Elkem
Elkem Inc. is a privately held, family-owned precision wire electroplating company in Cliffwood, New Jersey, founded in 1969. It applies gold, silver, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, and tin/lead coatings to round, flat, and shaped wire for aerospace, medical, automotive, defense, electronics, and RF/cable customers via direct quote-based sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1969
- HeadquartersCliffwood, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Elkem does
Elkem Inc. is a privately held precision wire electroplating company founded in 1969 by Herbert E. Kent and headquartered at 443 County Road, Cliffwood, New Jersey. The company spans three generations of Kent family ownership and currently operates under President and CEO Thomas Kent. Elkem Inc. applies reel-to-reel electroplating processes to deposit precious, semi-precious, and industrial metals — gold, silver, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, and tin/lead alloys — onto round wire (60 AWG to 9 AWG), flat wire/foil, and shaped wire substrates. Precision tolerances of +/-.00005" to +/-.001" and aspect ratios up to 250:1 are achieved through proprietary chemistry, custom-built plating machinery, and ISO 9001:2015-certified quality controls with FischerScope X-Ray and Kocour coulometric measurement systems calibrated to ISO/IEC 17025.
The company sells exclusively through direct enterprise engagement: customers request quotes specifying wire size, tolerance, base metal, plating type, thickness, temper, and quantity. There is no published price list, distributor network, or e-commerce channel. End-markets span aerospace and defense (MIL-SPEC/ASTM/AMS-qualified coatings for flight electronics, evacuation systems, unmanned aircraft, and ground troop cabling), automotive (brake modules, fly-by-wire, electrification components), medical devices (endoscopy, pacemaker leads, surgical instruments), electronics (disk drives, robotics, audio), RF/microwave cable, and renewable energy (wind turbine shaft grounding brushes). Customers include OEMs and tier suppliers in both regulated and commercial segments, with Elkem Inc. handling small-quantity R&D runs through full volume production.
Elkem Inc. carries the same trade name as Norway-based Elkem ASA, a publicly listed materials group engaged in silicon metal, ferrosilicon, biocarbon, and — until April 2026 — silicones. Available source material does not document a formal parent-subsidiary relationship between the two entities, though Elkem ASA's 2026 strategic transformation (Silicones divestiture to Bluestar, NOK 600M cost program with ~300 job cuts, NOK 1.5B equity raise, EUR 1B debt refinancing, and the Saguenay biocarbon transaction with CHAR Technologies) is reflected in the aggregated data presented as Elkem activity.
Elkem firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Elkem
- Legal name
- Elkem Inc.
- Website
- https://elkem-inc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1969
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Elkem Inc. is a privately held, family-owned precision wire electroplating company in Cliffwood, New Jersey, founded in 1969. It applies gold, silver, platinum, copper, nickel, tin, and tin/lead coatings to round, flat, and shaped wire for aerospace, medical, automotive, defense, electronics, and RF/cable customers via direct quote-based sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Elkem is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cliffwood
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Elkem business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Silicones: Silicones division providing specialty silicone materials to various industries. This division was being divested to Bluestar as of Q1 2026.
- Specialty Metals and Materials: Silicon metal and ferrosilicon products for steel, aluminum, solar photovoltaics, and chemicals sectors. Elkem ASA transitioning to pure-play metals and materials company following Silicones divestment.
- Precision Wire Electroplating Services: Custom wire electroplating services for medical, electronic, aerospace and defense industries. Revenue generated from processing fees for plating services on customer-specified wire products.
- Biocarbon Products: Production and sale of biocarbon pellet products. Elkem ASA has a 62,500-tonne five-year offtake agreement with CHAR Technologies for supply of 12,500 tonnes per year of biocarbon.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Quote-Based Pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Elkem product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Elkem Inc. is a precision wire electroplating manufacturer that applies functional metallic coatings (gold, silver, copper, nickel, tin, and tin/lead) onto wire substrates in round, flat, and shaped forms. The company supplies electroplated wire and bare wire to demanding industrial sectors including aerospace, medical devices, defense, automotive, electronics, RF/cable, and renewable energy, working one-on-one with customers to develop custom plating specifications that meet tight tolerance and regulatory requirements.
Product overview
Elkem Inc. is a precision wire electroplating company providing a comprehensive range of metal plating services on wire substrates. The company offers six distinct plated wire products—Gold, Silver, Copper, Nickel, Tin, and Tin/Lead—alongside bare wire supply. These products form a unified portfolio where bare wire serves as the substrate input, and electroplating services add functional metallic coatings for corrosion resistance, electrical conductivity, solderability, and high-temperature performance. Services are delivered to demanding industries including aerospace, automotive, medical, defense, electronic, renewable energy, RF/cable, and spring/wire forming sectors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Gold Plated Wire
- Silver Plated Wire
- Copper Plated Wire
- Nickel Plated Wire
- Tin Plated Wire
- Tin/Lead Plated Wire
- Bare Wire
Quantifiable outcome
- Precision tolerances achievable: +/-.00005" to +/-.001" for round wire
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Elkem
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Elkem technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Elkem partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- CHAR Technologies Ltd.coreCHAR Technologies acquired Elkem ASA's biocarbon pellet production facility, intellectual property, and related assets in Saguenay, Québec. Transaction includes a five-year offtake agreement securing 62,500 tonnes of biocarbon supply to Elkem at 12,500 tonnes per year, with facility upgrades to reach 15,000 tonnes per year capacity.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Elkem competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Elkem compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Elkem financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Elkem leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Elkem funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Elkem 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 Elkem
What does Elkem do?
Elkem Inc. is a precision wire electroplating manufacturer that applies functional metallic coatings (gold, silver, copper, nickel, tin, and tin/lead) onto wire substrates in round, flat, and shaped forms. The company supplies electroplated wire and bare wire to demanding industrial sectors including aerospace, medical devices, defense, automotive, electronics, RF/cable, and renewable energy, working one-on-one with customers to develop custom plating specifications that meet tight tolerance and regulatory requirements.
Is Elkem a public or private company?
Elkem is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Elkem founded?
Elkem was founded in 1969. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Elkem based?
Elkem is headquartered in Cliffwood, United States, in the North America region.
How does Elkem make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Silicones are the primary driver. The others are specialty Metals and Materials, precision Wire Electroplating Services and biocarbon Products.
Does Elkem have an API?
No public API is recorded for Elkem.