What Canton Drop Forge does

Canton Drop Forge, Inc. is a 1903-founded, Ohio-based manufacturer of custom closed-die (impression-die) forgings serving high-performance industrial applications, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Park-Ohio Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: PKOH). The company operates a 241,000 square foot facility in Canton, Ohio equipped with 13 forging hammers ranging from 1,000 to 50,000 pounds (including a new hammer being installed as part of a $18.5 million capital project) and a 1,200-ton hydraulic press, supported by in-house die sinking, Nadcap-certified heat treatment, CNC machining, and non-destructive testing. Its products include forged components serving aerospace (landing gear, turbine discs, rotorcraft parts), defense and military (missile casings for ATACMS, Patriot, Hawk, and Standard Missile programs), oil and gas (flanges, valves, fluid ends), power generation (turbine blades, shafts, discs), rail/transportation, off-highway/mining, pumps and compressors, nuclear, and shipbuilding. Named customers include Boeing, Caterpillar, and Héroux-Devtek.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time custom orders of forged components, supplemented by precision machining services and integrated supply chain management engagements, all priced via custom quotation based on specifications, complexity, materials, and volume. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales: direct engagement with OEM engineers, supply chain, and maintenance personnel, supported by US sales offices in Chicago, Indianapolis, Dallas, and Houston, plus international representatives in South Korea, Japan, and China. Competitive advantages rest on 120+ years of forging heritage, Nadcap/AS9100/ISO 9001 certifications, full material traceability from melt source to finished part, and the ability to produce parts up to 5,000 pounds domestically. The company is currently expanding capacity through the new 50,000-pound hammer installation, consolidation of Kropp Forge operations, and workforce growth from approximately 150 to 220 employees.

Name

Canton Drop Forge

Legal name

Canton Drop Forge, Inc.

Website

https://cantondropforge.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1903

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Canton Drop Forge is a 1903-founded, Ohio-based manufacturer of custom closed-die forgings for aerospace, defense, oil and gas, power generation, rail, and off-highway OEMs. It operates a 241,000 sq ft facility with 13 forging hammers, in-house heat treatment, CNC machining, and NDT, serving customers including Boeing and Caterpillar as a Park-Ohio Holdings subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Industrial Forgings

NAICS

Forging and Stamping (33211), Iron and Steel Forging (332111), Nonferrous Forging (332112), Special Die and Tool, Die Set, Jig, and Fixture Manufacturing (333514)

SIC

Metal Forgings & Stampings (3460), Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Forming & Fabrication Machines (Presses, Bending, Shearing, Stamping) (IMAHADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Surface Treatment & Finishing Equipment (Coating, Plating, Deburring, Shot Blasting) (IMAHADAJ)

Keywords

• Closed die forgings
• Drop forging services
• Aerospace forgings
• Forged steel components
• Industrial metal forging

Headquarters

HQ city

Canton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Closed-Die Forgings: Manufacturing and sale of custom forged metal components to OEM customers in aerospace, defense, transportation, oil and gas, power generation, and other industrial markets. Revenue generated through direct sales of precision-forged parts with associated machining and heat treatment services.
2. Precision Machining Services: CNC machining services for complex forgings including rough machining and final parts machining, offering integrated solutions to reduce customer lead times and costs.
3. Supply Chain Management Services: Integrated planning and execution services including demand planning, sourcing, production, inventory management and logistics for large aerospace customers, optimizing flow of materials and information.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Canton Drop Forge manufactures custom closed-die (impression-die) and drop forgings ranging from 2 to 5,000 pounds in carbon, alloy, stainless, and aerospace-grade steels, produced on forging hammers up to 50,000 lb capacity. The company supplies precision forged components — including landing gear, turbine discs, missile components, oilfield flanges/valves, and rail/off-highway parts — to OEMs in aerospace, defense, oil & gas, power generation, transportation, and off-highway/mining, complemented by in-house Nadcap-certified heat treatment, CNC machining, die sinking, engineering, and non-destructive testing.

