Metalbuilt understands the importance of leveraging generations of manufacturing wisdom to shape the future of mobility in our world. When walking through their Metro Detroit facility, one will see a synchronized dance of large metal stamping presses cycling up and down, sparks flying behind welding curtains, and high-tech lasers cutting through sheets of metal as if they were paper. Since the inception of this family-owned business in 2007, Metalbuilt has remained at the forefront of motor vehicle innovation as a supplier of prototype sheet metal body-structure stampings and assemblies to the automotive, defense and heavy-truck industries.
To understand Metalbuilt’s role in vehicle supply chains, one can look to the very beginning of the vehicle design process. Before the start of mass production of a vehicle model, leading OEM’s rely on companies like Metalbuilt to supply prototype components to be assembled into their very first physical variations of vehicle body structures. These first-off body structures serve many purposes for the OEM’s, including being used for product validation, crash testing, corrosion testing, weather testing, marketing/advertising and more. Throughout each phase of the prototype vehicle build process, there are often engineering changes to the body structures that Metalbuilt is responsible for implementing in a cost-efficient and timely manner – both of which are made possible through its vertically integrated manufacturing processes.
From CAD engineering, CNC milling, press stamping, laser cutting, robotic welding, fixture building and 3D scanning inspection capabilities, Metalbuilt’s variety of capabilities makes it the ideal partner for prototype manufacturing. Most recently, the company has seen an increase in demand for prototype vehicle components due to the boom of the EV industry. Various start-ups such as Lucid and Rivian, who are developing vehicles from the ground up, have made a strong investment into prototype body structures as they prove out their designs. However, this company understands that just as important as the products it creates are the people that make them.
Metalbuilt’s 40 employees call its facility a home-away-from-home, especially those that have been with the company since the beginning. Today, owner Sherry McCormick, along with her son and daughter, Matthew and Kaitlin, continue to operate the family business today. As the future of mobility continues to evolve, Metalbuilt aims to remain on the forefront of manufacturing innovation.
