The Madison Group

What The Madison Group does

The Madison Group is a privately held plastics engineering consulting firm headquartered in Fitchburg (Madison), Wisconsin, founded in the mid-1990s by Paul Gramann, Ph.D. and Bruce Davis, Ph.D. The firm specializes exclusively in polymeric materials — thermoplastics, elastomers, thermosets, and composites — and supports clients across the entire product lifecycle, from early-stage design review and material selection through manufacturing support, Moldflow simulation, and root-cause failure analysis. Its core technical stack combines simulation software (Certified Expert Moldflow Analysts, non-linear FEA tailored to creep and fiber orientation) with a 13,000 sq. ft. in-house testing laboratory covering thermal (DSC, TGA, DMA), compositional (FTIR, EDS), mechanical (tensile, flexural, compression, creep, fatigue), and microscopy (digital, SEM) capabilities. The firm claims experience from over 20,000 projects and a team of approximately 15 engineers, predominantly Ph.D.s and M.S. holders from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Polymer Engineering Center.

The company monetizes through professional services billed on a custom, project-scoped basis, with work ranging from single ad-hoc analyses to multi-engineer product development programs. Specialized offerings include subrogation engineering and expert witness testimony for litigation, where senior engineers have testified in federal and state court for both defense and plaintiff counsel. Complementing the consulting practice, the firm runs an education product line comprising the TMGPLASTICEDU on-demand webinar series and paid in-person training courses (e.g., a 2.5-day material selection course priced at $1,500 per attendee). Customer segments span Medical, Automotive, Consumer, Industrial, and Packaging verticals, and go-to-market is enterprise field sales delivered through direct client engagement supported by content marketing (knowledge base, white papers, case studies, YouTube, LinkedIn, and industry publications). The firm is founder-owned with no disclosed private equity, venture, or parent-company ownership.

Name

The Madison Group

Legal name

The Madison Group

Website

https://madisongroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Madison Group is a founder-owned plastics engineering consulting firm in Madison, Wisconsin, serving medical, automotive, consumer, industrial, and packaging clients with failure analysis, Moldflow simulation, material testing, design review, and expert-witness services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plastics Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Engineering Services (541330), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Manufacturing & Operations Excellence (Lean/Six Sigma) (BPAHAHAC)

Keywords

• Plastics engineering consulting
• Polymer failure analysis
• Material selection testing
• Moldflow simulation
• Injection molding optimization

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for plastic part design, manufacturing optimization, failure analysis, material selection, and testing. Services are customized and priced based on project scope and complexity. Projects range from small single analyses to large-scale product development programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Madison Group is a plastics engineering consulting firm that solves plastic problems and provides economic solutions across the entire product lifecycle. It offers design review, material selection, product and material testing, manufacturing support, Moldflow simulation, failure analysis, and expert witness services for polymeric materials.

Product overview

The Madison Group is a plastics engineering consulting firm offering a comprehensive suite of services across the product lifecycle. The core offerings include Design Review, Material Support, Product Testing, Material Testing, Manufacturing Support, Moldflow Simulation, Failure Analysis, Subrogation Engineering, Expert Witness services, and Customized Training. These services are complemented by educational products including on-demand webinars (TMGPLASTICEDU) and in-person training courses on material selection. The company focuses exclusively on polymeric materials including plastics, elastomers, composites, and thermosets, providing technical expertise to help clients achieve successful product launches and troubleshoot issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Design Review Engineering evaluation service that optimizes plastic parts for a balance of aesthetics, manufacturability, performance, cost, and durability.
• Material Support Consulting service to help select the correct polymer material or find suitable replacements, considering formulation constituents, polymers, additives, reinforcements, and fillers.
• Product Testing Controlled laboratory testing service to evaluate performance, functionality, and durability of products, including developing test methods for unique parts.
• Material Testing Material characterization testing including thermal analysis, compositional analysis, and mechanical testing for polymer materials.
• Manufacturing Support Analysis of designs and manufacturing processes to solve plastic problems, reduce costs, and drive toward higher quality.
• Moldflow Simulation Injection molding simulation using Moldflow software to optimize and troubleshoot parts before production, avoiding moldflow issues. Delivered by certified Moldflow experts.
• Failure Analysis Root cause analysis service to identify why plastic parts failed and provide solutions to reduce downtime and add value.
• Subrogation Engineering Engineering analysis for subrogation claims, starting with visual and microscopic non-destructive analysis.
• Expert Witness Professional consultation and testimony for legal cases, communicating complex technical analyses in court-appropriate language.
• Customized Training On-site or virtual customized training solutions on plastics engineering topics including injection molding, part design, and failure prevention.
• TMGPLASTICEDU On Demand Webinars Complementary on-demand webinar series for plastic industry professionals covering polymer materials and engineering topics.
• Beyond the Surface: A Deep Dive into Plastic Material Selection for Performance A 2.5-day comprehensive live and in-person training course on plastic material selection, held at Plustech, Inc. in Elk Grove Village, IL.

Quantifiable outcome

• Prevent costly field failures through proper material selection and design optimization before tooling is cut
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• RJG, Inc. Plastics engineering training, consulting, and sensors-based process control firm serving injection molders globally. Like The Madison Group, RJG focuses narrowly on plastics manufacturing support, training, and process optimization for industrial clients.
• Plastics Technology Laboratories (PTLI): Independent plastics testing laboratory offering mechanical, thermal, analytical, and material characterization services. Highly comparable to TMG's in-house testing capabilities and serves overlapping medical, automotive, and industrial clients.
• Polymer Diagnostics Inc. Specialty consulting firm focused on failure analysis, material identification, and litigation support for plastics and rubber. Closely aligned with TMG's failure analysis and expert witness service lines and similar in scale and customer base.
• Smithers: Independent testing, consulting, and compliance firm with a significant plastics, rubber, and composites practice. Competes with TMG on materials testing, failure analysis, and regulatory/expert witness services for industrial clients.
• IMR Test Labs: Independent materials testing laboratory providing mechanical, chemical, and failure analysis services for plastics, composites, and metals. Directly comparable to TMG's lab-based testing and analytical offerings.
• Plastics Engineering & Consulting Services: Independent plastics engineering consulting firm providing design, material selection, and failure analysis services. Directly comparable niche competitor serving similar industrial customer segments.

Broad incumbents

• Element Materials Technology: Global leader in materials and product qualification testing, including plastics, composites, and polymers. Larger scale and broader geographic footprint than TMG, with overlapping testing and failure analysis services for industrial clients.
• Intertek: Global quality assurance and testing company with significant plastics, polymers, and materials testing capabilities. Competes with TMG in materials characterization and failure analysis, but as part of a much broader service portfolio.
• SGS: World's largest testing, inspection, and certification company with materials and polymers testing capabilities. Competes with TMG on industrial materials testing, but at much larger scale and with broader non-plastics specialization.

Emerging players

• Avante Technology: Specialty materials and polymer engineering services firm providing consulting and failure analysis for plastics manufacturers. Smaller-scale but comparable niche competitor to TMG's consulting and analysis offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TMGPlastics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-madison-group-plastic-consulting-experts
• Facebookfacebook.com/tmgplastics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Madison Group