FFJournal Magazine

What FFJournal Magazine does

FFJournal Magazine is a monthly B2B trade publication covering the metal fabrication and forming industry, published by Trend Publishing as part of the Trend Publishing Metals Group (TPMG), alongside sister publication Modern Metals. The publication targets metal fabricators, OEM/end users, equipment manufacturers, and metal service centers across North America, delivering coverage of stamping, bending/folding, press brakes, laser technology, plasma technology, waterjet cutting, welding, and related processes. Its core products include the print magazine (available by annual subscription through a DragonForms portal), digital editions hosted on the RoyLe platform, eNewsletters, FFJ TV video content on YouTube, and annual/quarterly directories including The Metal Fabricators Directory and the Metal Service Centers section.

The company operates a dual revenue model combining subscription fees with advertising and sponsorships from metalworking equipment vendors such as TRUMPF, Amada, and Bystronic. Distribution spans print, digital editions, email newsletters, a website (ffjournal.net), social media (Instagram, Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube), and on-site presence at industry events including FABTECH and NASCC. The associated MetalsAndMetalworkingSearch.com directory holds over 2,500 company listings across 1,000+ product categories, functioning as a discovery layer that reinforces the publication's role as a central information hub in the metals industry.

FFJournal is headquartered in the Chicago area, is privately held under Trend Publishing with no disclosed external investment, operates with 11-50 employees, and holds AAM (Alliance for Audited Media) circulation audit verification as of December 2025. The publication maintains active operations with monthly issues, the most recent being May 2026, and demonstrates incremental product evolution through video content (FFJ TV), AI-related editorial coverage (2025), and directory product extensions, but shows no evidence of rapid scale-up, external funding, or transformative strategic shifts.

Name

FFJournal Magazine

Legal name

FFJournal Magazine (Trend Publishing)

Website

https://ffjournal.net

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FFJournal Magazine is a monthly B2B trade publication serving the metal fabrication and forming industry, published by Trend Publishing. It delivers print, digital, eNewsletter, and video content to metal fabricators, OEM/end users, and equipment manufacturers across North America, monetizing via subscriptions and advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Media and B2B Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

Keywords

• Metal fabrication publishing
• Trade magazine publishing
• Metalworking industry news
• Fabrication technology coverage
• B2B trade media

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: FFJournal generates revenue through print and digital magazine subscriptions. The publication serves metal fabricators and OEM/end users who pay for access to industry coverage, processing technologies, special reports, and market trends.
2. Advertising and Sponsorships: Equipment manufacturers, service centers, and industry vendors advertise in the magazine and on the website. Advertisers include major metalworking equipment companies such as TRUMPF, Amada, Bystronic, and others in the metal fabrication space.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FFJournal Magazine is a monthly B2B trade publication covering the metal fabrication and metal forming industries, published by Trend Publishing as part of the Trend Publishing Metals Group. The publication distributes industry news, processing technology coverage, special reports, market trends, company profiles, and product information through a print magazine, digital editions, eNewsletters, FFJournal TV video content, and industry directories (The Metal Fabricators Directory and Metal Service Centers section). Revenue is generated from paid subscriptions by metal fabricators and OEM/end users, plus advertising and sponsorships from equipment manufacturers, service centers, and industry vendors.

Product overview

FFJournal Magazine is a monthly trade publication serving metal fabricators and OEM/end users in the metal forming and fabricating industries. The publication offers a print magazine, digital editions, eNewsletters, and video content through FFJournal TV. The portfolio includes The Metal Fabricators Directory, Metal Service Centers advertising sections, and an extensive Company Profiles section covering equipment manufacturers, technology suppliers, and service providers across categories including laser technology, press brakes, plate rolls, deburring/finishing, welding, waterjet cutting, and material handling. The publication provides coverage of industry news, processing technologies, special reports, market trends, and features custom fabricator showcases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FFJournal Connect: Industry connection and networking platform
• FFJournal TV

