Metalex

What Metalex does

Metalex, LLC is a U.S.-based industrial manufacturer founded in 1962 and headquartered in Libertyville, Illinois, operating as a subsidiary/affiliate of UPG LLC. The company produces perforated metals, expanded metals, safety grating, perforated tubes, and architectural metals, and — through the legacy Morton Manufacturing Company product line acquired via merger — supplies AAR-approved safety walking surfaces (running boards, end platforms, brake steps, intermodal platforms, locomotive steps, auto rack side sheets) to the railroad freight car industry dating back to 1903. Its safety grating portfolio centers on three registered brands — Open Grip® (round hole pattern with proprietary radiused "wiped" ends), Deck Span® (diamond pattern), and Tread Grip® (upset button pattern) — all constructed from 13 gauge G-90 pre-galvanized prime steel and used for workplace slip/fall prevention and OEM equipment applications.

The company operates a custom, quote-based B2B sales model with both inside sales (toll-free and direct phone lines, "Request a Quote" web form) and enterprise field-sales characteristics, supporting engineered-to-order solutions, custom part sizes, short-run to high-volume production, and managed stocking programs for recurring industrial buyers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by material (ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastics, composites), pattern, dimensions, and volume. Distribution is primarily direct and domestic through metlx.com and industrial.metlx.com, with an online product catalog (catalog.metlx.com) and multilingual (English, French, Spanish) accessibility via Google Translate, but no disclosed international sales footprint. Marketing relies on a content-driven web presence (blog, technical data sheets, process documentation, FAQs) supported by organic social (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn).

Metalex holds ISO 9001:2015 certification company-wide, and all Morton Railroad Products are AAR approved, constituting the principal regulatory moat in its core rail vertical. The company operates with 501–1,000 employees at a single manufacturing site and is currently actively hiring. No revenue, funding, or headcount-growth figures are disclosed in available sources, and leadership composition beyond the UPG parent affiliation is not publicly documented.

Name

Metalex

Legal name

Metalex LLC

Website

https://metlx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Metalex is a Libertyville, IL-based industrial manufacturer of perforated metals, expanded metals, safety grating, and AAR-approved rail products, serving railroad freight car operators and industrial/OEM buyers via direct B2B quote-based sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Libertyville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom and standard product sales: Manufactures and sells perforated metals, expanded metals, safety grating, perforated tubes, architectural metals, and Morton Rail Products. Supports short run to high volume orders, custom part sizes, and managed stocking programs for industrial buyers. Quote-based pricing model.
2. Engineered-to-order and design engineering services: In-house design/engineering team works with customers on expanded metal applications and custom specifications, offering practical recommendations and design solutions for OEM equipment and industrial applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Metalex manufactures and supplies perforated metals, expanded metals, safety grating (Open Grip®, Deck Span®, Tread Grip®), perforated tubes, architectural metals, and Morton Rail Products for railroad freight cars. Products are produced in ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastics, and composites, in standard or custom dimensions, and supported by an in-house design/engineering team for engineered-to-order solutions.

Product overview

Metalex (powered by UPG) is a single industrial-manufacturer organization (founded 1962, Libertyville, IL) that operates as a unified product portfolio rather than a software platform-with-modules architecture. Its offering centers on four primary manufacturing product lines — Perforated Metals, Expanded Metals, Safety Grating, and Perforated Tubes — together with an Architectural Metals line and the Morton Rail Products sub-brand (acquired from Morton Manufacturing Company), which supplies railroad-specific running boards, platforms, and brake steps. The Safety Grating line itself bundles three named products: Open Grip®, Deck Span®, and Tread Grip®, all rooted in a 1903-era product heritage. Morton Rail Products extends the same Open Grip® safety-grating technology into rail-industry applications and shares the company's ISO 9001 certification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Morton Rail Products: Railroad running boards, end platforms, brake steps, intermodal platforms, locomotive steps, and related safety products for the railroad freight car industry. Products are AAR approved and ISO 9001 certified.
• Open Grip®
• Deck Span®
• Tread Grip®

