Name

Reliable Plating

Legal name

Reliable Plating Corporation

Website

https://reliableplating.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metal Finishing Services

NAICS

Electroplating, Plating, Polishing, Anodizing, and Coloring (332813)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Electroplating & Metal Finishing (Anodizing/Galvanizing/Passivation) (IMAIAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Electroplating & Metallization Chemicals (Cu/Ni/Au plating, additives) (IMAEAKAK)

Keywords

• Metal finishing services
• Electroplating services
• Electroless nickel plating
• Chemical conversion coating
• Stainless steel passivation

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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 Plating Services: The company provides metal finishing services including electroplating, electroless plating, chemical conversion, and passivation. Revenue is generated through per-job plating services with minimum lot charges based on the specific finish type requested. The company serves diverse industries including aerospace, automotive, military, and commercial manufacturing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Reliable Plating is a custom metal finishing company providing electroplating, electroless plating, chemical conversion, and passivation services across 15+ finish types (Albaloy, Cadmium, Chrome including Black Chrome and Microporous Chrome, Copper, Gold, Nickel variants, Silver, Tin, Tin/Zinc Alloy, Electroless Nickel Mid/High Phosphorous, PTFE Electroless Nickel, Chromate Coating, and Stainless Steel Passivation). Services are delivered from a 60,000 square foot Chicago facility to industrial customers in aerospace, automotive, military, electronics, marine, communications, and commercial manufacturing sectors, with most finishes RoHS compliant and operations certified to ISO 9001:2015.

Product overview

Reliable Plating is a family-owned metal finishing company founded in 1954, operating 60,000 square feet in Chicago, IL. The company provides comprehensive metal plating services organized into four main categories: Electroplating (including Chrome, Nickel, Tin, Silver, Gold, Copper, Cadmium, and Albaloy finishes), Electroless Plating (Mid/High Phosphorous Nickel and PTFE Nickel), Chemical Conversion (Chromate Coating), and Passivation (Stainless Steel). The company also offers supplementary services including Abrasive Blasting, Baking, Masking/Plugging, Polishing/Buffing, and Stripping. Services serve Aerospace, Automotive, Communications, Electronic, Marine, Military, and Commercial Manufacturing sectors. Most finishes are RoHS compliant and the company maintains ISO 9001:2015 certification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Albaloy (Bright Alloy) Plating A Copper/Tin/Zinc Alloy (approximately 60/25/15 ratio) electroplated finish providing high tarnish resistance, hardness, abrasion resistance, good solderability, and electrical conductivity for industrial and electronic applications.
• Cadmium Plating Metal plating service offering a unique combination of corrosion resistance, solderability, ductility, anti-galling, anti-static, and anti-fungal characteristics, used extensively in Military and Aerospace applications.
• Black Chrome Plating Decorative and durable black finish that offers conductivity, corrosion resistance, and ultra-violet light resistance, with appearance ranging from dull to bright depending on surface preparation.
• Chrome (Chromium) Plating Decorative chrome plating in satin and bright finishes providing a durable, non-tarnishing, conductive, hard finish for decorative or functional applications.
• Microporous Chrome Plating Superior corrosion protection using a triplex nickel system with millions of tiny inert particles creating micro-pores that disperse corrosion mechanisms across the surface.
• Copper Plating Heat treat and stop-off applications, plus bright acid copper plating for decorative and functional applications; used as undercoat for nickel, to level and brighten polished die castings, and to prevent base metal migration.
• Gold Plating 24K gold plating processes producing a hard, abrasion- and wear-resistant, mirror-bright finish for both decorative and electronic applications.
• Bright (Watt's) Nickel Plating Bright nickel plating used as a decorative, corrosion-resistant layer under decorative chrome or black chrome, providing duplex extended corrosion resistance.
• Chloride (Wood's) Nickel Plating Pure nickel plate used as a thin strike plate to provide good adhesion to stainless steel or to apply additional plating to a nickel base.
• Satin (Semi-bright) Nickel Plating Satin nickel plating finish providing a decorative silver appearance with corrosion resistance for functional and decorative applications.
• Sulfamate Nickel Plating Nickel plating where improved ductility and solderability are required, with low-stress deposit characteristics.
• Silver Plating Silver plating ranging from matte to semi-bright, providing superior conductivity for high-grade electrical applications, lubricity on bearing surfaces, and superior solderability.
• Bright Tin Plating Bright tin plating for electronic applications offering solderability, conductivity, attractive appearance, and increased corrosion and tarnish resistance.
• Dull (Matte) Tin Plating Dull/matte tin plating used in electronic applications for solderability and conductivity, also used for food-related items; alloyed with bismuth to minimize Tin Pest and Tin Whiskers.
• Tin/Zinc Alloy Plating 70/30 Tin/Zinc ratio plating process providing an environmentally friendly RoHS-compliant alternative to Cadmium, with high corrosion resistance, excellent solderability, superior ductility, and excellent throwing and covering power.
• Mid/High Phosphorous Electroless Nickel Plating Nickel phosphorous alloy plated by chemical reduction without external electrical current, providing uniform thickness, hardness, corrosion resistance, and durability on grooves, slots, threads, and inside of tubing.
• PTFE Electroless Nickel Plating Nickel phosphorous alloy with encapsulated PTFE particles providing a precise, dry-lubricated, low-friction surface that is extremely hard and wear-resistant with self-lubrication properties.
• Chromate Coating Chemical conversion process applying a thin chemical film over base metals or plated finishes to enhance corrosion resistance and improve the bond of subsequent paint coatings.
• Stainless Steel Passivation Passivation service that improves corrosion resistance of stainless steel by removing iron and other foreign materials from the surface, leaving a passive film.
• Abrasive Blasting Surface preparation service performed on parts before plating.
• Baking Services Baking services for hydrogen embrittlement relief or other processing requirements, offered in under-6-hour and 6-24-hour durations.
• Masking/Plugging Selective masking or plugging services to protect specific areas of parts from plating.
• Polishing/Buffing Polishing and buffing services for surface finishing preparation and finishing quality.
• Stripping Stripping services to remove existing plating or coatings from parts.
• Certificate of Compliance Documentation service providing certification of compliance with specifications and standards ($25 per certificate, waived on orders over $500).

