Cadon Plating

What Cadon Plating does

Cadon Plating Company is a privately held, Wyandotte, Michigan-based metal finishing job shop founded in 1947, providing advanced corrosion-resistant coatings to the manufacturing and automotive industries. The company operates four core service lines — zinc electroplating (via 12-station and 10-station computer-controlled barrel plating lines processing 5,000–6,000 lbs/hour), mechanical plating (using a 20 cubic foot barrel suited to hardened parts and safety items), phosphating/pro-treatment (with a station barrel line processing up to 16,000 lbs/hour), and dip-spin coating (anchored by what the company describes as one of the largest 32-inch dip-spin applicators in North America, plus the first WMV line with tilt/tumble capabilities in the Detroit area). Supporting the process lines are eight computer-controlled embrittlement relief ovens, an independent hand chromate line, and quality certifications including ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 17025:2017.

Cadon monetizes these services through a quote-based, transaction-fee revenue model: customers submit RFQs via a departmental email ([email protected]), pricing is set per job based on part specifications, volume, and coating requirements, and finished parts are returned direct to the customer. The company holds licensing rights to apply proprietary branded coatings from NOF Metal Coatings Group (Geomet), Northern Coatings (Aquaphos, FM Aquaphos, Texacote 452), Doerken USA, and Magni International, enabling it to meet hundreds of OEM-grade finish specifications including those of Ford, General Motors, and DaimlerChrysler. The business runs around the clock 5–6 days per week with a 60+ employee headcount, distributes entirely through direct B2B relationships in the metro Detroit region, and has stated intent to expand its facility footprint and service mix.

Customer concentration is tilted toward large automotive OEMs in a narrow geographic radius around Detroit, with two primary target verticals (automotive and general manufacturing). The company carries no disclosed debt or equity funding, no acquisitions, no app or API surface, and minimal digital marketing footprint, indicating a relationship-driven, reputation-led go-to-market characteristic of an established industrial job shop.

Name

Cadon Plating

Legal name

Cadon Plating Company

Website

https://cadonplating.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cadon Plating is a privately held, Wyandotte, Michigan metal finishing job shop, founded in 1947, providing corrosion-resistant electroplating, mechanical plating, phosphating, and dip-spin coating services to automotive and manufacturing customers in the metro Detroit region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wyandotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Metal Finishing and Coating Services: Job shop metal finishing services processing parts to customer specifications. Revenue generated through per-job processing fees based on part volume, material type, and coating specifications. Services include zinc electroplating, mechanical plating, phosphating, and dip-spin coating.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Cadon Plating Company is an industrial job shop providing advanced corrosion-resistant metal finishing services to the manufacturing and automotive industries. The company's core offerings include zinc electroplating, mechanical plating, phosphating/pro-treatment, and dip-spin coating services, supported by embrittlement relief baking and the licensed application of branded coating lines (Geomet, Aquaphos, Doerken, Magni). It processes customer-supplied parts to hundreds of different specifications using automated, computer-controlled plating lines.

Product overview

Cadon Plating Company provides advanced corrosion-resistant metal finishing services to the manufacturing and automotive industries. The company operates a multi-service platform consisting of four core finishing services: Zinc Electroplating (with automated barrel lines and chromate finishing), Mechanical Plating (for zinc and tin on hardened parts), Phosphating/Pro-Treatment (phosphate conversion coatings), and Dip-Spin Coating (paints and organics applied via rotational coating). These services are supported by in-house embrittlement relief baking capabilities. Additionally, Cadon holds licensing rights to apply specific branded coating products from NOF Metal Coatings Group (Geomet), Northern Coatings (Aquaphos, FM Aquaphos, Texacote 452), Doerken USA, and Magni International, allowing them to meet diverse customer specifications across automotive and manufacturing sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Processing capacity of 5000-6000 pounds per hour on barrel plating lines
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Anoplate Corporation: Syracuse, NY-based metal finisher with zinc, cadmium, and a broad range of plating and conversion coating services; a comparable job shop with similar spec-processing model and similar auto/industrial customer mix.
• Advanced Plating Technologies: Nashville, TN-based metal finisher providing zinc, zinc-nickel, and tin plating for fastener and industrial customers; comparable service mix and job-shop model to Cadon, though geographically displaced.
• Klein Plating Works: Pennsylvania-based metal finishing job shop serving automotive, industrial, and aerospace customers with zinc, electroless nickel, and other plated finishes; a direct competitor in the Midwestern/Northeastern US auto supply chain for fastener finishing.
• Hohman Plating: Dayton, OH-based job shop metal finisher offering zinc, tin, and specialty coatings with multiple barrel plating lines; comparable Midwest job shop serving fastener and automotive customers with overlapping zinc electroplating and dip-spin capabilities.
• Barker Metal Finishing: Indiana-based metal finishing job shop offering zinc and zinc-alloy plating, mechanical plating, and dip-spin services; a near-direct Midwest competitor to Cadon for fastener and small-parts finishing for automotive OEMs.
• Astro Industries: Midwest metal finishing and chrome plating job shop serving automotive and heavy equipment customers; overlapping zinc plating and finishing services make it a relevant regional competitor.

Others

• Hubbard-Hall: Specialty chemical supplier to the metal finishing industry providing plating chemistries and process support; adjacent to Cadon's operations as a supplier rather than a direct competitor, but a relevant comparable for understanding the supply chain Cadon sits within.

Broad incumbents

• Pioneer Metal Finishing: Largest independent metal finisher in North America with multiple facilities serving automotive and industrial OEMs; directly comparable to Cadon in services offered (zinc, mechanical plating, dip-spin) but operates at much broader scale and footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 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 Cadon Plating