Companies in the Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing subsector transform purchased metals into intermediate or end-use products by forging, stamping, bending, forming, welding, machining, and assembly. Because of the special manufacturing processes involved for individual parts, most companies make a limited range of products.
Major segments of the fabricated metal products industry include architectural and structural products; forging and stamping; machining; cutlery, tools, and kitchenware; boilers, tanks, and containers; hardware; springs and wires; coating, plating, and polishing; and valve and pipe manufacturing. One of the few, shared traits among the Metal Fabricating companies is that they are intermediate producers of hundreds of thousands of materials and components used by a variety of manufacturers, many of which are highly cyclical. End customers reside in the auto, residential and commercial construction, mining, energy, aerospace, general industrial and other sectors.
