Oakley Industries

What Oakley Industries does

Oakley Industries, Inc. is a privately-held, family-owned automotive manufacturing services company founded in February 1980 by Ron and Brenda Oakley in Fraser, Michigan and now headquartered in Clinton Township, Michigan. Its sole line of business is the design and production of prototype stampings and short-run assemblies for automotive OEMs, Tier One suppliers, and Tier Two suppliers, supported by what the company describes as one of the largest Kirksite (zinc alloy) soft-tooling foundries in the industry with 48,000 lbs of daily pouring capacity.

The company operates five co-located plants on Automation Drive providing a fully integrated workflow: CAD/CAM engineering, Kirksite foundry casting, NC machining on 13 mills (8 Tarus, 5 Fadal), stamping across 15 presses up to 1,600 tons, 5-axis laser cutting, model shop and pattern making, fixture design and build, robotic welding and hemming cells (Fanuc spot-weld, MIG, hemming), and CMM inspection standardized on PC-DMIS 2022-2. Compared with conventional hard-steel tooling, Kirksite soft tooling enables cheaper, faster tool builds that are easy to modify, weld, and recut — an economic structure well suited to prototype and low-volume runs where design changes are frequent.

Oakley generates revenue through project-based B2B contracts across four streams: prototype stamping services, short-run production using Kirksite tooling, tooling and fixture design/build, and broader contract manufacturing (foundry casting, machining, laser cutting, welding, assembly, and inspection). Customers are unnamed but the company states it has successfully supplied 15 OEMs including four electric-vehicle manufacturers and dozens of Tier One and Tier Two suppliers, with a stated quality policy of defect-free shipments and 100% on-time delivery. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled through direct enterprise sales engagement. The business is currently led by President Michael Oakley, son of the founders, who has been with the company since 1982; ownership remains entirely within the founding family with no institutional investors, parent company, or subsidiaries disclosed.

Name

Oakley Industries

Legal name

Oakley Industries, Inc.

Website

https://oakley-ind.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Oakley Industries is a family-owned Michigan contract manufacturer founded in 1980 that produces prototype stampings and short-run automotive assemblies using proprietary Kirksite zinc-alloy soft tooling, serving 15 OEMs (including 4 EV makers) and Tier One and Tier Two suppliers from five Clinton Township plants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Prototype and Contract Manufacturing

NAICS

Alumina and Aluminum Production and Processing (3313)

SIC

Metal Forgings & Stampings (3460)

akta.pro primary industry

Welding, Fabrication & Field Machining Services (On-site) (IMAIACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Passenger Vehicle Manufacturing (ICE) (IMACAAAA)

Keywords

• Prototype stamping services
• Automotive contract manufacturing
• Kirksite soft tooling
• Short run metal stamping
• Tooling fixture design

Headquarters

HQ city

Clinton Township

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Prototype Stamping Services: Primary revenue stream providing prototype stampings using Kirksite tooling for automotive manufacturers. Services include die tryout, short run production, and process proving.
2. Short Run Production: Short run production services using Kirksite tooling for low-volume automotive components, offering cost-effective alternative to hard tooling.
3. Tooling Design and Build: Design and build custom assembly fixtures, check aids, and production tooling for internal use and external customers including Tier One and OEM customers.
4. Contract Manufacturing Services: Full contract manufacturing including foundry casting, CNC machining, laser cutting, welding, assembly, and CMM inspection services for automotive industry.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Oakley Industries is a B2B contract manufacturer that designs, builds, and produces prototype stampings and assemblies for the automotive industry using Kirksite (zinc alloy) soft tooling. Services span CAD/CAM design, foundry casting, NC machining, stamping (15 presses up to 1600 tons), 5-axis laser cutting, model shop, fixtures, robotic welding and assembly, and CMM inspection—all delivered across five plants in Clinton Township, Michigan.

