Morton Manufacturing

What Morton Manufacturing does

Metalex, LLC, doing business in part as Morton Manufacturing / Morton Rail Products, is a U.S. specialty metal manufacturer headquartered in Libertyville, Illinois, and operating as a subsidiary of UPG (United Precision Group). The company fabricates perforated metal products, expanded metal products, industrial safety grating, perforated tubes, architectural metals, and AAR-approved railroad walking surfaces (Morton running boards, end platforms, brake steps, intermodal platforms, and locomotive steps) for the railroad freight car industry, OEM equipment manufacturers, industrial workplaces, and architectural end markets. Brand heritage dates to 1903 for the Morton rail product line and to 1962 for the founding of the Metalex entity, with the operating subsidiary formalized under UPG in 2024 under the "powered by UPG" branding.

Core products are organized around three manufacturing processes — metal perforation, metal expansion, and safety grating forming — that share a common ISO 9001:2015-certified production base. The technical moat rests on the Open Grip® round-hole pattern with wiped ends for rail applications, plus the Deck Span® diamond pattern and Tread Grip® upset-button patterns for general industrial safety. The company produces across ferrous, non-ferrous, plastic, and composite materials and supports both standard sheet dimensions and custom part sizes, enabling short-run to high-volume production and managed stocking programs.

Metalex monetizes through quote-based direct sales to enterprise and OEM customers, with phone, email, and website "Request Quote" entry points and no publicly disclosed pricing. Distribution is single-country domestic via direct sales channels. The marketing mix combines a content-led website (blog, technical data sheets, resource library), organic social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn), and direct sales conversion. The company operates as a private, privately held subsidiary of UPG, with no public listing, no disclosed funding rounds, no M&A history, and no reported headcount data.

Name

Morton Manufacturing

Legal name

Metalex LLC

Website

https://mortonmfg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Metalex, LLC is a Libertyville, Illinois-based manufacturer of perforated metals, expanded metals, safety grating, perforated tubes, architectural metals, and AAR-approved railroad walking surfaces, serving industrial, railroad freight car, OEM, and architectural customers as a subsidiary of UPG.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Libertyville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Perforated Metal Products: One-time hardware sales of perforated metal products ranging from mild steel to alloys, plastics to composites. From short run to high volume production with custom part sizes and managed stocking programs.
2. Expanded Metal Products: Sale of expanded metal in ferrous and non-ferrous metals with various mesh sizes, sold in standard sheet dimensions or custom part sizes.
3. Safety Grating Products: Sale of industrial safety grating including Open Grip, Deck Span, and Tread Grip products for workplace and OEM equipment applications.
4. Morton Rail Products: AAR-approved railroad components including running boards, end platforms, brake steps, intermodal platforms, and locomotive steps.
5. Architectural Metals: Custom architectural metal products for specialized applications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Morton Manufacturing (legal entity Metalex LLC) manufactures and sells perforated metal, expanded metal, safety grating products, rail products, perforated tubes, and architectural metals for industrial and commercial applications. The company operates from Libertyville, IL and is part of UPG (United Performance Group).

Product overview

Metalex, powered by UPG, is a manufacturer of perforated products, expanded metal, safety grating, and rail products. The company operates as a single unified product portfolio rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core offerings include Perforated Products (sheets and parts from various metals), Expanded Metals (varied mesh sizes), Safety Grating (Open Grip, Deck Span, and Tread Grip product lines), and Morton Rail Products (AAR-approved railroad components including running boards, end platforms, brake steps, intermodal platforms, and locomotive steps). Additional offerings include Perforated Tubes and Architectural Metals. The company serves industrial, railroad, and architectural markets with capabilities ranging from short-run custom orders to high-volume production with managed stocking programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Open Grip: Round hole pattern safety grating and rail product feature that provides flexibility and adds strength, with ability to have wiped ends
• Deck Span
• Tread Grip
• Morton Rail Products
• Morton Products

Products and services

• Perforated metal Perforated metal sheets and components manufactured for industrial, construction, and architectural applications. Sold to commercial and industrial buyers.
• Expanded metal Expanded metal products manufactured for industrial uses including fencing, grating, and reinforcement. Sold to commercial and industrial buyers.
• Safety grating products Safety grating products including Open Grip, Deck Span, and Tread Grip, designed for slip-resistant flooring and walkway applications. Sold to industrial and commercial buyers.
• Rail products Rail products manufactured by Morton Rail Products, in operation since 1903. Sold to rail and industrial customers.
• Perforated tubes Perforated tubes manufactured for industrial, filtration, and structural applications. Sold to commercial and industrial buyers.
• Architectural metals Architectural metal products manufactured for building and construction applications. Sold to commercial and industrial buyers.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UPG (United Precision Group)coreOthersMetalex is 'powered by UPG' - the company is owned and operated by UPG (United Precision Group). Metalex website displays UPG branding and provides a link to upgllc.com. This is a parent-subsidiary relationship rather than a traditional partnership.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Hendrick Manufacturing: Manufacturer of perforated metal products and custom metal fabrication serving industrial, architectural, and OEM markets. Direct competitor to Metalex in perforated sheet and plate production.
• Marco Specialty Steel: Specialty steel service center offering perforated metal sheets, expanded metal, and grating products. Competes with Metalex on perforated and expanded metal distribution and custom fabrication.
• Amico: Manufacturer of safety gratings, architectural metals, and perforated products serving industrial, architectural, and infrastructure markets. Direct overlap with Metalex's safety grating and architectural metals portfolios.
• Direct Metals Company: Specialty manufacturer and distributor of perforated metal, expanded metal, and architectural metal products. Direct competitor to Metalex in custom perforated sheet fabrication.
• Ohio Gratings: Manufacturer of bar gratings, safety gratings, and expanded metal products for industrial, commercial, and OEM applications. Direct overlap with Metalex's safety grating and expanded metal lines.
• McNichols Company: Largest North American supplier of perforated metal, expanded metal, bar grating, and safety grating with a national distribution footprint. Most direct competitor to Metalex across the full product portfolio.

Regional players

• Webforge: Asia-Pacific manufacturer of industrial gratings, expanded metal, and safety flooring products. Comparable product lines to Metalex but primarily serving Australia, New Zealand, and Asian markets rather than North America.

Others

• Grainger: Major industrial MRO distributor that resells perforated metal, grating, and safety products from multiple manufacturers including category competitors to Metalex. Adjacent channel rather than manufacturer peer.

Broad incumbents

• Nucor: Largest North American steel producer with downstream fabrication including joists, deck, and grating products through Vulcraft/NAI. Broader incumbent with limited but real overlap in safety grating categories.
• Eaton (B-Line series): Diversified industrial manufacturer with B-Line cable management, support systems, and metal walkway products. Adjacent incumbent offering overlapping safety walking surface capabilities for industrial and rail markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MetalexLLC
• Facebookfacebook.com/Metalex-powered-by-UPG-120460132919079
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metalex?trk=biz-companies-cym

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Morton Manufacturing