Piolax
Piolax designs and manufactures plastic and metal fastening and functional components — including trim clips, fuel valves, and interior open/close mechanisms — for automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, operating as a U.S. subsidiary of Japan's PIOLAX Corporation with manufacturing in Georgia and Mexico.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersCanton, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Piolax does
Piolax Corporation (US subsidiary of the Japanese PIOLAX Corporation) designs and manufactures plastic and metal fastening and functional components for automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. The U.S. operation was established in Canton, Georgia in August 1988 (originally as KHK Established Georgia Corporation), merged with Piolax Corporation in January 1990, and now operates a manufacturing campus in Georgia plus a Sales & Design office in Plymouth, Michigan. Its product portfolio is organized into three categories: Fasteners (trim clips, hose clamps, tie-down hooks, sun visors), Fuel System components (fuel valves, ICV valves, ROV valves), and Open/Close mechanisms (glove box handles/latches, dampers, spring bumpers). The company's stated differentiator is its proprietary elasticity-technology platform, which underpins lightweight fastening products positioned to contribute to vehicle CO2 reduction.
Piolax runs a vertically integrated production model in which tooling is built and repaired in-house, parts are produced on 72+ injection molding presses (plastics) plus slide forming, stamping, and small assemblies (metals), and secondary processes including in-house surface treatment (added October 2015) and heat treatment (third unit added 2018) are performed on-site. Design is supported by a CATIA/NX/Solidworks/Advance CAD toolchain, and a comprehensive testing lab covers dimensional, tensile, salt-spray, leak, environmental chamber, and contamination analysis. Quality and environmental systems are certified to IATF 16949:2016 (since 2017) and ISO 14001:2015 (since 2004), with earlier QS-9000 and TS-16949 certifications back into the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Commercially, Piolax sells directly to automotive manufacturers through a regional direct-sales motion in Georgia and Michigan, operating as a Tier 1/Tier 2 supplier under long-term OEM contracts with quote-based, non-public pricing. The Mexico operation, launched in August 2001 and expanded through 2006, has been an independent corporation since January 2012. No revenue figures, customer logos, or named distributors are publicly disclosed.
Piolax firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Piolax
- Legal name
- PIOLAX Corporation
- Website
- https://piolaxusa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Piolax designs and manufactures plastic and metal fastening and functional components — including trim clips, fuel valves, and interior open/close mechanisms — for automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, operating as a U.S. subsidiary of Japan's PIOLAX Corporation with manufacturing in Georgia and Mexico.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Piolax industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Automotive Fasteners & Plastic/Metal Components
- NAICS
- Fastener, Button, Needle, and Pin Manufacturing (339993)
- SIC
- Bolts, Nuts, Screws, Rivets & Washers (3452), Plastics Products, Nec (3089)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Automotive Exterior Trim & Appearance Components Manufacturing (Moldings/Badges/Grilles/Chrome/Cladding) (IMACAKAE)
Keywords
Where Piolax is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Canton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Piolax business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Automotive Parts Sales: Revenue generated from supplying plastic and metal fastening products, fuel system components, and open/close mechanisms to automotive manufacturers. Products include trim clips, hose clamps, fuel valves, ICV valves, ROV valves, glove box handles, latches, dampers, and spring bumpers. Operates as a Tier 1/Tier 2 automotive supplier with long-term OEM contracts.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Piolax product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Piolax designs, develops, and manufactures plastic and metal fastening products for the automotive industry. Its core offerings are organized into three product categories: Fastener Products (trim clips, hose clamps, tie down hooks, sun visor components), Fuel System Products (fuel valves, ICV valves, ROV valves), and Open/Close Products (glove box handles/latches, dampers, spring bumpers). The company produces parts in-house using proprietary elasticity technology, injection molding, slide forming, stamping, and in-house tooling, and supplies Tier 1/Tier 2 automotive OEMs primarily in North America.
Product overview
PIOLAX is a manufacturer and supplier of plastic and metal fastening products for the automotive industry. The company operates three core product categories: Fastener Products (plastic/metal fasteners including trim clips, hose clamps, tie down hooks), Fuel System Products (fuel valves, ICV valves, ROV valves), and Open/Close Products (glove box handles/latches, dampers, spring bumpers). PIOLAX develops products using "elasticity" technologies and focuses on lightweight, high-quality components that contribute to reducing CO2 emissions. The company has in-house manufacturing capabilities including injection molding, slide forming, stamping, and small assemblies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Fastener Products
Quantifiable outcome
- Contributes to reducing CO2 emissions through lightweight products
Companies that use Piolax
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Piolax technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature9 records
Piolax partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves17 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Piolax competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bossard Group: Global specialist in fastening technology and engineering services for automotive and industrial customers. Bossard's automotive fastening solutions and engineered fastening programs are directly comparable to Piolax's fastener products and co-development model with OEMs.
