Spotlight on the U.S. anodizing industry

Understanding the industrial anodizing sector can help provide insight into the metal finishing industry as a whole. Read on to learn more about its growth and other trends in this market.

The industrial anodizing sector includes anodization of several metal types. This is a key segment of the metal finishing industry. To provide perspective, metal finishing as a whole employs 93,022 people and has average annual current sales of nearly $37 billion. Industrial anodizing makes up 4,007 of these jobs and nearly $585 million of the average sales.

Applications for industrial anodizing can include:

• Machinery
• Hi-tech electronics
• Automotive equipment
• Semiconductor parts
• Aerospace
• Anodized finishes for architectural structures, jewelry, artwork, sporting goods, food preparation equipment, appliances and more

By its nature, anodizing is part of metal finishing, since it is yet another method of coating the surface of a metal. Unlike other finishes, however, anodizing preserves the metal's natural texture and luster, which is why it is popular for artwork and jewelry, in addition to industrial applications.

At the moment, industrial anodizing is growing, as shown by a 0.35 percent increase in jobs and a 2.18 percent increase in sales, both within the past year.

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Companies and jobs in the industry

The industrial anodizing sector has just 169 companies, which together account for those 4,007 jobs. Of those companies, the largest number are found in the Midwest, with 57, or 34 percent. The next-largest region is the South, with 31 companies, followed by the Middle Atlantic with 25, the Pacific with 20, and the West South Central with 16. The Mountain region has the fewest companies, just nine, while New England has 11.

Read more: Top anodizing companies in the U.S.  

Of these 169 companies, 165 are private and one is public, representing 98 percent and less than one percent, respectively. By comparison, U.S. manufacturing as a whole includes 91 percent private companies and five percent public ones. One hundred thirty-five of the industrial anodizing companies distribute domestically and 33 focus on international distribution.

It is also interesting to note that eight companies are owned by women and three are minority-owned.

Job change

While there are 4,007 jobs in the industrial anodizing sector, that is up from 3,993 a year ago. It is of note that 11 companies reported an increase in employment and eight reported a decline.

Average sales

The current average sales for industrial anodizing are almost $585 million. At this point a year ago, this figure was $572 million, representing a 2.18 percent increase. Five companies reported sales growth and one reported a sales decline.

Conclusion

Although industrial anodizing makes up only a tiny fraction of the entire manufacturing industry in terms of sales, it is still an important part of metal finishing. After all, an industry that has almost $585 million in sales and employs more than 4,000 people is a key part of the country's economy.