Products and services

• Perforated Metals Manufactures perforated metal sheets from mild steel to alloys, plastics, and composites in standard and custom dimensions for short-run to high-volume orders; serves industrial buyers and OEMs needing custom hole patterns and part sizes.
• Expanded Metals Manufactures expanded metal in a variety of ferrous and non-ferrous metals across a wide range of mesh sizes; patterns are customizable to achieve specific application characteristics and supported by an in-house design/engineering team.
• Safety Grating (Open Grip®, Deck Span®, Tread Grip®) Slip-resistant safety grating for workplaces and OEM equipment, including Open Grip® (round hole pattern), Deck Span® (diamond pattern), and Tread Grip® (upset buttons); designed to prevent slips and falls and manufactured from 13 gauge G-90 pre-galvanized prime steel.
• Morton Rail Products AAR-approved railroad walking-surface components including Open Grip® running boards, end platforms, brake steps, intermodal platforms, locomotive steps, auto rack side sheets, crossover boards, and tank strap retrofit bands for railroad freight cars.
• Perforated Tubes Perforated tube products supplied as part of Metalex's metal product offering for specialized industrial applications.
• Architectural Metals Architectural metal products supplied for construction and design applications as part of Metalex's product portfolio.

Quantifiable outcome

• Open Grip® running boards, intermodal platforms, brake steps, and end platforms are made from 13 gauge G-90 pre-galvanized prime steel.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• UPG (United Panel Group / parent company)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetalex operates as 'Now powered by UPG', indicating UPG is the parent/sponsoring organization that backs Metalex's operations. UPG and Metalex share brand presence on the website and social channels.
• Morton Manufacturing CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFollowing Morton Manufacturing Company's merger with Metalex, Metalex offers the full Morton Rail Products line (running boards, end platforms, brake steps, intermodal platforms, auto rack side sheets, crossover boards, tank strap retrofit bands, etc.). The merger brought decades of railroad safety grating heritage dating back to 1903.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• McNichols Co. Largest US distributor and fabricator of perforated metal, expanded metal, and safety grating products. Directly comparable as the broadest-line competitor serving the same industrial, architectural, and OEM buyers with the same core product categories.
• Direct Metals Company: Manufacturer and supplier of perforated metal, expanded metal, and safety grating for industrial and architectural applications. Closely comparable mid-market competitor with similar product breadth and custom fabrication capabilities.
• Alabama Metal Industries (AMICO): Manufacturer of expanded metal mesh, perforated metal, and safety grating products serving industrial, architectural, and security markets. Directly comparable product portfolio with overlap in slip-resistant flooring and engineered metal mesh.
• Graepel: Manufacturer of perforated metals and safety gratings (including Graepel-Grip and similar slip-resistant patterns) used in industrial walkways and OEM equipment. Comparable as a branded safety grating competitor with proprietary patterns analogous to Open Grip®.
• Hendrick Manufacturing: US manufacturer of perforated metal and perforated tubes serving industrial, architectural, and OEM customers. Directly comparable on perforated tubes and custom perforated sheet production.
• W.S. Tyler: Manufacturer of perforated metal screens, woven wire, and architectural metal products. Comparable in perforated metal technology and overlap in architectural/industrial mesh applications.
• BoMetals: Manufacturer of perforated metal and expanded metal products for industrial filtration, architectural, and OEM uses. Comparable mid-sized manufacturer with similar custom fabrication and short-run/high-volume capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Marino\WARE: Large manufacturer of cold-formed steel framing and metal products serving commercial construction. Comparable as a broader incumbent in fabricated metal building products that intersects Metalex's architectural metals category.
• Nucor Corporation: Largest US steel producer with downstream fabricated products. Relevant as an upstream supplier and broad incumbent whose pricing on steel sheet inputs directly affects Metalex's cost structure and whose vertically integrated capabilities represent a long-term competitive ceiling.

Others

• UPG LLC: Metalex's parent organization. Relevant as the corporate platform that houses Metalex and potential sister entities; useful for understanding capital allocation, cross-portfolio synergies, and the broader strategic context of Metalex's operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MetalexLLC
• Facebookfacebook.com/Metalex-powered-by-UPG-120460132919079
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metalex

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Metalex