What Bowers Manufacturing Company does

Bowers Manufacturing Company — now operating as Erbsloeh Aluminum Solutions, Inc. — is a Portage, Michigan-based aluminum extrusion and surface-finishing manufacturer founded in 1946 and currently positioned as the North American subsidiary of German industrial group WKW Group (Walter Klein GmbH & Co. KG). The company runs three hydraulic extrusion lines within a 315,000 square-foot production facility, producing custom cross-section aluminum profiles for industrial customers. Its core product is extruded aluminum profiles, augmented by downstream fabrication services (punching, drilling, CNC machining, bending) and a finishing department covering polishing, brushing, bead blasting, Brite Dip, a fully automated anodizing line, and powder coating. Engineering design support and final assembly/delivery are also offered in-house, yielding a vertically integrated single-source capability from profile design through finished component.

The business serves five identified end markets: automotive (IATF 16949-certified), office and furniture (handles and moldings — the primary use case), electronics, high-end appliances, and HVAC/air conditioning, with medical listed as an additional market on the parent company's site. Customer concentration is undisclosed; pricing is not publicly disclosed; revenue is not reported. The company is privately held as a wholly-owned subsidiary and holds a broad compliance stack spanning ISO 9001, 14001, 50001, 45001, 14064, and TISAX, which collectively support OEM and Tier-1 supplier qualification.

Commercially, Bowers/Erbsloeh operates a direct sales motion targeting enterprise industrial buyers, with no app, no public API or SDK, and only organic social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and XING under the WKW.automotive brand. Geographic footprint is North America (USA) with implied access to European and global OEM accounts via the WKW.extrusion worldwide network. Headcount is in the 101–250 range; financials, headcount trend, and product launch cadence are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Bowers Manufacturing Company

Legal name

Erbsloeh Aluminum Solutions, Inc.

Website

https://bowers-mfg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bowers Manufacturing Company (operating as Erbsloeh Aluminum Solutions, Inc.) is a Portage, Michigan aluminum extrusion and surface-finishing manufacturer serving automotive, furniture, electronics, appliance, HVAC, and medical OEMs from a 315,000 sq-ft plant, as the North American subsidiary of WKW Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aluminum Extrusion Manufacturing

NAICS

Other Aluminum Rolling, Drawing, and Extruding (331318)

SIC

Sheet Metal Work (3444)

akta.pro primary industry

Aluminum Extrusion (IMAKACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Aluminum Fabrication & Finishing (Machining, Anodizing, Coating) (IMAKACAI), Aluminum Value-Added Components (Automotive, Aerospace, Packaging, Building Systems) (IMAKACAM)

Keywords

• Aluminum extrusion
• Aluminum profiles
• Metal fabrication
• Anodizing services
• Custom aluminum manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Portage

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, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Erbsloeh Aluminum Solutions, Inc. (formerly Bowers Manufacturing Company) develops and produces extruded and surface-finished aluminum profiles for industrial customers. Operating from a 315,000 square-foot Michigan plant with three hydraulic extrusion lines, the company delivers custom cross-section aluminum profiles, downstream fabrication (punching, drilling, CNC machining, bending), and surface finishing including a fully automated anodizing line, powder coating, polishing, brushing, and bead blasting.

Product overview

Bowers Manufacturing Company (now Erbsloeh Aluminum Solutions, Inc.) operates as an aluminum extrusion and fabrication manufacturer with a vertically integrated approach. The core offering is extruded aluminum profiles produced via three hydraulic extrusion lines at the Michigan plant (315,000 sq ft production area). This is supported by downstream fabrication services (punching, drilling, CNC machining, bending) and finishing services (polishing, brushing, bead blasting, anodizing, powder coating). The company serves multiple industries including automotive, furniture, electronics, appliances, and medical sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Extruded Aluminum Profiles Custom cross-section aluminum profiles produced on three hydraulic extrusion lines for industrial applications serving automotive, furniture, electronics, appliance, and medical industries.
• Fabrication Services Downstream fabrication including punching, drilling, CNC machining, and bending operations that add value to semi-finished extruded aluminum products for industrial customers.
• Finishing and Anodizing Services Surface finishing services including polishing, brushing, bead blasting, Brite Dip, fully automated anodizing, and powder coating, applied with a wide variety of textures to aluminum profile products.
• Assembly and Delivery Services Final assembly and delivery services for semi-finished aluminum profile products, completing the in-house production chain.
• Engineering Solutions Engineering design and solution services supporting the development of custom aluminum profiles for industrial applications.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• WKW Group (Walter Klein GmbH & Co. KG)coreOthersErbsloeh Aluminum Solutions, Inc. is a subsidiary of WKW Group (Walter Klein GmbH & Co. KG), operating as part of the WKW.extrusion worldwide network. The parent company provides strategic direction and global brand presence for the aluminum solutions business unit.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Western Extrusions: Texas-based aluminum extrusion manufacturer with custom profiles, fabrication, anodizing, and powder coating capabilities. Direct peer in custom industrial aluminum profiles and integrated finishing, serving similar non-automotive and industrial customer bases.
• Extruded Aluminum Inc. Custom aluminum extrusion house offering design assistance, fabrication, anodizing, and finishing for industrial customers. Direct peer in custom cross-section aluminum profiles with integrated value-added services.
• Bonnell Aluminum: Custom aluminum extruder offering extrusion, anodizing, fabrication, and finishing to automotive, architectural, and industrial markets. Highly comparable value chain — extrusion plus value-added finishing — and similar mid-market positioning to Bowers/Erbsloeh.
• Alexandria Industries: North American aluminum extrusion and fabrication company serving industrial, automotive, consumer, and HVAC markets with vertically integrated capabilities. Comparable in mid-sized custom extrusion, finishing, and fabrication offerings across overlapping end markets.
• Pennex Aluminum Company: Mid-sized aluminum extrusion and fabrication company serving automotive, industrial, and consumer markets with multiple U.S. plants. Closely comparable in business model — custom extrusion, fabrication, and finishing — and customer overlap in industrial and non-automotive segments.
• Taber Extrusions: U.S. aluminum extruder producing custom and standard profiles with downstream fabrication capabilities for aerospace, defense, automotive, and industrial markets. Comparable in mid-volume custom extrusion and value-added processing, though more aerospace-skewed.

Broad incumbents

• Hydro Extrusion North America: One of the largest aluminum extrusion operators in North America, with dozens of presses serving construction, automotive, and industrial markets. Directly comparable to Bowers/Erbsloeh in custom extruded profiles and finishing services but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Kaiser Aluminum: U.S. producer of semi-fabricated aluminum products including extruded and drawn aluminum for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications. Comparable in aluminum value-added processing, with overlapping customer base in transportation and industrial OEMs.
• Sapa Extrusions (legacy brand, now Hydro): Legacy brand of one of the world's largest aluminum extrusion networks, now integrated into Hydro Extrusion. Comparable in aluminum profile production and finishing for industrial, transportation, and consumer applications across multiple regions.

Emerging players

• Minalex Corporation: Smaller U.S. precision aluminum extruder focused on tight-tolerance custom profiles for electronics, lighting, and industrial applications. Comparable in custom extrusion capability and select end markets (electronics, appliances), though smaller scale than Bowers/Erbsloeh.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WKWautomotive-1097457737031133
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bowers-manufacturing-company
• Instagraminstagram.com/wkw.automotive/?hl=de

Compliance7 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 Bowers Manufacturing Company