Quantifiable outcome

• Electroless nickel can withstand >1000 hours salt spray at 25.4 microns thickness
• +2 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Responsible Minerals InitiativeminorOthersCompany participates in the Responsible Minerals Initiative, demonstrating commitment to responsible sourcing of minerals used in plating processes. Compliance documentation available (RPC-RMI.pdf).
• Global Enabling Sustainability InitiativeminorOthersCompany is associated with the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GESI), indicating commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility in operations.
• National Association for Surface Finishers (NASF)minorOthersMember of NASF, the primary trade association for the surface finishing industry in the United States.
• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)minorOthersMember of NAM, the largest manufacturing association in the United States.
• Illinois Manufacturers Association (IMA)minorOthersMember of the Illinois Manufacturers Association, representing manufacturing interests in Illinois.
• Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago (ICNC)minorOthersMember of the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago, supporting local industrial community.
• National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)minorOthersMember of NFIB, representing small and independent businesses.
• ThomasNetminorOthersListed on ThomasNet, a industrial sourcing platform connecting buyers with suppliers.
• General MotorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGeneral Motors has approved Reliable Plating for Tin Zinc Plating Alloy process. Company is on approved vendor lists for multiple automotive OEMs.
• DaimlerChryslercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDaimlerChrysler has approved Reliable Plating for Tin Zinc Plating Alloy process.
• ToyotacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorToyota has approved Reliable Plating for Tin Zinc Plating Alloy process.
• MitsubishicoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMitsubishi has approved Reliable Plating for Tin Zinc Plating Alloy process.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Anoplate Corporation: Syracuse, NY-based metal finisher offering electroplating, electroless plating, anodizing, and passivation with aerospace and military certifications — same service mix, OEM customer focus, and specification-driven positioning as Reliable Plating.
• Advanced Plating Technologies: Midwest metal finisher offering zinc, zinc-nickel, electroless nickel, tin, and passivation to automotive, aerospace, and industrial customers — directly comparable scale, service mix, and Midwest customer base.
• KC Jones Plating Company: Michigan-based metal finisher serving automotive, aerospace, and industrial OEMs with electroplating and electroless plating — directly comparable spec-driven service provider to automotive Tier-1s, a key Reliable Plating customer segment.
• Master Finish Company: Midwest metal finishing house offering zinc, nickel, chrome, and electroless nickel plating — comparable regional-scale finisher competing for the same aerospace and industrial OEM work.
• Techmetals Inc. Ohio-based metal finisher specializing in electroless nickel, hard chrome, and electroless nickel-PTFE composites — directly competes on the proprietary PTFE electroless nickel and high-phosphorus electroless nickel offerings.
• Electro-Spec Inc. Indiana-based metal finisher providing electroplating, electroless plating, and passivation services to aerospace, medical, and industrial customers — directly comparable scale and end-market exposure.
• Precision Plating Company: Chicago-area metal finisher offering electroless nickel, electroplating, and passivation services with aerospace and medical-device certifications — geographic and service-overlap peer based in the same metropolitan market.
• HPL Coatings: Industrial coatings and metal finishing provider offering zinc, electroless nickel, and passivation — comparable mid-size competitor in the same specification-driven plating market.
• Sharretts Plating Company: Family-owned metal finishing company offering electroplating, electroless plating, and passivation services to aerospace, automotive, medical, and electronics customers — directly comparable mid-size Midwest-region finisher with similar specification-driven, quote-based sales motion.

Broad incumbents

• Pioneer Metal Finishing: One of the largest US metal finishers operating multiple facilities across the country, offering zinc, nickel, electroless nickel, anodizing, and passivation — provides the same core services but at a national scale, serving as the natural consolidated competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RPCChicago
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reliable-plating-corporation

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 Reliable Plating