MILLER & SON

What MILLER & SON does

Miller & Son is a fourth-generation, privately held metal plating and finishing job shop founded in 1913 by Frank Miller and continuously operating at the same location in Belleville, New Jersey. The company provides a comprehensive range of electroplating and metal finishing services for industrial manufacturers in the greater metropolitan New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania area. Its core offering spans automated nickel and chrome plating (sub-miniature to 14 feet, up to 2,000 pounds), automated rack zinc and phosphating, electroless nickel, anodizing (hard coat, sulfuric, chromic, color, Alodine, Iridite), black oxide, and barrel plating for cadmium, zinc, nickel, copper, and tin. Secondary services include polishing, tumbling, masking, baking, and X-ray-based non-destructive inspection and certification of plating thickness to military and industry specifications (Mil-Std, QQ, ASTM), with RoHS/ELV-compliant finishes available for environmental regulation customers.

The underlying technology is capital-intensive physical and chemical processing rather than software or AI: automated plating lines, rack and barrel systems, chemical conversion coatings, and X-ray fluorescence inspection equipment. The business model is transaction-based service revenue, with customers requesting quotes by phone, fax, or email and the company offering pick-up and delivery. The firm holds no patents, trademarks, partnerships, or external investors, and revenue is not disclosed. Marketing is conducted almost exclusively through the company website and word-of-mouth within the regional industrial community, with no social media presence, digital self-service, or distributor channels observed.

The customer base is horizontal, serving industrial manufacturers across multiple end-markets requiring specification-compliant metal finishing. Ownership has remained within the Miller family across four generations, with Ed and George Miller as the current owners since 1995. The firm is appropriately characterized as a small, enduring, regional specialty job shop rather than a growth-stage or technology company.

Name

MILLER & SON

Legal name

Miller & Son

Website

https://millerplatingnj.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Miller & Son is a fourth-generation, family-owned metal plating and finishing job shop in Belleville, New Jersey, serving industrial manufacturers in the greater metropolitan New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania area with automated electroplating, anodizing, and RoHS-compliant finishing services since 1913.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Belleville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Metal Plating and Finishing Services: One-time service-based revenue from a wide range of electroplating, anodizing, and metal finishing processes. Customers are billed per job or per part based on specifications, plating type, and processing requirements. Services include nickel, chrome, zinc, cadmium, copper, tin, electroless nickel, anodizing, black oxide, and phosphating.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Miller & Son is a contract metal plating and finishing job shop that processes customer-owned parts through electroplating, anodizing, electroless nickel, black oxide, phosphating, and barrel plating. The company serves industrial manufacturers in the greater New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania region, handling parts from sub-miniature to 14 feet and up to 2000 pounds, and provides X-ray thickness inspection and certification to military and industry specifications.

Product overview

Miller & Son is a fourth-generation family-owned metal plating company providing comprehensive electroplating and metal finishing services since 1913. The company operates as a single unified service offering centered around electroplating capabilities including Automated Nickel & Chrome Plating, Automated Rack Zinc and Phosphating, Electroless Nickel Plating, Anodizing, Black Oxide Finishing, and Barrel Plating. These core plating services are supported by secondary finishing operations (Polishing, Tumbling, Masking, Baking) and quality inspection/certification services. The company processes parts from sub-miniature to 14 feet in size with capacities up to 2000 pounds, serving the greater metropolitan New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Automated Nickel & Chrome Plating Automated nickel and chrome plating service for industrial manufacturers; handles parts from sub-miniature components up to 14 feet in length with capacity up to 2,000 pounds.
• Automated Rack Zinc and Phosphating Automated rack zinc plating and phosphating in clear, yellow, black, and alloy finishes; serves parts up to 90 inches and 1,000 pounds capacity.
• Electroless Nickel Plating RoHS-compliant electroless nickel plating on steel, stainless steel, aluminum, alloys, brass, and copper substrates.
• Anodizing Anodizing services including hard coat, sulfuric, chromic, and color anodizing, plus Alodine and Iridite conversion coatings for aluminum parts.
• Black Oxide Finishing Black oxide finishing applied to steel, stainless steel, brass, and copper components.
• Barrel Plating Barrel plating of cadmium, zinc, nickel, copper, and tin, supporting small lots through high-volume production runs.
• Secondary Metal Finishing Polishing, tumbling, masking, and baking services performed as part of the plating workflow.
• Plating Thickness Inspection and Certification X-ray non-destructive testing of plating thickness to certify parts against government and industry specifications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Plating thickness inspection and certification to government and industry specifications
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Techmetals: Ohio-based metal finishing company offering anodizing, plating, and passivation services to aerospace and industrial customers. Comparable multi-process specialty plater with overlapping certifications and service mix.
• Anoplate Corporation: Specialty metal plater headquartered in Syracuse, NY offering anodizing, electroless nickel, and Mil-spec plating services to industrial and aerospace customers. Highly comparable specialty finishing business with similar certification-driven positioning and US regional service model.
• Pioneer Metal Finishing: One of the largest US metal finishing companies offering anodizing, plating, and painting services across multiple facilities. Directly comparable plating service portfolio with broader geographic reach and larger scale than Miller & Son.
• Valence Surface Technologies: Largest US aerospace-focused surface treatment company with multiple facilities offering anodizing, plating, painting, and non-destructive testing. Comparable specialty finishing services with strong Mil-spec/aerospace positioning, but at significantly larger scale.
• Arlington Plating Company: Family-run specialty plating and anodizing shop in Palatine, IL serving aerospace, medical, and industrial markets. Comparable mid-sized finishing house with overlapping services including electroless nickel, hard coat anodizing, and Mil-spec work.
• SIFCO Industries: Publicly traded provider of metal finishing services (SIFCO Selective Plating and other processes) serving aerospace, defense, and industrial customers. Directly comparable specialty plating service provider with overlapping Mil-spec capability and customer base.
• Bales Metal Surface Solutions: Downers Grove, IL-based metal finishing provider offering anodizing, electroless nickel, zinc, and other plating services. Comparable multi-process industrial finishing shop with similar service portfolio and customer base.
• Hohman Plating & Metal Solutions: Midwest-based metal finishing shop offering anodizing, black oxide, electroless nickel, and industrial plating services. Comparable multi-process specialty plater serving industrial and aerospace customers with similar capability profile.

Others

• Element Solutions (Atotech): Global specialty chemicals company whose Atotech division supplies plating chemistry, equipment, and process know-how to metal finishing operations including shops like Miller & Son. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct service competitor, but a relevant supplier/industry reference point.
• Uyemura International: Supplier of plating chemistry (gold, nickel, copper, tin, zinc) and surface finishing technology to industrial platers. Adjacent ecosystem participant as a chemistry supplier to finishing shops like Miller & Son.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/miller-&-son

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 MILLER & SON