What PTM Corporation does

PTM Corporation is a family-owned metal stamping manufacturer founded in 1972 by Charlie Russell and currently in its third generation of family ownership under shareholders and directors Donna Kuhr, Gina Russell, Nika Hess, and Dannielle Russell. Headquartered in Ira Township, Michigan, the company operates over 350,000 square feet of manufacturing capacity across seven plants, producing more than 1.5 million parts per week and supplying metal stampings, assemblies, fixtures, and proprietary paint tools to Tier One automotive suppliers and OEM assembly plants across North America, with the Cricket Clip paint assist tool reportedly used in approximately 70% of North American car assembly operations across 12 OEMs.

The company's product portfolio is organized around an integrated design-to-production workflow spanning engineering (product and tool design using Catia V5, NX, SolidWorks, KeyCreator, Visi 3D, Autoform, and Polyworks), prototyping (turn times as low as four weeks from CAD data to part), tool building (CNC machining, Wire EDM, automated grinding), and high-volume production stamping using progressive dies, compound dies, transfer dies, and fourslide machines with press capacities ranging from 60 to 2000 tons. Secondary operations include laser cutting, MIG/TIG/resistance welding, robotic and manual staking, riveting, tapping, and assembly. Supporting offerings include reusable shimmable fixtures (3MM attribute check, CMM/scan, assembly, gauges) and quality inspection using Brown & Sharpe and Tarus CMMs, FARO arms, tensile and hardness testing, and TESSONICS spot weld analysis. Quality systems are certified to ISO 9001:2015, AS9100:2016 (at the Advanced Engineering Center), IATF 16949:2016, and ISO 14001 (held since 2003); the company is also WBENC-certified as a women's business enterprise.

Commercially, PTM sells exclusively through direct enterprise sales to Tier One automotive suppliers and OEM assembly plants in the United States, with quote-based / project-specific pricing and no public price list or e-commerce channel. The company derives revenue from one-time project fees for stamping production, prototyping, and tool design/build services, and from ongoing hardware sales of Cricket Clip paint assist tools at a rate of approximately 10 million units annually. There are no disclosed funding rounds, external institutional investors, or M&A activity; the company is entirely family-owned and has remained so for over 50 years.

Name

PTM Corporation

Legal name

PTM Corporation

Website

https://ptmcorporation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

PTM Corporation is a family-owned metal stamping manufacturer founded in 1972, serving Tier One automotive suppliers and OEMs across North America with integrated design, prototyping, tool building, and high-volume production services, anchored by its proprietary Cricket Clip paint assist tool used in approximately 70% of North American car assembly plants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Clinton Township

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Metal Stamping Production Services: High-volume metal stamping production using progressive dies, compound dies, and transfer dies. Capabilities range from 60 to 2000 tons, with dies up to 144 inches in length. Serves automotive, appliance, and general industrial sectors.
2. Prototype and Low Volume Production: Emergency production demands and short-run or low volume production alternative when production required quantities are low. Turn times as little as 4 weeks from CAD data to part for large prototypes.
3. Tool Design and Build Services: Complete design solutions from concept to realization including product design, tool design, and paint tool design. In-house tool building capabilities with CNC machining, Wire EDM, and automated grinding.
4. Cricket Clip Paint Tools: Proprietary paint assist tools sold to OEM assembly plants. Produces approximately 10 million paint tools annually, supplying or developing tools for nearly 70% of North American car assembly operations across 12 different OEMs.
5. Fixture Design and Manufacturing: One-stop shop for all types of fixtures including Prototype Assembly Fixtures, CMM/Scan Fixtures, 3mm Attribute Check Fixtures, and Gauges. Robust, shimmable (adjustable) designs with re-usable details.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PTM Corporation is a family-owned metal stamping manufacturer that designs, prototypes, builds tooling for, and mass-produces stamped metal components for the automotive industry and adjacent industrial sectors. Capabilities span engineering design, rapid prototyping, tool design/build (progressive, compound, transfer, and fourslide dies), high-volume stamping up to 2,000 tons, laser cutting, secondary operations, fixtures, and inspection — supported by the proprietary Cricket Clip paint assist tool used across roughly 70% of North American car assembly operations.

Product overview

PTM Corporation is a family-owned metal stamping manufacturer founded in 1972, offering an integrated suite of services spanning engineering design, prototyping, tool building, and high-volume production across 7 plants with over 350,000 square feet of manufacturing space. The company's portfolio is organized around its core metal stamping capabilities — Production Stamping (progressive, compound, transfer, and fourslide dies up to 2000 tons) and Laser Cutting — which are enabled by its engineering and tooling divisions (Tool Design & Build, Wire EDM, CNC Machining, Product Design, and Advanced CAD Systems). Supporting services include Prototype Manufacturing (rapid prototyping from small clips to full automotive body panels), Fixtures (3MM attribute check, CMM/scan, and assembly fixtures), Paint Tool Design & Build (centered on the proprietary Cricket Clip paint line assist tool), Quality Management & Inspection (CMM, FARO arms, tensile/hardness testing), and Secondary Operations (welding, riveting, staking). The Cricket Clip, introduced in 1994, is a flagship proprietary product used across approximately 70% of North American automotive assembly plants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cricket Clips: Paint line assist tools designed to hold vehicle doors, deck lids, fuel doors, and trunk lids in position during the e-coat and paint process. Developed by PTM in 1994.

