Transmet
Transmet Corporation manufactures and globally supplies rapidly solidified metal products — aluminum flakes, shot, and needles, zinc shot and needles, and stainless steel grit — to industrial customers in automotive, die casting, roofing, investment casting, and battery manufacturing from its Columbus, Ohio production facility using proprietary melt-spinning and centrifugal atomization processes.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersColumbus, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Transmet does
Transmet Corporation is a privately held, Columbus, Ohio-based manufacturer of rapidly solidified metal products serving industrial customers globally. Founded in the mid-1970s by Battelle Memorial Institute and incorporated in 1979, the company sells aluminum flakes, cast aluminum shot, cast zinc shot, aluminum and zinc needles, and stainless steel grit to customers in die casting, automotive (Tier-1 suppliers and assembly plants), commercial roofing, investment casting, cylinder refinishing, and chemical/plastics processing. The company describes itself as the world's largest supplier of rapidly solidified metal, with documented cumulative production exceeding 100 million pounds and single-site annual capacity exceeding 10 million pounds of melt-spun products and 8 million pounds of centrifugally atomized products.
The company's core technology is proprietary rapid solidification, combining chillblock melt spinning (developed in 1980) and centrifugal atomization to produce metal particles with tightly controlled size, shape, hardness, and surface area. Proprietary alloy formulations — most notably ZA4, a custom zinc alloy rated to last up to 300% longer than zinc cut wire — and product form factors (e.g., tadpole-shaped aluminum shot for thermal conductivity and resin grip) are the principal sources of differentiation. Production runs entirely from the Columbus facility under a Lean Manufacturing program institutionalized since 2012.
Transmet operates a sales-led, direct B2B model: sales engineers work with customers on media selection and process parameters, a free in-house lab testing service lowers trial friction, and finished goods ship globally in standard industrial packaging (1,500 lb drums, 25 lb bags) at quote-based pricing tied to alloy and volume. Long-standing channel partnerships with Energizer (zinc flake supply into alkaline batteries), GAF (roofing coatings), and Duracell (aluminum flake supply) supplement direct sales. The company is currently co-owned by Kelli and Dan Shull following a 2021 succession from Doug Shull's sole ownership, and reports 11-50 employees.
Transmet firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Transmet
- Legal name
- Transmet Corporation
- Website
- https://transmet.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Transmet Corporation manufactures and globally supplies rapidly solidified metal products — aluminum flakes, shot, and needles, zinc shot and needles, and stainless steel grit — to industrial customers in automotive, die casting, roofing, investment casting, and battery manufacturing from its Columbus, Ohio production facility using proprietary melt-spinning and centrifugal atomization processes.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Transmet industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Metal Blast Media
- NAICS
- Primary Metal Manufacturing (331)
- SIC
- Nonferrous Foundries (Castings) (3360)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aluminum Casting & Ingot/Billet/Slab Production (IMAKACAE)
Keywords
Where Transmet is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Columbus
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Transmet business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Metal Products Manufacturing and Sales: Transmet manufactures and sells rapidly solidified metal products including aluminum flakes, shot, needles, zinc shot, needles, and stainless steel grit. Products are sold directly to industrial customers globally. Revenue is generated through product sales with typical B2B pricing based on product type and volume.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Industrial metal products sold with quote-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
Transmet product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Transmet Corporation manufactures and supplies rapidly solidified metal products directly from a molten state, producing aluminum flakes, cast aluminum and zinc shot, aluminum and zinc needles, and stainless steel grit. Products are sold primarily as blast media for surface finishing, paint and coating removal, and flash removal in die casting and industrial manufacturing, with additional applications in roofing coatings, chemical feedstock, and thermal conductivity additives.
Product overview
Transmet Corporation is a manufacturer and supplier of rapidly solidified metal products, producing blast media, additives, and specialty metal shapes for industrial applications. The product portfolio centers on six core offerings: Aluminum Flakes (K-101/K-102) for roofing coatings and chemical reactions; Cast Aluminum Shot in 2N and 319 alloys for surface finishing; Cast Zinc Shot in ZA4 and HG alloys for paint/coating removal and surface preparation; Stainless Steel Grit for aggressive cleaning applications; Aluminum Needles (RSA-100N) for thermal conductivity and briquetting; and Zinc Needles for specialty applications. All products are manufactured in Columbus, Ohio using proprietary melt spinning and centrifugal atomization processes with annual capacity exceeding 10 million lbs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Aluminum Flakes (K-101, K-102) Rapidly solidified aluminum flakes produced via melt spinning, with a high surface-to-weight ratio for chemical reactions, available in rectangular (K-101: 600×1000×25 microns) and square (K-102: 1000×1000×25 microns) shapes. Used in roofing coatings, chemical reactions, and as feedstock for alkaline batteries.
- Cast Aluminum Shot Cast aluminum shot blast media produced via centrifugal atomization, available in two hardness ranges (2N Alloy: 25 Knoop; 319 Alloy: 100 Knoop) and four sizes (400, 600, 900, 1200 microns) for surface finishing and flash removal on aluminum and light metal castings.
- Cast Zinc Shot Rapidly solidified zinc shot blast media produced via centrifugal atomization, available in ZA4 alloy (91 Knoop) and HG alloy (68 Knoop) variants in sizes from 300 to 1200 microns, used for paint removal, surface finishing, and coating applications.
