What Precision Plating does

Precision Plating Company (PPC) is a privately held, family-owned (Zacharias family, since 1904) metal plating and finishing services provider headquartered at 4123 W. Peterson Ave., Chicago, Illinois. The company applies electrolytic and electroless coatings of gold, silver, copper, nickel, tin, palladium, and tri-metal (white bronze) onto ferrous and non-ferrous substrates, using three principal process modes: barrel, rack, and continuous reel-to-reel (overall, selective, and preplate variants), supplemented by vibratory plating and a heat-based reflow tin process for whisker-resistant, RoHS-compliant finishes. Proprietary selective techniques (Micro-Plate/brush, Spot, Controlled Depth, Stripe) reduce precious-metal consumption on stamped-part applications. PPC operates with 51-100 employees and advertises IATF 16949, ISO 9001:2015, and NADCAP accreditations, serving safety-critical end uses including automotive ABS and drive-by-wire modules, military and commercial aircraft, RF/microwave and coaxial components, and implantable medical devices.

The customer base is enterprise-led and engineering-driven. PPC engages customers at the design specification stage through direct sales and engineering consultations, supported by an online customer portal for order management, invoicing, and precious-metal price tracking. Pricing is project-based and quote-driven, varying with metal type, finish specification, substrate, plating process, volume, and complexity. Long-standing named customers span Bosch, TE Connectivity, Molex, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Medtronic, Illinois Tool Works, Denso, Chrysler, Sensata, Ford, L3 Communications, Delphi, and Honda. Through its 1904 Plating de México subsidiary (established 2022, in Escobedo, Nuevo León, and operating under Aalberts Surface Technologies), PPC is replicating reel-to-reel capability in Mexico with three lines now installed (2024 first line, 2025 preplate line, 2026 third line), pursuing IATF 16949:2016 certification, and operating under an IMMEX permit obtained in 2026 to serve North American automotive and electronics customers from a near-shore footprint.

Name

Precision Plating

Legal name

Precision Plating Company

Website

https://ppc1904.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1904

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Precision Plating Company is a Chicago-based, family-owned metal plating and finishing services provider (founded 1904) offering electrolytic and electroless coatings of gold, silver, copper, nickel, tin, palladium, and tri-metal across barrel, rack, and reel-to-reel processes for safety-critical automotive, aerospace, medical device, and electronics customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metal Plating and Finishing Services

NAICS

Electroplating, Plating, Polishing, Anodizing, and Coloring (332813), Metal Coating, Engraving (except Jewelry and Silverware), and Allied Services to Manufacturers (332812)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Electroplating & Metal Finishing (Anodizing/Galvanizing/Passivation) (IMAIAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Electroplating & Metallization Chemicals (Cu/Ni/Au plating, additives) (IMAEAKAK)

Keywords

• Metal plating services
• Electroplating finishes
• Reel-to-reel plating
• Electroless nickel plating
• Precious metal plating

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Metal Plating and Finishing Services: Precision Plating Company provides metal plating and finishing services for various metals including gold, silver, copper, nickel, tin, palladium, and tri-metal. Revenue is generated through project-based plating services with pricing based on specifications, material requirements, and project complexity. The company operates an online customer portal for order management, shipments, invoices, and price history tracking for metals.
2. Engineering and Technical Consulting: Precision provides engineering consultations, product development support, and technical service to help reduce cost and meet quality requirements before, during, and after the production cycle. Educational electroplating seminars are also offered.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Precision Plating Company provides electrolytic and electroless metal plating finishing services applied to customer-supplied metal and non-metal substrates. The company plates gold, silver, copper, nickel, tin, palladium, and tri-metal (white bronze) finishes using barrel, rack, vibratory, and continuous reel-to-reel processes, including proprietary selective techniques (Micro-Plate, Spot, Controlled Depth, Stripe). Services target safety-critical components in automotive, aerospace/defense, medical device, semiconductor, and telecommunications industries, with operations in Chicago and a Mexican subsidiary in Monterrey.

