Foam Molders & Specialties

What Foam Molders & Specialties does

Foam Molders & Specialties (FMS) is a privately held custom foam fabrication and thermoforming manufacturer founded in 1971 and based in Cerritos, California. Operating from a 55,000 sq ft facility located roughly 20 miles south of Los Angeles, the company converts commercially purchased raw materials into custom foam and thermoplastic components for aerospace, medical, automotive, and electronics OEMs. Its capabilities span foam fabrication (steel-rule and matched-metal die cutting, 5-axis CNC routing, hot wire cutting, compression slitting, laminating), vacuum forming (atmospheric-pressure sheet forming up to 96" x 48" x 36"), pressure forming (up to 100 PSI, tolerances to ±0.010"), custom production painting with EMI/RFI shielding and X-Rite five-angle color verification, and — through its wholly owned subsidiary Foam Molders Inc. (FMI) — specialty molding including reaction injection molding (RIM), casting, and foam-in-place. Available materials span PE (1.7–6.0 lb/ft3), XLPE, PU, anti-static/conductive foams, neoprene, EPDM, melamine, and thermoplastic sheet stock (ABS, HIPS, PC, PETG, Kydex, TPO).

The business is a sales-led, quote-based B2B contract manufacturer. Customers submit quotes via the website or contact sales by phone, and FMS collaborates with customer design and engineering teams on material selection, cavity design, and tooling design. Revenue is generated primarily on a per-piece basis with tooling sold as upfront one-time investment: die-cut tooling ranges $300–$3,000 and pressure forming tooling $8,000–$40,000, with per-piece pricing driven by foam grade, cavity complexity, and annual volume (a medium-complexity die-cut PE insert at 5,000 units/year benchmarks at $2–$8 per piece). Custom painting is priced as a professional service. Programs range from 50-piece prototype lots (via CNC routing, no minimum order) to production runs exceeding 100,000 units annually.

FMS positions itself as a one-stop shop whose in-house tooling design and manufacturing compresses program timelines by 2–4 weeks versus multi-vendor sourcing. The company holds ISO 9001:2015, AS9100 Rev D, and ISO/TS 16949 certifications, positioning it for regulated aerospace, defense, medical, and automotive work. It serves five vertical segments — Medical and Life Sciences, Aerospace and Defense, Automotive and Transportation, Electronics and Instrumentation, and Industrial/OEM — primarily across the United States through direct sales, with some international shipments for long-running programs. No revenue, funding, or ownership details beyond independent private status are disclosed.

Name

Foam Molders & Specialties

Legal name

Foam Molders & Specialties

Website

https://foammolders.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Foam Molders & Specialties is a California-based custom foam fabrication and thermoforming contract manufacturer serving aerospace, medical, automotive, and electronics OEMs with die-cut, CNC-routed, vacuum/pressure-formed, painted, and RIM-molded foam and plastic components.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom Foam Fabrication and Thermoforming

NAICS

Urethane and Other Foam Product (except Polystyrene) Manufacturing (326150), All Other Plastics Product Manufacturing (326199)

SIC

Plastics Foam Products (3086), Plastics Products, Nec (3089)

akta.pro primary industry

Foam Conversion & Fabrication (Cutting, Laminating, CNC, Packaging Inserts) (IMANAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Foam Protective Packaging (EPS/EPE/EPP, PU, Molded Foam) (IMALAFAA)

Keywords

• Custom foam fabrication
• Thermoforming services
• Pressure forming
• Reaction injection molding
• Custom foam packaging

Headquarters

HQ city

Cerritos

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Foam Fabrication: Die-cut, CNC-routed, and hot-wire-cut foam parts manufacturing including packing materials, instrument trays, gaskets, and acoustic insulation. Priced per-piece with tooling amortization.
2. Vacuum and Pressure Forming: Thermoforming of thermoplastic sheets into plastic parts for equipment housings, interior panels, medical device enclosures. Revenue generated per-part with tooling as upfront investment.
3. Pressure Forming Tooling: Custom aluminum mold manufacturing for pressure forming, sold as one-time tooling setup ranging from $8,000 to $40,000.
4. Custom Painting Services: Production painting, EMI/RFI shielding, and protective coatings on plastic, foam, and metal substrates. Priced per-part with material and complexity factors.
5. Reaction Injection Molding (RIM): Custom RIM parts manufacturing for automotive, aerospace, and industrial applications using urethane elastomers and foams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Foam Molders & Specialties manufactures custom foam and thermoformed plastic components for aerospace, medical, automotive, and electronics OEMs through five integrated in-house service lines: foam fabrication (die cutting, CNC routing, hot wire cutting), vacuum forming, pressure forming, custom painting with EMI/RFI shielding, and specialty molding/RIM via subsidiary Foam Molders Inc. The company produces cavity inserts, gaskets, acoustic insulation, equipment housings, instrument trays, and FAA/MIL-STD-compliant packaging in its 55,000 sq ft Cerritos, CA facility.

