do.”