McNab, Inc

McNab, Inc. established a distinct legacy in the American maritime and industrial sectors as a specialized designer and manufacturer of precision instrumentation. For decades, the organization was synonymous with shipboard quality control systems, particularly those dedicated to monitoring water chemistry and propulsion performance. Originating with strong roots in the northeastern United States, including a long-standing historical presence in Mount Vernon, New York, and later in Virginia, the company focused its engineering efforts on solving critical measurement challenges faced by marine engineers. The company’s core identity centered on its expertise in fluid analysis. In the demanding environment of marine propulsion, maintaining the purity of boiler feed water and fresh water generation systems is essential for vessel safety and longevity. McNab developed widely recognized salinity indicators, conductivity analyzers, and pH monitors designed to detect contaminants such as salt in steam plants and desalination units. These instruments played a vital role in preventing corrosion and scaling in shipboard piping and machinery, effectively safeguarding the operational integrity of naval and commercial fleets. Beyond water quality, the firm designed sophisticated electromechanical systems to measure shaft horsepower and torque, providing crews with real-time data on engine performance and fuel efficiency. Throughout its operational history, McNab, Inc. maintained a significant relationship with the defense sector, supplying critical components to the United States Navy and other military branches. The ubiquity of its salinity panels and sensor cells on military vessels meant that the brand became deeply integrated into standard fleet operations, with its equipment referenced in numerous technical manuals and engineering protocols. In its later history, the corporate structure of McNab, Inc. underwent a significant transition as the company ceased independent business operations. To ensure the continued availability of these essential maritime components, particularly for defense logistics and disrupted supply chains, the company’s intellectual property and product lines were acquired by Cepeda Associates. This acquisition preserved the manufacturing specifications for McNab’s legacy instrumentation, ensuring that the fleets relying on these specific sensors could continue to procure necessary parts and replacements. Today, the McNab name remains recognized in the maritime engineering field as a mark of enduring instrumentation design rather than as an active, standalone manufacturer.