Product overview

Canton Drop Forge is a manufacturer of custom closed-die (impression-die) forgings and drop forgings for high-performance industrial applications. The company operates as a single unified manufacturing platform offering core forging production complemented by integrated value-added services. Their product portfolio centers on closed die forgings and drop forgings as the core products, supported by vertical capabilities in heat treatment (Nadcap-certified), CNC machining, in-house engineering and die design, and non-destructive testing (NDT). They serve six major industry verticals: Aerospace (landing gear, turbine discs, torque tubes, rotorcraft parts), Oil & Gas (flanges, valves, fluid ends), Power Generation (turbine blades, shafts, discs), Defense/Military (missile components, naval forgings), Transportation/Rail (cross bars, equalizer beams, locomotive parts), and Off-Highway/Mining (sprockets, equalizer bars). Materials processed include carbon steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, and aerospace-grade alloys (300M, AerMet 100, Waspaloy, etc.). Their 241,000 square foot facility operates 12-13 forging hammers (ranging from 1,000 lb to 50,000 lb) plus a 1200-ton hydraulic press, supported by die-sinking with CNC mills and turning lathes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Closed Die Forgings Custom closed-die (impression-die) forgings produced using precision steel dies to create high-strength components with superior grain flow and mechanical properties for demanding industrial applications, ranging from 2 to 5,000 pounds in carbon, alloy, and stainless steels. Sold to enterprise OEMs across aerospace, defense, oil & gas, power generation, rail, and off-highway/mining.
• Drop Forgings Traditional drop forging services using hammers (1,000 lb to 50,000 lb capacity) to deform heated metal between dies, producing durable components for high-performance applications. Sold to enterprise industrial customers.
• Aerospace Forgings Precision-forged components for commercial and military aircraft, including landing gear struts/braces/connectors, turbine discs, torque tubes for braking systems, tail rotor hubs, and structural components meeting Nadcap and AS9100 standards. Sold to aerospace OEMs and Tier 1 manufacturers.
• Military & Defense Forgings High-integrity forged components for defense systems including missile casings, domes, nozzle bodies, AFT rings, and closures for programs such as ATACMS, Patriot, Hawk, Anti-Ballistic Missile, and Standard Missile. Sold to defense prime contractors and government programs.
• Oil & Gas Forgings Forged flanges, ball valves, fluid ends, laterals, cross forgings, and pinion gears for drilling, hydraulic fracturing, and high-pressure pumping equipment operating at pressures exceeding 15,000 psi. Sold to oil & gas OEMs and operators.
• Power Generation Forgings Turbine blades, turbine shafts, turbine discs, and components for steam and gas turbines in power generation applications. Sold to power generation OEMs and operators.
• Transportation & Rail Forgings Closed-die forgings for locomotives, transit railcars, and passenger equipment, including cross bars, equalizer beams, top decks, and undercarriage components. Sold to railway equipment manufacturers and transit authorities.
• Off-Highway / Mining Forgings High-strength forged components for earth-moving equipment, mining machinery, and material-handling systems, including equalizer bars, hubs, sprockets, and structural connection components for excavators, dozers, loaders, haulers, and combines. Sold to heavy equipment OEMs.
• Pump & Compressor Forgings Forged components for pumps and compressors used in industrial applications, including compressor components, pump impellers, and valve components for fluid handling systems. Sold to industrial pump and compressor OEMs.
• Nuclear Component Forgings Closed-die forgings for nuclear industry applications requiring high reliability, full material traceability, and strict quality/regulatory standards. Sold to nuclear power generation customers.
• Shipbuilding Forgings Forged parts for shipbuilding, including naval forgings for maritime environments that require corrosion resistance, vibration resistance, and durability in extreme conditions. Sold to naval and commercial shipbuilders.
• Heat Treatment Services In-house heat treatment including normalize, temper, anneal, hardening, and drawing processes with Nadcap-certified furnaces and oil/polymer quench capabilities. Sold as a service to customers requiring certified heat treatment of forged components.
• CNC Machined Parts & Machining Services Precision CNC machining of complex forgings including rough-machined and finished parts in steel, stainless steel, Inconel, and other alloys, primarily for aerospace applications. Sold as a service and finished-parts offering.
