What Katayama Manufacturing does

Katayama Manufacturing LLC (KML), established in 2023 as the North American parent of the Katayama Group, oversees a multi-generational family-owned Tier 1 automotive supplier founded in Japan in 1947 by Kakuji Katayama. The group operates manufacturing and R&D facilities in Japan (Ibara City, Okayama — 100,000 sqm, 500 employees; plus additional factories in Suzuka, Saitama, and Kinoko), the United States (Shelbyville, Kentucky — 31,000 sqm, 350 employees; Auburn Hills, Michigan headquarters), and Mexico (Querétaro — 90 employees), with joint-venture technical centers extending the network across Korea, India, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The group employs 950+ people globally and serves 20+ automotive OEM partners including Honda, Ford, Mazda, Chrysler, Subaru, Nissan, Mitsubishi, GMC, Dodge, and Acura.

The company's product portfolio centers on automotive door and window frame assemblies (upper/lower sash, glass guide channels) and trim molding/extrusion products (sash moldings, weatherstrip inners, beltline moldings, roof moldings, windshield moldings, seat rail covers). Core manufacturing capabilities include precision metal roll forming for complex cross-sectional profiles, polymer extrusion and over-molding for multi-material components, robotic and manual welding for frame joining, and automated piercing/notching/end-forming operations. The Shelbyville facility alone produces 4 million door frames and 7 million trim moldings annually. Quality systems are certified to IATF 16949 and ISO 14001, with historical QS-9000 (1998) and TS-16949 (2004) certifications. R&D is anchored by the 2023-established Katayama Technical Center in Tokyo, which focuses on in-house tooling and molding design and engineer training.

Katayama generates revenue exclusively through direct B2B contracts with automotive OEMs as a Tier 1 supplier, with no retail, e-commerce, or channel partner distribution. Pricing is custom and contract-negotiated with no public disclosure. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales with engineering teams collaborating directly with OEM partners from concept through production under long-term supply agreements. Sales and engineering offices are co-located near key OEM clusters across Japan and North America to support just-in-time delivery. The company is privately held with no institutional or venture capital investment identified, controlled by the third-generation Katayama family with Masayuki Katayama as group President.

Name

Katayama Manufacturing

Legal name

Katayama Manufacturing LLC

Website

https://katayamamanufacturing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Katayama Manufacturing is a multi-generational, family-owned Tier 1 automotive supplier founded in 1947, manufacturing door/window frame assemblies and trim extrusion products for 20+ OEMs across facilities in Japan, the United States, and Mexico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Parts Manufacturing

akta.pro primary industry

Steel Plate, Sections & Welded Assemblies (IMADACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Steelwork & Fabrication Facilities (Plate/Section Processing, Welding Lines) (IMAJALAH)

Keywords

• Automotive parts manufacturing
• Roll forming services
• Polymer extrusion products
• Door frame assemblies
• Tier 1 supplier

Headquarters

HQ city

Auburn Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. OEM Automotive Parts Manufacturing: Tier 1 supplier manufacturing automotive door frame assemblies, trim moldings, and extrusion products for major automotive OEMs under long-term supply contracts. Revenue is generated through direct OEM contracts with automotive manufacturers for production of vehicle components at scale.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Katayama Manufacturing is a Tier 1 automotive supplier that designs and manufactures precision door and window frame assemblies (upper and lower sashes, glass guide channels) and trim molding/extrusion products (sash moldings, weatherstrip inners, beltline moldings, roof moldings, windshield moldings, seat rail covers). Production is performed at company-owned facilities in Japan, the United States, and Mexico using roll forming, polymer extrusion, over-molding, robotic welding, and integrated assembly processes, and is sold directly to major automotive OEMs under long-term supply contracts.