Products and services

• FFJournal Magazine (Print) Monthly print trade publication covering metal forming, metal fabricating, laser technology, plasma technology, waterjet cutting, welding, stamping, bending/folding, and press brakes. Delivered to subscribers by mail and targeted at metal fabrication professionals, OEM/end users, and industry suppliers.
• Digital Edition Online/digital access to FFJournal magazine issues through the RoyLe publication viewer platform, available by annual subscription to readers who prefer digital reading of the monthly issues.
• FFJournal eNewsletter Program Email-delivered newsletter program providing metal fabrication industry news, technology updates, and editorial content to subscribers on an annual subscription basis.
• FFJournal TV (Video Content) YouTube-based video content platform featuring industry interviews, event coverage (e.g., Metals Industry Scouts Dinner), and manufacturer profiles for metal fabrication professionals.
• The Metal Fabricators Directory Annual print and digital directory of U.S. metal fabricators organized by state, enabling fabricators to promote their processing capabilities and services to metal service centers, OEM/end users, and other fabricators.
• Metal Service Centers Directory Section Quarterly regional directory listing and advertising section for metal service centers across U.S. regions, published in both Modern Metals and FFJournal magazines to promote inventory, processing capabilities, and services to regional metal fabricators.

Named customers5 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

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Trend Publishing (Parent Company)coreOthersFFJournal is published by Trend Publishing, which operates the Trend Publishing Metals Group. This parent company relationship provides FFJournal with shared resources including editorial content, advertising sales infrastructure, and cross-promotion with other industry publications including Modern Metals, The Metals Directory, and MetalsAndMetalworkingSearch.com.
• Alliance for Audited Media (AAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFFJournal undergoes circulation audit by Alliance for Audited Media (AAM), providing third-party verification of magazine circulation figures and distribution. December 2025 AAM Circulation Audit Statement referenced for FFJournal.
• RoyLe (Digital Edition Platform)supportingTechnology or IntegrationDigital editions of FFJournal are hosted on RoyLe platform (pubs.royle.com), providing the digital viewing infrastructure for the magazine's online editions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cutting Tool Engineering: Cutting Tool Engineering covers metalworking technologies including machining, tooling, and related manufacturing processes. It shares FFJournal's advertiser base of metalworking OEMs (e.g., TRUMPF) and serves a comparable metalworking engineering audience with subscription and advertising revenue models.
• The Fabricator (FMA): The Fabricator is the flagship publication of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association (FMA) and is the most direct competitor to FFJournal in covering metal forming, fabricating, welding, and stamping. It serves the same metal fabrication audience with a similar mix of news, technology coverage, and OEM advertiser base.
• Metal Center News: Metal Center News is a long-running B2B trade publication focused on metal service centers, distribution, and processing. It targets an adjacent but overlapping audience with FFJournal, especially around metal service center directories and processing capability coverage.
• Modern Metals: Modern Metals is the sister publication to FFJournal within Trend Publishing Metals Group, covering metal production, service centers, and distribution. It is published by the same parent company and shares advertisers, directories, and editorial infrastructure, making it the closest business-model peer.
• Production Machining: Production Machining serves precision machined parts manufacturers and shares FFJournal's coverage of metalworking processes, automation, and equipment OEM advertising. It is a niche trade title in the same B2B media ecosystem.
• Modern Machine Shop: Modern Machine Shop is a B2B trade publication covering metalworking, machining, and manufacturing technologies. It targets a closely related manufacturing audience and competes for similar equipment manufacturer advertisers and event sponsorships.
• Industrial Distribution: Industrial Distribution covers the distribution channel for industrial products including metalworking equipment and supplies. It overlaps with FFJournal's service center and equipment distribution coverage and competes for advertising from similar industrial OEMs.
• Fabricating & Metalworking: Fabricating & Metalworking is a Canadian-based B2B trade publication covering metal fabrication, forming, and welding technologies. It directly competes with FFJournal for North American metal fabrication readers and equipment manufacturer advertisers, with a regional Canadian emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• IndustryWeek: IndustryWeek is a broad-based manufacturing trade publication covering metalworking, automation, and industrial operations at a larger scale. It overlaps with FFJournal's coverage of manufacturing technology but operates at a higher level of aggregation across multiple industrial verticals.

Others

• ThomasNet: ThomasNet is a leading B2B industrial sourcing platform and directory, serving metal fabrication equipment buyers. It competes with FFJournal's directory and supplier-discovery offerings rather than its editorial content, making it an ecosystem peer in metal fabrication information services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FFJournalUpdate
• Facebookfacebook.com/ffjournal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ffjournal-magazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/ffjournal

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 FFJournal Magazine