• Forging Engineering & Design In-house engineering and die design services including finite element analysis, stress analysis, custom tooling design, and reverse engineering of legacy components. Sold as a technical service to forging customers.
• Forging Inspection & Testing (NDT) In-house non-destructive testing (NDT) services including ultrasonic and magnetic particle inspection performed by Nadcap-certified technicians, plus dimensional and metallurgical inspections. Sold as a quality-assurance service to forging customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced lead times through domestic manufacturing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments9 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kropp ForgecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Kropp Forge, owned by Park-Ohio Industries (NASDAQ: PKOH), was closed in Cicero, Illinois and operations consolidated with Canton Drop Forge. Equipment from Kropp Forge, including the new 50,000-pound hammer, was transferred to CDF as part of the consolidation. Both companies had competed for customers for many years before the integration.
• TimkenSteelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary steel supplier providing material for forging operations. Most of the steel used by Canton Drop Forge comes from TimkenSteel's Faircrest mill, making CDF a significant local customer for the regional economy.
• Local Machine ShopsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with local machine shops for CNC machining of complex forgings, providing additional capacity for precision parts machining primarily for aerospace customers.
• Kent State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Kent State University for reliability training program tailored for hydraulic trim presses, bridging academia and industry to enhance operational capabilities.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ellwood Group: Integrated family of forging, casting, and machining businesses (Ellwood Quality Steels, Ellwood National Forge, Ellwood Engineered Castings) serving aerospace, defense, oil & gas, and industrial markets — closely comparable vertically integrated forging platform.
• Trenton Forging: Custom hot, warm, and cold forgings producer for automotive, heavy truck, agricultural, and industrial markets — overlaps with Canton Drop Forge in the off-highway and transportation forging categories.
• Scot Forge: U.S.-based custom open-die and closed-die forge serving aerospace, defense, power generation, and oil & gas with comparable part weight range and integrated heat treatment/machining capabilities — a direct competitor to Canton Drop Forge across virtually all served end-markets.
• Ajax Manufacturing: Pennsylvania-based custom closed-die and upset forgings producer serving aerospace, transportation, defense, oil & gas, and mining — overlapping product portfolio with Canton Drop Forge across multiple end-markets.
• Weber Metals (Howmet Aerospace): Howmet Aerospace subsidiary specializing in large aerospace closed-die forgings including landing gear, pylons, and engine structures — direct competitor to Canton Drop Forge in the marquee high-performance aerospace forging category.
• Wyman-Gordon (Howmet Aerospace): A leading aerospace closed-die forging supplier and Howmet Aerospace subsidiary producing large titanium and steel structural components for commercial and military aircraft — directly comparable to Canton Drop Forge's aerospace forging business including landing gear-adjacent parts.
• Anderson Shumaker: Custom open-die forging specialist producing large steel, stainless, and titanium forged shapes up to 100,000 lbs — competes with Canton Drop Forge in the upper end of the forged-part weight range, particularly for defense and aerospace structural components.
• Patriot Forge Co. Canadian producer of custom open-die and closed-die carbon, alloy, and stainless steel forgings for aerospace, defense, power generation, and oil & gas — directly competes with Canton Drop Forge in similar parts and end-markets from a regional perspective.

Broad incumbents

• Carpenter Technology Corporation: Specialty alloys producer (including aerospace-grade alloys such as AerMet and Pyrowear families used by Canton Drop Forge) with growing capabilities in finished forged components — both a material peer/upstream supplier category participant and an emerging competitor in finished aerospace forgings.
• Firth Rixson (Howmet Aerospace): Howmet Aerospace's seamless rolled-ring forging business producing rings and preforms for aerospace engines, airframes, and industrial gas turbines — adjacent product (rings rather than closed-die) but serves the same aerospace/defense customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CantonDropForge
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/canton-drop-forge-inc-

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Canton Drop Forge