Product overview

Oakley Industries is a manufacturing services company serving the automotive industry since 1980, specializing in prototype and short run stampings and assemblies. The company operates five plants equipped with diverse manufacturing capabilities including CAD/CAM design services, a Kirksite zinc alloy foundry, NC machining (using Tarus and Fadal mills), stamping (15 presses up to 1600 tons), 5-axis laser cutting, model shop services, fixture design and build, welding and assembly (including robotic spot-welding and hemming cells), and CMM inspection services. The company uses Kirksite (zinc alloy) soft tooling for most stamping applications, enabling rapid prototyping and cost-effective short run production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CAD/CAM Services Computer-aided design and manufacturing services including product data design, tooling design, forming simulations, toolpath creation for mills, and offline programming for welding cells and robotic hemmer. Sold to internal teams and external customers needing engineered tooling and stamped components.
• Foundry Services (Kirksite Casting) Kirksite zinc alloy foundry with 48,000 lbs daily pouring capacity, casting prototype tooling and providing casting services for other firms. Sold to automotive customers needing Kirksite castings for tooling and related industrial applications.
• NC Machining Services NC machining services using Tarus and Fadal brand mills for cutting patterns, Kirksite tooling, and check aids used by the sheet metal department. Sold to internal production and external customers requiring precision-machined tooling components.
• Prototype Stamping Services Stamping services across 15 presses ranging up to 1600 tons, including Kirksite tooling for die tryout and short-run production of prototype automotive components. Sold to automotive OEMs and tier suppliers for prototype and short-run part production.
• Laser Cutting Services 5-axis laser cutting services with offline programming to CAD data and eggcrate fixtures for precise part location. Sold to internal production and external customers needing precision-cut components.
• Model Shop Services Ren and foam blockups for NC machining used in die development, including cast-to-size dies utilizing standard models or patterns. Sold to automotive customers needing model and pattern services for die development.
• Fixtures Design and Build Design, build, and certification of assembly and inspection fixtures for prototype and production applications. Sold to Tier One suppliers and OEM customers needing custom assembly and inspection fixtures.
• Welding and Assembly Services Welding sub-assemblies and assemblies including spot-welding cells, MIG-welding cells, and robotic hemming for door, hood, and deck lid assemblies. Sold to automotive customers needing welded subassemblies and full assemblies.
• CMM Inspection Services Coordinate measuring machine inspection services including certification of check aids and assembly fixtures, first part approval, and final inspection with documentation. Sold to internal production and external customers needing certified, dimensional inspection.

Quantifiable outcome

• 48,000 lbs daily foundry pouring capacity - among the largest Kirksite foundry in the industry
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Flex-N-Gate: Major privately held Tier 1 automotive supplier with large stamping and assembly operations, including prototype capabilities, that can absorb work Oakley might otherwise win.
• Shape Corp. Automotive roll-forming and stamping specialist serving OEMs with prototype and production capabilities that compete with Oakley for similar body structure programs.
• Magna International: Largest North American automotive Tier 1 supplier with extensive body, chassis, and stamping operations; competes with Oakley for OEM prototype work at much greater scale and breadth.
• Martinrea International: Diversified Tier 1 automotive metal forming, assemblies, and modules supplier with prototype stamping offerings that overlap with Oakley's product set.

Emerging players

• Vari-Form: Tier 1 supplier of hydroformed and stamped automotive components with prototype and low-volume capabilities targeting the same OEM customer base as Oakley.

Direct peers

• Hascall Tool & Die: Specialty tool & die and prototype stamping shop serving automotive OEMs and Tier suppliers with short-run and prototype work, overlapping with Oakley's Kirksite-driven model.
• Production Stamping Corporation: Mid-sized US metal stamper focused on prototype and short-run automotive production, with similar tool-and-die and assembly capabilities to Oakley.
• Die-Tech & Engineering: Automotive prototype stamping and short-run metal forming supplier with in-house tool build capabilities, directly competitive in the prototype stamping segment Oakley serves.
• Anchor Manufacturing Group: US-based contract manufacturer providing prototype and production metal stamping, fabrication, and assembly for the automotive industry, directly comparable to Oakley's core offering.
• Quality Metalcraft (QMC): Michigan-based prototype and low-volume automotive stamping and assembly shop, directly comparable to Oakley in geography, customer base, and service mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Oakley Industries