Product overview

Precision Plating Company is a metal plating and finishing services provider founded in 1904, offering a comprehensive portfolio of electrolytic and electroless metal plating finishes. The company provides eight distinct metal finishes (Gold, Silver, Copper, Nickel, Tin, Palladium, Electroless Nickel, and Tri-Metal/White Bronze) applied through multiple process capabilities including Electroplating, Metal Finishing, Metal Plating, and various plating methods (Rack, Barrel, Vibratory, and three Reel-to-Reel variants: Overall, Selective, and Preplate). Additional services include Prototype development support, Reflow Plating for tin whisker mitigation, and product development support. The company serves safety-critical industries including automotive (ABS modules, drive-by-wire controls), aerospace (commercial and military aircraft), and medical (implantable devices), with operations in Chicago and a subsidiary facility in Monterrey, Mexico.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gold Plating Gold plating service applying a thin layer of gold onto metal surfaces. Offers hard gold (99.7% gold alloy with nickel/cobalt, Knoop hardness 130-200) for electrical contact finishes and soft gold (99.9% pure gold, Knoop hardness 91-115) for wire bonding and solder applications. Used in safety-critical devices and electronic components.
• Tri-Metal/White Bronze Plating Tri-metal alloy of copper, tin, and zinc producing a bright white, non-toxic, non-magnetic deposit highly resistant to corrosion. Used as an undercoat or topcoat with palladium, nickel, silver, or gold. Features low porosity and low coefficient of friction, suited to lead-free solder applications including microwave filters, RF components, electrical contacts, medical devices, and coaxial connectors.
• Electroless Nickel Plating An alloy of nickel and phosphorus creating a deposit harder than electrolytic nickel with greater corrosion resistance. Provides uniform thickness on all surfaces including holes and inner diameters without relying on electrical current. Available for prototype, rack, and barrel plating applications.
• Palladium Plating Palladium/Nickel Alloy and Pure Palladium plating services serving as economic alternatives to gold. Pioneered by Precision since the early 1980s for electronics applications. Offers wire bonding solutions; materials are less dense than gold, harder than gold with better wear attributes, and withstand high heat from reflow applications.
• Silver Plating Silver plating services available in bright and matte finishes. Bright silver offers highest electrical conductivity of all metals, suitable for bearing applications, solderability, and optical reflectivity. Matte silver is used primarily as a wire bondable surface in lead frames, integrated circuits, or sensors. Applied on stainless steel, exotic alloys, die castings, aluminum, brass, and copper alloys.
• Copper Plating Copper plating creating an outstanding barrier layer covering substrate metals and alloys. Typically used as an underplate for nickel, tin, tin/lead, gold, palladium, or silver. Generates high electrical conductivity and serves as an excellent diffusion barrier. Available across all capability segments including prototype, rack, barrel, vibratory, and continuous reel-to-reel.
• Tin Plating Multiple tin plating options including lead-free matte, leaded matte, bright, and reflowed tin. Lead-free tin deposits meet RoHS requirements. Reflow tin is produced by plating pure matte tin then heating above melting point to create a bright, stress-free deposit that reduces whisker formation. Available for prototype, rack, barrel, vibratory, and continuous reel-to-reel applications.
• Nickel Plating Includes Nickel Sulfamate (underplate for tin, tin/lead, gold, palladium, or silver; provides diffusion barrier and hard surface for wear properties), Nickel Sulfate/Bright Nickel (decorative reflectivity applications), and Electroless Nickel (nickel-phosphorus alloy harder than electrolytic nickel with greater corrosion resistance). Available across all capability segments.
• Electroplating Electroplating and electrodeposition metal finishing service using electrical current to deposit thin layers of metal onto substrates. Both soluble and non-consumable anode processes available. Supports barrel, rack, and continuous reel-to-reel plating with proprietary select processes including Micro-Plate (brush), Spot, Controlled Depth, and Stripe.
• Metal Finishing Metal finishing service coating surfaces with gold, silver, palladium, copper, tin, or palladium nickel. Applied across three main stages: pre-treatment (stripping and cleaning), treatment (metal application via chemical baths), and post-treatment (clear coats or anti-tarnish coatings). Enhances corrosion resistance, hardness, chemical resistance, solderability, appearance, and electrical conductivity.
• Prototype Plating Service Product prototype development support service providing small batch, low volume preproduction runs. Draws upon all disciplines at Precision Plating. Ideal for proving cost and performance requirements before full production, seeking low-cost alternatives to gold, or developing the best finish for required performance levels. Can run selectively or overall in low or high volume.
• Preplate Reel-to-Reel Plating Continuous strip or reel-to-reel plating involving plating a solid strip of material to later have material removed in a progressive die. Options include stripe-on-strip where selective precious metal stripe is strategically applied for critical areas in the stamping process. Capabilities include reflow and selective precious metal applications.
