Oakwood
Industries was founded in 1943 by Francois Audi. The first products
manufactured were water pumps supplied to Ford Motor Company for their
production of tractors. In 1955 Oakwood moved into the current
headquarter facility and began producing small to medium sized metal
stampings for Ford automotive assembly. Oakwood Industries was renamed
Oakwood Metal Fabricating and established itself as a reliable long-term
supplier of a variety of metal brackets produced on four-slide and
multi-slide machinery. Steady growth through the 1980s allowed the
company to expand its capabilities into automatic punch press lines
producing a wide variety of stamped parts on progressive dies. The
ownership mantra was never focused on becoming the "biggest" supplier in
the industry but rather the "best" in our field. Our quality
performance and reliable delivery helped to build our impeccable
reputation with our customer base. This approach remains within the
fabric of our company's culture.
By 1985
the company was led by our current President and CEO, Richard Audi, who
represented the second generation of the founding family. It was at this
time that Oakwood Metal Fabricating decided to focus on the design and
manufacture of "niche" stamped products. Through this transformation
Oakwood began producing metal speaker grilles with perforated metal.
Within four years we became the market leader in metal grille supply,
developed patented designs and introduced expanded metal to the interior
trim market. Through vertical integration we began powder coating our
grilles at our state-of-the-art paint facility (Oakwood Custom Coatings)
in 1990. In order to diversify our product offerings we began injection
molding grilles and other interior trim products in 1993 with a new
division, Oakwood Plastics. In 1995, we further integrated our
manufacturing capabilities by expanding our own metal at Oakwood
Expanding Company. The divisions of the company comprised The Oakwood Group,
our current identity. By this time we were firmly entrenched as the
market leader in the supply of both metal and plastic speaker grilles.
Because of our capabilities we had begun to produce a variety of metal
and plastic interior trim components.
Because
of our experience in the development of niche products and our
willingness to take risks we ventured into the development of mechanical
energy absorbers in the late 1990s. This successful development yielded
our first commercialization of "SafetyPlasticTM" in 2000 at the newly
formed Oakwood Energy Management Division. This product is used to
absorb energy in the interior of automobiles and its unique design and
enhanced performance led to Oakwood being awarded the Premier Automotive
Suppliers' Contribution to Excellence and further enhanced our
reputation as an effective developer of contemporary products.
Our
focus on being the best in our field through the development of niche
products, vertical integration, and the willingness to take risks has
been a successful business model for over 50 years. With the third
generation of family leadership in place we intend to continue to follow
this model for many years to come. Our dedicated and capable employees
have fostered the growth of our company during this time and are
committed in providing dedicated workmanship in the design, technical
support, and manufacture of our products to support ongoing customer
needs. Our business policy is "Create and Promote Excellence" and we
strive to achieve it every day.