- A. Raymond: European-headquartered manufacturer of automotive fasteners, clips, and fluid connection components. A. Raymond competes head-to-head with Piolax in plastic/metal fastening and fuel line connection products sold to global automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.
- TR Fastenings: UK-based specialist supplier of industrial and automotive fasteners, clips, and engineered components. TR Fastenings competes with Piolax in supplying plastic and metal fastening solutions to automotive OEMs and Tier 1s, with similar engineering and value-add assembly services.
- Penn Engineering (PEM): Manufacturer of specialty self-clinching and sheet metal fasteners serving automotive, electronics, and industrial markets. Penn Engineering's engineered metal fastening products overlap with Piolax's slide forming and metal stamping capabilities serving automotive assemblies.
- HellermannTyton (Aptiv): Manufacturer of cable management, fastening, and connectivity solutions for automotive and industrial customers. Now part of Aptiv, HellermannTyton's plastic clips and fastening portfolio directly overlaps Piolax's trim clip and interior mechanism offerings to OEMs.
- Nifco: Japanese plastic fastener and clip manufacturer serving automotive OEMs globally. Nifco is the most direct comparable to Piolax's parent, with a near-identical product platform of plastic clips, fasteners, and interior mechanisms, and overlapping OEM customers.
- Kamax: Specialist manufacturer of high-strength fasteners and precision turned parts for the automotive industry. Kamax is a direct peer to Piolax's metal stamping/slide forming operations serving OEMs on chassis, powertrain, and body-in-white fastening applications.
Broad incumbents
- ITW (Illinois Tool Works): Large diversified industrial manufacturer with a sizable automotive components segment producing fasteners, clips, and engineered components. ITW is a much broader incumbent whose automotive fastening business directly overlaps Piolax's core fastener product line with OEM customers.
- Stanley Engineered Fastening: Division of Stanley Black & Decker producing engineered fasteners and assembly solutions for automotive and industrial customers. The portfolio of engineered metal fasteners, blind rivets, and specialty fastening systems overlaps with Piolax's metal fastening capabilities.
Regional players
- Daiwa Kasei: Japanese automotive plastic component supplier focused on interior and exterior resin parts. Daiwa Kasei is comparable to Piolax's parent in plastic injection-molded automotive components, but primarily serves the Japanese domestic OEM market rather than North America.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Piolax social profiles
Digital presencePiolax compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Piolax financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Piolax leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Piolax subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Piolax funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Piolax M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Piolax
What does Piolax do?
Piolax designs, develops, and manufactures plastic and metal fastening products for the automotive industry. Its core offerings are organized into three product categories: Fastener Products (trim clips, hose clamps, tie down hooks, sun visor components), Fuel System Products (fuel valves, ICV valves, ROV valves), and Open/Close Products (glove box handles/latches, dampers, spring bumpers). The company produces parts in-house using proprietary elasticity technology, injection molding, slide forming, stamping, and in-house tooling, and supplies Tier 1/Tier 2 automotive OEMs primarily in North America.
Is Piolax a public or private company?
Piolax is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Piolax founded?
Piolax was founded in 1988. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Piolax based?
Piolax is headquartered in Canton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Piolax make money?
One revenue line is on record: automotive Parts Sales.
Who are Piolax's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bossard Group, A. Raymond, TR Fastenings, Penn Engineering (PEM), HellermannTyton (Aptiv), Nifco and Kamax. Broad incumbents are ITW (Illinois Tool Works) and Stanley Engineered Fastening. Daiwa Kasei is listed as a regional player.
Does Piolax have an API?
No public API is recorded for Piolax.
What industry is Piolax in?
Piolax's product category is Automotive Fasteners & Plastic/Metal Components. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMACAKAE, Automotive Exterior Trim & Appearance Components Manufacturing (Moldings/Badges/Grilles/Chrome/Cladding). Its NAICS code is 339993 and its SIC code is 3452.