• Selective Reel-to-Reel Plating Selective plating services using controlled depth, masking methods, Micro-Plate (brush), and spot plating technologies. Develops efficient strip layouts for maximum precious metal savings in collaboration with customer engineering teams. Addresses rising precious metal costs through strategic selectivity.
• Overall Reel-to-Reel Plating Overall plating finish services for material requiring complete coverage. Plates all offered finishes with the exception of electroless nickel and tri-metal. Material width, thickness, and finish specifications discussed with engineering group.
• Reflow Plating Tin reflow plating process that reduces tin whisker formation and adheres to RoHS directives. Plated deposit is heated above melting point then quickly cooled to produce stress-free, mirror bright finish. Available overall or selective on pre-plate and stamped parts in reel-to-reel applications. Also combinable with precious metal or un-reflowed tin zones on the same part.
• Rack Plating Custom designed rack tooling to minimize product damage and ensure consistently high quality. Excellent for plated etched sheets and small prototype orders. Serves prototyping, development monitoring, and full production ramping purposes with custom or standard tooling.
• Barrel Plating Cost-effective, repeatable, and consistent loose piece barrel plating process. Custom engineered to end specification including all production processes, barrels, and inspection plans. Ideal for meeting client requirements cost-effectively and reliably with involvement in design meetings for competitive advantage.
• Vibratory Plating Ideal for small parts with blind holes and threaded areas requiring complete coverage. Parts loaded into special barrels with light, steady agitation to assist in solution transfer. Available as overall finish for copper, electroless nickel, soft and hard gold, tri-metal, nickel sulfate and sulfamate, palladium, palladium nickel, bright and matte silver, bright and matte solder, lead-free matte and bright tin, and standard bright and matte tin.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 years of continuous reel-to-reel plating experience enabling innovative solutions for challenging projects
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Aalberts Surface TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company of Precision Plating Company. 1904 Plating de México is a subsidiary of Precision Plating Company, part of Aalberts Surface Technologies. This corporate relationship provides strategic backing and access to broader surface technologies capabilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sharretts Plating Company: Pennsylvania-based precious metal electroplating specialist serving automotive, electronics, and industrial customers with selective and overall plating capabilities, directly comparable to Precision's barrel/rack/reel-to-reel services.
• Erie Plating Company: Midwest-based job-shop electroplater offering zinc, nickel, tin, copper, and precious metal plating for industrial and automotive customers, comparable in scale and capability mix to Precision's Chicago operation.
• Advanced Plating Technologies: Nashville-based precision plating house specializing in precious metal plating for electronics, medical, and aerospace — overlapping customer verticals and reel-to-reel/selective capabilities with Precision.
• Techmetals: Ohio-headquartered electroplating services provider offering gold, silver, nickel, tin, and electroless nickel plating for aerospace, defense, and medical applications — comparable to Precision's certified-plating positioning.
• Uyemura International: Global precious-metal plating chemistry and services company offering gold, silver, palladium, and tin plating for electronics connectors and semiconductors — directly comparable process and customer mix to Precision.
• Technic Inc. Specialty plating chemistry and engineered equipment provider serving electronics and industrial customers with precious-metal plating solutions, overlapping Precision's gold/palladium/silver/tin plating focus.
• Master Finish Company: Wisconsin-based metal finishing and plating services company offering barrel, rack, and reel-to-reel plating for industrial and automotive customers, comparable in scale and Midwest regional positioning to Precision.

Broad incumbents

• Aalberts Surface Technologies: Parent group of Precision's Mexican subsidiary and one of the largest global surface treatment providers, offering a broad portfolio of plating, coating, and heat-treatment services across many end markets — a much larger incumbent in the same space.
• Element Solutions (MacDermid Enthone / Atotech): Global specialty chemicals leader providing plating chemistries and surface finishing solutions (MacDermid Enthone Electronics, Atotech) to electronics, automotive, and industrial customers — adjacent incumbent and key chemistry supplier competing indirectly for plating wallet share.
• HEF (formerly HEF Durferrit): French-headquartered global surface treatment specialist offering nitriding, plating, and coatings for automotive, aerospace, and industrial OEMs — comparable process portfolio at much larger scale, particularly in Europe and Mexico.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Precision Plating