- Stainless Steel Grit (SSG-150, SSG-250, SSG-425) Angular stainless steel grit blast media with 58 Rockwell hardness, available in three sizes (SSG-150, SSG-250, SSG-425) for surface finishing, ceramic removal from investment castings, and paint/coating preparation.
- Aluminum Needles (RSA-100N) Cast aluminum needles produced via proprietary centrifugal air atomization, measuring 0.18 inches (4,800 microns) length with 0.02 inches (500 microns) thickness, used as a binder for master alloying, thermal conductivity enhancer in epoxy molds, and feedstock for chemical reactions.
- Zinc Needles Zinc needles cast in a proprietary centrifugal atomization process for consistent size and shape, used in specialty applications requiring zinc metal particles.
Quantifiable outcome
- Cast Zinc Shot lasts 4x longer than Steel Shot, 3x longer than Zinc Cut Wire, and 2x longer than Cast Stainless Steel
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use Transmet
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Transmet technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Transmet partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.
- Energizer BatterymajorPartnership in 2000 to build a zinc flake production facility that reached capacity of more than 4,000,000 lbs/year. Energizer has patents on flakes in alkaline batteries to improve battery performance using Transmet products.
- RSP TechnologyminorTechnology partnership established since 1990 for rapid solidification technology development and applications.
- GAF RoofingminorLong-standing partnership since 1990 for aluminum flake applications in roofing coatings.
- FMCminorTechnology partnership established since 1990 for various applications of rapidly solidified metals.
- DuracellminorPartnership for aluminum flake applications in battery production.
- Globe MetallurgicalminorTechnology partnership established since 1990 for metallurgical applications.
- Ohio State University Engineering DepartmentminorPartnership started in 2015 where Transmet hosts engineering interns working on Lean improvement projects in Sales, Administration and Manufacturing. Focus on continuous improvement initiatives.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Transmet competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ervin Industries: US-based manufacturer of steel shot, steel grit, and cut wire shot — the conventional blast media Transmet explicitly displaces with its cast zinc and aluminum shot. Same end customers (die casters, automotive, foundries), same go-to-market via direct technical sales.
- W Abrasives (Iron Mountain Industries): Global manufacturer of steel and stainless steel abrasive shot/grit. Direct overlap with Transmet's stainless steel grit product line; competes head-to-head in surface finishing and shot peening applications.
- La Fonte S.p.A. Italian producer of zinc and aluminum cast shot and cut wire. Most direct international competitor to Transmet's Cast Zinc Shot and Cast Aluminum Shot, serving the same automotive die-casting and surface finishing customers.
- Wheelabrator Group (Sulzer): Supplies both shot-blast equipment and consumable media (steel shot, cut wire, stainless). Directly competes with Transmet's blast media in surface preparation and shot peening end markets.
- Metaltec Steel Abrasives: US manufacturer of steel shot and steel grit for shot blasting and peening. Competes with Transmet in industrial surface finishing, particularly where customers have not yet transitioned to non-ferrous media.
- Rösler Group: Global supplier of shot-blast and mass-finishing equipment plus consumable media. Overlaps with Transmet in industrial surface preparation consumables across automotive and general manufacturing.
Broad incumbents
- Saint-Gobain (Norton Abrasives): Diversified abrasives giant offering coated, bonded, and non-woven abrasive products. Broader portfolio than Transmet but competes for surface-finishing wallet across many of the same industrial accounts.
- 3M Abrasive Systems: Massive abrasives division offering grinding, finishing, and blasting media. Touches Transmet at the edges in surface preparation but competes for industrial customer share with broader, distribution-driven reach.
- Opta Minerals: Industrial minerals supplier including specialty blast media, fused minerals, and steel abrasives. Comparable specialty abrasives positioning relative to Transmet, with broader mineral-product portfolio.
Emerging players
- US Minerals (USM): US producer of coal slag, copper slag, and specialty mineral abrasives. Adjacent competitor in industrial blasting media with focus on lower-cost slag alternatives to engineered metal shot.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Transmet social profiles
Digital presenceTransmet financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Transmet leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Transmet funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Transmet M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Transmet
What does Transmet do?
Transmet Corporation manufactures and supplies rapidly solidified metal products directly from a molten state, producing aluminum flakes, cast aluminum and zinc shot, aluminum and zinc needles, and stainless steel grit. Products are sold primarily as blast media for surface finishing, paint and coating removal, and flash removal in die casting and industrial manufacturing, with additional applications in roofing coatings, chemical feedstock, and thermal conductivity additives.
Is Transmet a public or private company?
Transmet is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Transmet founded?
Transmet was founded in 1979. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Transmet based?
Transmet is headquartered in Columbus, United States, in the North America region.
How does Transmet make money?
One revenue line is on record: metal Products Manufacturing and Sales.
Who are Transmet's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ervin Industries, W Abrasives (Iron Mountain Industries), La Fonte S.p.A., Wheelabrator Group (Sulzer), Metaltec Steel Abrasives and Rösler Group. Broad incumbents are Saint-Gobain (Norton Abrasives), 3M Abrasive Systems and Opta Minerals. US Minerals (USM) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Transmet have an API?
No public API is recorded for Transmet.
What industry is Transmet in?
Transmet's product category is Industrial Metal Blast Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAKACAE, Aluminum Casting & Ingot/Billet/Slab Production. Its NAICS code is 331 and its SIC code is 3360.