Product overview

Foam Molders & Specialties is a custom foam fabrication and thermoforming manufacturer offering five integrated service lines: Foam Fabrication (die cutting, CNC routing, hot wire cutting, compression slitting, and laminating), Vacuum Forming (atmospheric-pressure sheet forming up to 96"x48"x36"), Pressure Forming (high-pressure thermoforming with ±0.010" tolerances), Custom Painting (production paint with EMI/RFI shielding), and Specialty Molding via Foam Molders Inc. (Reaction Injection Molding and casting). The company also stocks and converts a full range of foam materials (polyethylene, cross-linked PE, polyurethane, anti-static, conductive ESD, neoprene, EPDM, melamine) and thermoplastic sheet stock (ABS, HIPS, PETG, polycarbonate, Kydex, TPO). Programs range from 50-piece prototype lots to 100,000+ unit annual production runs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foam Fabrication Custom foam conversion services including die cutting, CNC routing, hot wire cutting, compression slitting, and laminating, producing cavity inserts, gaskets, acoustic insulation, and convoluted foam for aerospace, medical, automotive, and electronics manufacturers.
• Vacuum Forming Thermoplastic sheet forming using atmospheric pressure (~15 PSI) to create large plastic parts up to 96" x 48" x 36", including equipment housings, interior panels, machine guards, and packaging trays. Supports custom trim, paint, bond, and in-house assembly.
• Pressure Forming

Quantifiable outcome

• Medical instrument tray replacement: 30% lower annual cost vs single-use foam at 3,000 units/year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Plastico Industries: Custom thermoformer providing vacuum forming and pressure forming services to OEMs in medical, transportation, and electronics — a direct competitor for aesthetic and engineered plastic enclosures.
• Pelican Products: Manufacturer of protective cases with custom foam inserts for aerospace, military, and electronics applications — overlaps with the company's CNC-routed foam cavity and tooling case product line.
• Productive Plastics: Custom heavy-gauge thermoformer specializing in pressure forming for medical device enclosures and industrial equipment housings — directly overlapping the company's pressure forming business in the medical vertical.
• InsulFab Plastics: Custom thermoformer and plastics fabricator specializing in pressure forming for medical, aerospace, and electronics enclosures — directly comparable product mix with overlap on AS9100-style certifications.
• TFC (The Foam Company): Custom foam fabricator offering die cutting, water jet cutting, laminating, and CNC routing for packaging, automotive, and aerospace — direct process overlap with the subject's fabrication capabilities.
• Engineered Plastics Inc. Custom plastics manufacturer providing CNC routing, thermoforming, and fabrication for industrial OEMs — overlapping in custom foam fabrication and tight-tolerance plastic component capabilities.
• Foam Fabricators Inc. Multi-site custom foam fabricator and converter offering die cutting, CNC routing, laminating, and molded foam components across protective packaging, automotive, and medical — the closest direct peer in process scope and customer mix.

Broad incumbents

• Pregis LLC: Larger protective and foam packaging manufacturer with nationwide converting footprint; competes across foam-in-place, molded EPS, and custom die-cut protective packaging at greater scale than the subject company.
• Sonoco Products Company: Diversified global packaging manufacturer with foam-in-place, custom protective packaging, and industrial converting operations; broader scope but competes in protective foam for industrial and electronics OEMs.
• Sealed Air Corporation: Public packaging conglomerate offering Ethafoam polyethylene foam and custom protective packaging solutions; broader portfolio than the subject but directly competes in industrial protective foam and ESD packaging.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FMSAutomotive

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Foam Molders & Specialties