Precious Metals Plating Company

What Precious Metals Plating Company does

Precious Metals Plating Company (PMP), founded in 1957 by Wayne Bird and headquartered in Santa Ana, California, is a precision metal finishing job shop specializing in precious and semi-precious metal electroplating. Its core product portfolio spans gold, silver, nickel (sulfamate and bright), electroless nickel, and tin plating, delivered through conventional and vibratory barrel plating as well as rack/wire plating, with limited masking services. Ancillary offerings include inert-atmosphere heat treatment up to 950°F in nitrogen or argon, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) thickness verification, and an in-house accredited laboratory performing daily solution analysis via atomic absorption (AA) equipment. All plating conforms to MIL, AMS, and ASTM specifications.

PMP's primary customers are enterprise manufacturers in aerospace, military, electronics, and (secondarily) medical devices requiring conformance to military and aerospace specifications. The company holds NADCAP accreditation for Quality and Chemical Processing since 2004, ITAR registration, and approved-supplier status with Boeing (Supplier Code BE10006771), Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, and Aerojet Rocketdyne. These certifications, combined with typical 3-5 day lead times and a 10+ year average employee tenure, anchor the company's positioning in defense and aerospace supply chains.

The business operates on a quote-based, job-shop transaction model with per-job billing and expedite fees of $100 (24-hour) and $250 (same-day) on top of standard pricing. Revenue is generated through direct sales, primarily via website-driven quote requests and word-of-mouth referrals within the aerospace, military, and electronics industries. The company is privately held under second-generation ownership (Chad Bird, President; Bert Barrett, Executive Vice-President and Co-Owner), with no disclosed external funding and no public listing.

Name

Precious Metals Plating Company

Legal name

Precious Metals Plating Co., Inc.

Website

https://pmplating.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Precious Metals Plating Company is a Santa Ana, California precision metal finishing job shop, founded in 1957, that performs gold, silver, nickel, electroless nickel, and tin plating plus inert-atmosphere heat treatment for aerospace, military, electronics, and medical manufacturers under NADCAP and MIL-spec certifications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Metal Finishing Services

NAICS

Electroplating, Plating, Polishing, Anodizing, and Coloring (332813), Coating, Engraving, Heat Treating, and Allied Activities (3328)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Precision metal plating
• Barrel plating services
• Aerospace metal finishing
• Military plating services
• Electroplating services

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Ana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Metal Plating Services: Job-shop style metal plating services billed per job/order. Revenue generated through processing parts with precious metals (gold, silver) and other metals (nickel, tin, electroless nickel). Pricing is quote-based depending on part specifications, quantity, plating type, and turnaround requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Precious Metals Plating Company is a precision metal finishing job shop that electroplates customer-supplied parts with gold, silver, nickel (Sulfamate and Bright), electroless nickel, and tin using conventional barrel, vibratory barrel, and rack/wire methods. It supports aerospace, military, electronics, and medical device manufacturers with processes conforming to MIL, AMS, and ASTM specifications, plus ancillary heat treatment in inert atmosphere up to 950F, masking, and in-house lab inspection services (XRF thickness verification and atomic absorption solution analysis).

Product overview

Precious Metals Plating Company (PMP) is a precision metal finishing service provider offering barrel plating (conventional and vibratory), rack/wire plating, and limited masking services. The company's core product portfolio includes five primary plating services: Gold Plating, Silver Plating, Nickel Plating (including Sulfamate and Bright Nickel), Electroless Nickel Plating, and Tin Plating. These services are supported by ancillary offerings including heat treating (up to 950F in inert atmosphere), comprehensive inspection services using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and atomic absorption equipment, and limited masking. PMP specializes in barrel plating contacts to military and aerospace specifications, serving the aerospace, military, electronic, and medical industries with NADCAP-accredited quality and chemical processing since 2004.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gold Plating

Quantifiable outcome

• 3-5 day typical lead times (best in industry)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BoeingcoreOthersBoeing approved supplier. PMP holds active Boeing approval status (Supplier Code BE10006771) and appears on Boeing's approved supplier list for plating services, indicating a significant customer relationship in the aerospace sector.
• Lockheed MartincoreOthersListed as a certification and approval held by PMP, indicating PMP is an approved/plated components supplier for Lockheed Martin's aerospace and defense programs.
• General DynamicscoreOthersListed as a certification and approval held by PMP, indicating PMP is an approved supplier for General Dynamics defense programs.
• Aerojet RocketdynecoreOthersListed as a certification and approval held by PMP, indicating PMP is an approved supplier for Aerojet Rocketdyne's aerospace and propulsion programs.
• ITARcoreOthersITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) compliance designation indicates PMP is authorized to handle defense articles and services controlled under ITAR for approved defense contractors.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• AOTCO Metal Finishing: AOTCO is a job-shop metal finisher offering precious and non-precious plating, anodizing, and surface treatments to aerospace, defense, medical, and electronics customers. Like PMP, it competes on NADCAP-grade quality, broad specification compliance, and quick-turn service for connector and contact plating.
• KC Jones Plating: KC Jones is a well-known U.S. barrel and rack plating job shop serving automotive, aerospace, and industrial customers with nickel, chrome, and precious-metal finishes. It is one of the closest direct comparables to PMP in terms of plating methods, customer mix, and mid-size job-shop operating model.
• Techmetals: Techmetals is a precision plating job shop focused on aerospace, defense, and electronics with gold, silver, nickel, and tin plating capabilities. It competes head-to-head with PMP for NADCAP-compliant precious-metal plating work for primes and Tier-1 suppliers.
• Anoplate Corporation: Anoplate is a precision metal finishing company specializing in precious and non-precious plating, anodizing, and conversion coatings for aerospace and medical customers. It is a direct competitor for high-spec gold and silver plating work requiring NADCAP-equivalent certifications.
• SIFCO Applied Surface Concepts: SIFCO ASC offers selective plating, anodizing, and surface treatment services for aerospace, defense, and industrial OEMs. While it has a stronger selective-plating niche, it competes with PMP for precious-metal plating business at aerospace primes.
• Hohman Plating & Metal Finishing: Hohman Plating is a Dayton, Ohio-based job shop providing a broad portfolio of plating and finishing services including precious metals for aerospace and defense customers. It is comparable to PMP in scale, certification depth, and reliance on NADCAP-grade work.
• Advanced Plating Technologies: Advanced Plating Technologies is a precision plating job shop offering gold, silver, nickel, tin, and electroless nickel plating. It is directly comparable to PMP in services, specifications supported, and customer end markets.
• Plateco Inc. Plateco is a precious metals plating job shop specializing in gold, silver, and rhodium plating for electronics, aerospace, and industrial customers. It directly competes with PMP for connector and contact plating business.

Broad incumbents

• Pioneer Metal Finishing: Pioneer Metal Finishing is one of the largest U.S. contract metal finishers, offering plating, anodizing, and coating services across multiple industries and geographies. It is a broader incumbent competitor with national scale, contrasting with PMP's single-site, niche focus.

Others

• Columbia Chemical: Columbia Chemical manufactures plating chemistry and additives (zinc, zinc alloys, decorative, and functional plating processes) used by job shops like PMP. It is an enabling supplier rather than a direct competitor but is closely tied to the same precious and non-ferrous plating ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/precious-metals-plating-company-inc-

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Precious Metals Plating Company