Advanced Plating

What Advanced Plating does

Advanced Plating is a family-owned electroplating and surface-finishing company headquartered in Portland, Tennessee. Founded in 1961 by Elton Cole, the business has changed hands several times and is now owned and operated by Steve Tracy (President) and Sheri Tracy (Vice President), who acquired full ownership in 1989. The company runs a single production facility of approximately 16 total staff serving restoration and turnkey production plating customers across four verticals: vintage automotive restoration, musical instrument components (OEMs and custom builders), boutique architectural fixtures, and marine/aviation/aftermarket hardware. Its go-to-market combines direct-to-consumer restoration work (walk-ins, phone/email intake) with enterprise field sales to manufacturers across the United States.

The company's core offering is metal finishing across chrome, black chrome, satin chrome, brushed chrome, bright nickel, satin nickel, brushed nickel, copper, 24 karat gold, and brass, applied via a six-step plating process — Strip & Clean, Repair/Straighten/Refine, Copper Build-Up & Correction, Final Polish & Prep, Finish Plating & Quality Control, and Quality Inspection & Ship. Technical differentiation sits in substrate-specific process expertise (aluminum trim, steel parts, and especially pot metal — a notoriously difficult material) rather than in patented technology. The portfolio is documented via a portfolio-style website, social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn), and an active restoration blog, with no disclosed APIs, software products, or digital integrations.

Revenue mechanics are pure professional services: project-based quotes are issued on inquiry via phone (800-588-6686) or email, with no public pricing. The associated-brand network (Guitar Build Workshop, Tennessee Electric Guitar, One Ten Manufacturing, FILMLAB) under common ownership creates adjacent captive demand for plating work. The company has no external funding, no institutional investors, no subsidiaries, and no M&A history, and operates entirely from a single domestic location.

Name

Advanced Plating

Legal name

Advanced Plating

Website

https://advancedplating.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1961

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Advanced Plating is a family-owned Portland, Tennessee electroplating firm founded in 1961. It restores and produces chrome, nickel, gold, and specialty-finished components for automotive restoration shops, musical instrument OEMs, and marine, aviation, and architectural manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metal Finishing & Electroplating Services

NAICS

Electroplating, Plating, Polishing, Anodizing, and Coloring (332813)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAIAKAE

Electroplating & Metal Finishing (Anodizing/Galvanizing/Passivation)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Services & Facility Operations/Industrial & Commercial Painting, Coating & Surface Treatment

Keywords

• Electroplating services
• Chrome plating
• Metal finishing services
• Surface finishing
• Automotive restoration plating

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Restoration Plating Services: Restoration services for plated parts, returning automotive, musical instrument, and other components to like-new condition through meticulous preparation and finishing techniques.
2. Turnkey Production Plating: End-to-end production and finishing services for manufacturers in music, marine, aviation, and architectural sectors, providing consistent, repeatable finishes across production runs with strict quality standards.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Advanced Plating provides specialized electroplating and surface finishing services, including chrome, black chrome, nickel, copper, gold, brass, and other specialty finishes. The company operates two primary lines: (1) restoration plating that returns vintage automotive parts and musical instrument hardware to like-new or better-than-original condition, and (2) turnkey production plating for OEMs, custom builders, and hardware manufacturers in the music, marine, aviation, and architectural sectors.

Product overview

Advanced Plating is a specialized electroplating and surface finish technology company offering a broad range of metal finishing services. The company operates two primary service lines: (1) Restoration Services for restoring vintage and damaged plated parts including automotive trim, bumpers, grilles, and musical instrument hardware; and (2) Production/Turnkey Plating for OEM partners, custom builders, and hardware manufacturers requiring consistent, repeatable finishes across production runs. The product portfolio centers on various plating finishes including Chrome, Black Chrome, Satin Chrome, Brushed Chrome, Bright Nickel, Satin Nickel, Brushed Nickel, and 24 Karat Gold. The company also produces specific musical instrument components including pickup components, bridge components, tailpiece components, and hardware through their music industry services. They serve diverse industry categories: automotive restoration parts, boutique architectural fixtures, music instrument components, and aftermarket automotive components. Their manufacturing process follows a 6-step methodology: Strip & Clean, Repair/Straighten/Refine, Copper Build-Up & Correction, Final Polish & Prep, Finish Plating & Quality Control, and Quality Inspection & Ship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chrome Plating

