Master Finish

What Master Finish does

Master Finish Company is a third-generation, family-owned metal plating job shop founded in 1959 and headquartered at 2100 Nelson SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan. The company provides decorative and functional electroplating services — copper, nickel, chrome (including satin, dark/black, and trivalent), barrel plating, and rack plating — applied to steel, brass, zinc die-cast, and stainless steel substrates. It supplements plating with preplate finishing (passivation, polishing/buffing, vibratory finishing) and postplate services (dehydrogenation bake off, paint finishing, PVD topcoats). Three fully automated plating lines equipped with PLC controllers, programmable hoists, laser-guided motion, and digital SCR rectifiers (95% efficiency) form the production backbone.

The company's proprietary and licensed technology base differentiates it from typical job shops: it holds the first MacDermid Enthone DecoKlad license in the Americas for Fashion Finishes (fourth globally), owns the ReplaChrome® nickel-tungsten-cobalt chrome replacement alloy, and offers trivalent chromium and microporous chrome plating for corrosion resistance. Quality credentials include ISO 9001:2015 (Amtivo #261923, valid through Jan 2029), ISO 14001, and AIAG CQI-11 compliance. Standard orders are processed in a 5-day turnaround with load-ID serialization for full process traceability.

Master Finish serves OEM manufacturers across automotive (GM, Ford, Stellantis, Tesla, Toyota, Honda, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche, Bentley, Land Rover, Harley-Davidson), appliance (Whirlpool), plumbing (Moen, Geberit), hardware, wire forming, and fire suppression/irrigation segments in the United States and Canada. The go-to-market is a direct enterprise field-sales motion with named account managers, supplemented by trade show presence (IMTS) and a quote-based pricing model requiring customer part drawings, plating specifications, and production volumes.

Name

Master Finish

Legal name

Master Finish Co.

Website

https://masterfinishco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Master Finish Company is a third-generation, family-owned metal plating job shop in Grand Rapids, Michigan, founded in 1959, serving automotive, appliance, plumbing, and hardware OEMs in the US and Canada with three automated rack/barrel plating lines offering decorative chrome, nickel, copper, and specialty finishes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Metal Plating and Finishing Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Electroplating & Metal Finishing (Anodizing/Galvanizing/Passivation) (IMAIAKAE)

Keywords

• Decorative chrome plating
• Metal finishing services
• Nickel chrome plating
• Electroplating services
• OEM metal plating

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Metal Plating Services: Master Finish generates revenue through providing metal plating and finishing services to OEM manufacturers. Services include decorative chrome, nickel-chrome, copper, nickel plating on various metal substrates. Pricing is quote-based requiring customer part drawings, plating specifications, and production volumes. The company operates as a high-volume job shop with rapid 5-day turnaround capabilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Master Finish provides high-volume decorative metal plating and finishing services to OEM manufacturers, including copper, nickel, chrome, satin nickel, and black chrome electroplating on steel, brass, zinc die-cast, and stainless steel substrates across three fully automated rack and barrel plating lines. The company also offers preplate services (passivation, metal polishing and buffing, vibratory finishing) and postplate services (dehydrogenation bake off, paint finishing, PVD coating) along with proprietary ReplaChrome® and MacDermid Enthone Fashion Finishes.

Product overview

Master Finish Company is a high-volume metal plating service provider offering decorative metal plating and related finishing services to OEM manufacturers. The core product portfolio centers on copper, nickel, and chrome electroplating processes (decorative chrome, dark/black chrome, satin chrome, copper, nickel-chrome, rack nickel, barrel nickel) applied to steel, brass, zinc die-cast, and stainless steel substrates. Supporting preplate services include passivation, metal polishing & buffing, and vibratory finishing. Postplate finishing services include dehydrogenation bake off, paint finishing, and PVD coating topcoat. Specialty offerings include Trivalent Chromium Technology (eco-friendly alternative to hexavalent chrome), ReplaChrome® (proprietary chrome replacement alloy), and Fashion Finishes (certified DecoKlad applicator for MacDermid Enthone). The company operates three fully automated plating lines with advanced process controls.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ReplaChrome®: A proprietary nickel-tungsten-cobalt alloy used as a chrome replacement topcoat in barrel plating, providing the look of bright chrome without using chromium.

Products and services

• Decorative Chrome Plating Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Standard plating orders processed in 5 working days with preplating/postplating services also typically managed within 5 working days
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MacDermid EnthonecoreTechnology or IntegrationMaster Finish is the first DecoKlad approved applicator in the Americas and fourth globally. DecoKlad is a quality performance system for decorative plating ensuring global consistency at local level. Master Finish provides MacDermid Enthone Fashion Finishes including Bright and Pearlescent Satin chrome finishes, Twilite and Starlite dark chrome coatings.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pioneer Metal Finishing: Pioneer Metal Finishing is one of the largest independent metal finishing job shops in North America, offering decorative chrome, nickel, and zinc plating for automotive, heavy truck, and industrial OEMs. Highly comparable to Master Finish in capability set, customer profile, and capital-intensive automated line footprint.
• Hohman Plating & Manufacturing: Dayton, Ohio-based decorative and functional plater serving automotive, aerospace, and industrial OEMs with chrome, nickel, zinc, and electroless nickel finishes. Overlaps Master Finish's automotive OEM decorative chrome business with similar automated rack and barrel plating capabilities.
• Barker Products Company: Evansville, Indiana-based metal finishing job shop providing decorative chrome, nickel, and copper plating for OEM customers including automotive and appliance manufacturers. Comparable in scale, customer mix, and reliance on high-volume decorative plating technology.
• Arlington Plating Company: Palatine, Illinois-based decorative and functional plater specializing in rack and barrel chrome, nickel, copper, and zinc finishes for automotive, hardware, and industrial customers. Closely comparable business model and customer verticals to Master Finish.
• Herron Plating Company: Midwest-based decorative metal finisher providing rack and barrel plating services to automotive and industrial OEMs. Comparable scale and service mix to Master Finish, particularly in decorative chrome and nickel plating for OEM trim and hardware.
• Plastic Plating Inc: Specialty plater offering decorative chrome and nickel finishes on both metal and plastic substrates for automotive and consumer goods OEMs. Overlaps Master Finish's decorative chrome capability while extending into plastic plating — adjacent competitive set on shared programs.
• Reliable Plating & Polishing: Independent decorative and functional plating job shop serving automotive and industrial customers with nickel, chrome, copper, and zinc finishes. Comparable service portfolio and OEM customer orientation to Master Finish.
• Cardinal Plating Company: Midwestern decorative metal finisher providing chrome and nickel plating services for automotive and industrial OEM customers. Comparable in scale and capability scope to Master Finish's rack plating line operations.
• Advanced Plating Technologies: Independent metal finishing job shop providing decorative chrome, nickel, and specialty finishes to OEM customers across automotive and industrial segments. Comparable service portfolio to Master Finish's decorative plating business.

Broad incumbents

• Element Solutions (MacDermid Enthone): Element Solutions owns MacDermid Enthone, Master Finish's chemistry partner for DecoKlad and Fashion Finishes, and is a global leader in plating chemistry across decorative, functional, and electronic applications. While not a direct service competitor, Element Solutions shapes the broader decorative plating value chain and could enter or expand service offerings, making it a strategic adjacent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCm2K8eIixQSffCYPRHW_hQg
• Facebookfacebook.com/MasterFinishCo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/master-finish-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/masterfinishco/?hl=en

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Master Finish