Product overview

Katayama Manufacturing is a Tier 1 automotive supplier offering a unified portfolio of manufacturing solutions centered on door frame assemblies and trim molding/extrusion products. The product portfolio comprises Door & Window Frame Assemblies (upper/lower sash, glass guide channels) and Trim Molding and Extrusion Products (sash moldings, weatherstrip inners, beltline moldings, roof moldings, windshield moldings, seat rail covers). These are supported by engineering and manufacturing capabilities including Polymer Extrusion and Over Molding, Metal Roll Forming, Roll Forming Production, and Extrusion Manufacturing. The company leverages advanced techniques such as roll forming, extrusion, complex bending, multi-material molding, robotic welding, and automated press operations to deliver lightweight, high-strength components to automotive OEMs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Door & Window Frame Assemblies Complete door and window frame systems for automotive OEMs, including upper sash assemblies, lower sash assemblies, and glass guide channels, built with precision roll forming and robotic welding to OEM specifications.
• Trim Molding and Extrusion Products Automotive trim products for OEMs including sash moldings, weatherstrip inners, beltline moldings, roof moldings, windshield moldings, and seat rail covers, manufactured using extrusion, dual-shot molding, and 3D bending techniques.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4M door frames produced annually at North American facility
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Jinyoung IndustrialminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical cooperation partner in Asia. Joint venture relationship extending Katayama's capabilities and services across the continent.
• Woo Young Industries Co., Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical cooperation partner. Joint venture extending capabilities and services across Asia supporting long-term growth and shared technology.
• Minth GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical cooperation partner. Joint venture extending capabilities and supporting long-term growth and shared technology across Asia.
• Ingress Katayama Technical Centre Sdn. Bhd.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture technical center in Malaysia. Part of Ingress Katayama group of companies. Provides technical cooperation and R&D support for Asian operations.
• P.T. Ingress Malindo VenturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture in Indonesia. Part of Ingress Katayama network. Technical cooperation extending capabilities across Southeast Asia.
• Ingress Autoventures (India) Pvt. LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture in India. Part of Ingress Katayama group. Technical cooperation extending capabilities and services supporting long-term growth in the Indian market.
• Ingress Autoventures Co., Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture in Thailand. Part of Ingress Katayama group. Technical cooperation extending capabilities and supporting shared technology development.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nishikawa Rubber: Nishikawa Rubber is a Japanese Tier 1 supplier of sealing systems, weatherstripping, and interior trim components for global automotive OEMs. Closely comparable to Katayama's trim molding and weather-sealing product lines, with similar Japanese heritage, OEM-focused B2B model, and North American manufacturing footprint.
• Cooper Standard Automotive: Cooper Standard is a US-headquartered Tier 1 supplier specializing in sealing systems, fluid handling, and trim products for major OEMs globally. Directly comparable product overlap with Katayama in weather sealing, glass run channels, and trim moldings, plus similar OEM-direct B2B contract model.
• Martinrea International: Martinrea is a Canadian Tier 1 supplier of lightweight metal forming, roll forming, and assemblies for automotive OEMs globally. Closely comparable to Katayama's metal roll forming capabilities for structural components, with similar North American manufacturing footprint and OEM-direct contract model.
• Toyoda Gosei: Toyoda Gosei is a Japanese Tier 1 manufacturer of rubber, plastic, and polymer-based automotive components including weatherstripping, sealing systems, and interior/exterior trim. Highly comparable to Katayama's polymer extrusion and overmolding capabilities and serves many of the same Japanese OEMs.
• Minth Group: Minth Group is a Hong Kong-listed Tier 1 supplier specializing in automotive exterior trims, body panels, and structural components, with operations across China, Mexico, Europe, and the US. Directly comparable to Katayama as both serve global OEMs with roll-formed and extruded trim/frame products; Minth is already listed as a Katayama JV partner in Asia.
• Inoac Corporation: Inoac is a Japanese manufacturer of polymer, rubber, and polyurethane-based automotive and industrial components including sealing and trim products. Comparable to Katayama's polymer extrusion and overmolding capabilities, with similar Japanese heritage and OEM-customer base.
• Gestamp Automocion: Gestamp is a Spanish-headquartered global Tier 1 supplier specializing in metal stamping, roll forming, and chassis/body structural assemblies for automotive OEMs. Comparable to Katayama in metal roll forming, welded assemblies, and global multi-region manufacturing presence serving major OEMs.
• HI-LEX Corporation: HI-LEX is a Japanese Tier 1 supplier of door systems, window regulators, and sealing products for global automotive OEMs. Comparable to Katayama in door and window frame assemblies, with overlapping capabilities in precision mechanical systems for closures.

Broad incumbents

• Magna International: Magna is one of the world's largest Tier 1 automotive suppliers with a vast portfolio including body and chassis, exteriors, sealing systems, and trim. Comparable as a broader incumbent operating in many of the same product categories as Katayama (sealing, trim, structural components) but at much greater scale and scope.
• CIE Automotive: CIE Automotive is a Spanish-headquartered global Tier 1 supplier with a broad portfolio across automotive components, including metal-forming and polymer-based parts via subsidiaries like Grupo Motherson and Newcor. Comparable as a multi-region Tier 1 serving global OEMs with roll-formed and extruded products.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCH6PCIZ73hE14Zu8UgDhfgA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/katayama-manufacturing-llc

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 records

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 Katayama Manufacturing