Products and services

• Prototype Manufacturing Rapid metal prototype manufacturing for validating fit, function, and alternative designs, including parts from paper-clip size to full car hoods and side panels, with turnaround times as fast as 4 weeks from CAD data to physical part.
• Production Stamping Full-service metal stamping production using progressive dies, fourslide, compound dies, and transfer dies ranging from 60 to 2,000 tons, producing high-volume automotive and industrial components including brackets, fasteners, airbag components, and roof panels.
• Laser Cutting Laser cutting services using fiber lasers ranging from 1,000 to 8,000 watts, cutting carbon steel, alloy, stainless, aluminum, copper, and brass to customer print specifications.
• Fourslide Manufacturing Fourslide wire and strip metal forming services using 16 dedicated fourslide machines (sizes #1 to #4), offering lower tooling costs up to one-third of traditional progressive die tooling and shorter lead times for small stamped components.
• Tool Design and Build Design and construction of progressive dies, compound dies, transfer dies, and two/three/four-piece kirksite dies using CNC machining centers, wire EDM, and automated grinding, with production-level press try-out capability.
• Fixtures Reusable, shimmable welding, CMM, scan, and assembly fixtures including 3MM attribute check fixtures and CMM/scan fixtures, designed with re-usable details for long-term durability across stamping, assembly, and inspection applications.
• Product Design Engineering Early-involvement product design engineering using advanced CAD systems (Catia V5, KeyCreator, SolidWorks, NX) to optimize manufacturability and minimize tooling costs, with low-cost FDM 3D samples for initial design reviews.
• Paint Tool Design and Build Paint process tooling design for automotive assembly plants, including the proprietary Cricket Clip paint line assist tool system for holding vehicle doors, deck lids, fuel doors, and trunk lids through the e-coat and paint process.
• Cricket Clips Proprietary paint line assist tools developed in 1994 to hold vehicle doors, deck lids, fuel doors, and trunk lids in position during e-coat and paint processes; used by approximately 70% of North American car assembly operations across 12 OEMs, with roughly 10 million paint tools produced per year.
• Secondary Operations Post-laser secondary operations including robotic and manual stud/nut staking, MIG/TIG/resistance welding, riveting, tapping holes, component assembly, and coining.
• Quality Management and Inspection Comprehensive quality management and inspection services including CMM inspection using Brown & Sharpe and Tarus CMMs, FARO arm portable measurement systems, tensile testing, Rockwell hardness testing, TESSONICS spot weld analysis, and optical comparators ranging from 14 to 50 inches.

Quantifiable outcome

• Turn times as little as 4 weeks from CAD data to part for large prototypes
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 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 indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Larsen Manufacturing: Family-owned precision metal stamping manufacturer serving automotive and industrial markets with progressive die and fourslide capabilities. Directly comparable to PTM in business model, customer base, and integrated tool-build-to-production offering.
• Trans-Matic Manufacturing: Metal stamping and deep-drawn component manufacturer serving automotive, appliance, and industrial customers with proprietary tooling. Closely comparable to PTM's progressive die and fourslide capabilities and customer profile.
• Shape Corp: Automotive Tier One supplier specializing in roll-forming, stamping, and plastic injection for safety and structural components. Comparable to PTM in serving Tier One/OEMs with engineered metal components and integrated tooling.
• Multimatic: Global automotive supplier of metal stampings, body closures, and engineered mechanisms serving OEMs and Tier Ones. Closely comparable to PTM in automotive metal stamping, prototyping, and tooling, though larger and more geographically diversified.
• Camaco: Automotive metal forming and stamping supplier serving Tier One seating and structural customers. Comparable to PTM's automotive stamping focus and Tier One customer base.
• Helm Solutions: Mid-market automotive metal stamping and assembly supplier serving Tier One customers. Directly comparable to PTM in scale, customer type, and integrated stamping/assembly model.
• M-Tek Group: Automotive metal stampings, assemblies, and fluid handling components supplier serving OEMs and Tier Ones. Comparable product offering and customer base to PTM, with similar focus on engineered stamped components.

Broad incumbents

• Gestamp: Global Tier One automotive supplier of metal stampings and assemblies (body-in-white, chassis). Comparable product category to PTM but operates at much larger scale across multiple continents, with broader automotive focus.
• Magna International: Largest North American Tier One automotive supplier with broad metal stamping, body, and chassis capabilities. Operates in PTM's space as part of a much wider portfolio rather than as a stamping specialist.
• American Axle & Manufacturing: Major Tier One automotive drivetrain and metal forming supplier with significant stamping operations. Comparable metal-forming technology and OEM customer base, though larger and more capital-markets oriented.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ptmcorporation
• Facebookfacebook.com/ptmcorporation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ptm-corporation_2

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 PTM Corporation