Quantifiable outcome

• Result that often exceeds original factory quality in restoration work

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Guitar Build WorkshopminorOthersAssociated brand related to music instrument building and customization, operated by or affiliated with Advanced Plating ownership
• Tennessee Electric GuitarminorOthersAssociated brand related to electric guitar manufacturing, operated by or affiliated with Advanced Plating ownership
• One Ten ManufacturingminorOthersAssociated manufacturing brand, operated by or affiliated with Advanced Plating ownership
• FILMLABminorOthersAssociated brand for film production/lab services, operated by or affiliated with Advanced Plating ownership
• Ring BrotherscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRenowned custom car builder that has collaborated on multiple high-profile restoration projects with Advanced Plating, including multiple SEMA builds featuring chrome and brushed chrome finishes
• Detroit Speed and EngineeringcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPerformance vehicle engineering company that has worked with Advanced Plating on show-quality restoration projects including award-winning Chevrolet vehicles
• Pure VisioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCustom car builder that has collaborated on restoration projects with Advanced Plating
• Jason Graham Hot RodsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCustom hot rod builder that has worked with Advanced Plating on restoration projects
• Steve Cook CreationsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCustom car builder that collaborated on award-winning restoration featuring Advanced Plating chrome work

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• U.S. Chrome Corporation: U.S. Chrome is a U.S.-based decorative and functional chrome plating specialist serving automotive, motorcycle, and industrial customers. Directly comparable to Advanced Plating in chrome plating service offering and customer base of restoration shops and OEMs.
• KCH Services: Industrial plating and metal finishing company serving automotive, aerospace, and industrial customers with chrome, nickel, and other plating services. Comparable in process mix and customer overlap.
• Master Finish Company: Midwest U.S. metal finisher offering electroplating, polishing, and buffing for automotive, furniture, and industrial customers. Comparable multi-metal finishing capabilities to Advanced Plating.
• Advanced Surface Technologies: Multi-site U.S. metal finisher offering electroplating, anodizing, and other surface treatments. Comparable as a generalist electroplating service provider with similar process capabilities (nickel, chrome, gold) to Advanced Plating.
• Electroplating Technologies Ltd: U.S. job-shop electroplater offering decorative and functional plating services. Similar in scale and service model to Advanced Plating as a contract metal finisher.
• American Plating Company: U.S. job-shop electroplater with comparable services (chrome, nickel, copper) for industrial and decorative customers. Operates in a similar artisan-to-mid-scale service model.
• Chrome Depot: Specialty chrome plating shop focused on automotive and motorcycle parts. Direct competitor in the decorative chrome restoration and OEM production space Advanced Plating serves.
• SIFCO Applied Surface Concepts: Provider of selective electroplating services and surface enhancement solutions, often used for repair and restoration of components. Overlaps with Advanced Plating in restoration-focused plating use cases.

Broad incumbents

• Pioneer Metal Finishing: One of the largest U.S. metal finishing companies with broad plating, anodizing, and coating capabilities across multiple facilities. Operates at much larger scale than Advanced Plating but in the same core electroplating and metal finishing category.

Emerging players

• Sheffield Platers: Independent decorative plater serving niche automotive restoration and custom markets. Similar boutique positioning to Advanced Plating, often competing for the same custom builder accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AdvancedPlatingTN
• Facebookfacebook.com/advancedplating
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advanced-plating
• Instagraminstagram.com/advancedplating

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Advanced Plating