April 2, 2024 Michigan Family Run Manufacturer Celebrates Centennial

Barron Industries, family-owned, global full-service manufacturer of precision metal components, is celebrating its hundredth year.

Oxford, Mich., – Barron Industries, a global, full-service manufacturer of precision metal components, is celebrating its hundredth year as a family-owned Michigan based manufacturing company.

Founded as Motor and Machinery Castings in 1923 by Joseph H. Barron, the company has flourished through three industrial revolutions. What began as a Detroit iron sand foundry producing castings up to 60 tons, has evolved into a global manufacturer of precision investment castings and machined components for aerospace, defense, space, automotive, energy technology and other commercial industries.

“Like the first century, innovation will continue to be our focus in our next hundred years,” said 3rd generation President/CEO Bruce Barron. “It’s exciting because of all the technology that’s available to increase speed of production while reducing cost, and we’ll remain in the forefront of technology in our industry.”

Another constant throughout the company’s history is the family culture among employees, suppliers and customers. Employees who’ve worked at Barron for decades recruit their family members to join the company which offers fully paid training and health insurance premiums for individuals and families of any size. In recognition of its commitment to workforce development, Barron has received the 2023 Michigan Works! Impact Award and was named the Business of the Year by Oakland County Michigan Works!

“It’s a testament to the family culture of the company and the people that we have who are genuinely interested in not only seeing the company be successful but in satisfying the customer,” said Barron. “We also try to treat the customers like family, which means they’re very important, and when they have a need, we try to respond to it. If there’s a problem, we don’t sweep it under the rug – we address it, we work together and we resolve it.”

Barron Industries can be traced to casting components for Henry Ford out of Detroit in the ’20s. Born in the second industrial revolution with the assembly line, the manufacturer witnessed and employed the third industrial revolution with automation, and now is an active player in Industry 4.0. Barron integrated Additive Manufacturing into its investment casting process more than 30 years ago, and is continuously incorporating Industry 4.0 to augment traditional processes and attract new talent. Some examples are the addition of cobots and partnering with Oakland County and Automation Alley in the Project DIAMOnD network.

In the beginning, the company mostly serviced the automotive industry and developed a process to make large tool and die castings. Then, during World War II, it shifted process to produce aircraft tool and die castings to support the building of B-24 Bombers at Willow Run. Later, when heavy industry boomed across the US, the company became one of the few foundries in the country able to produce high-strength ductile iron castings up to 40 tons. The foundry was ahead of the curve again in 1961 when it met the demand of its automotive customers looking for faster and less expensive ways to produce tool and die castings. Motor and Machinery became the first licensee of the “Full Mold Process” to produce automotive tool and die castings from Styrofoam patterns. Barron says, “Innovation will continue to be the company’s focus for the future.”

Located in Oxford Michigan, Barron manufactures precision cast components for the GDLS Stryker and Abrams tank programs, the Oshkosh Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), as well as BAE’s Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV), Paladin Integrated Management (PIM) and Bradley programs. Barron also produces high-strength, lightweight aerospace components for companies like Boeing, Ball Aerospace, Curtiss Wright, General Dynamics, General Electric, Triumph Group and more.

Congresswoman Lisa McClain (R-Michigan) who is a member of the Armed Services committee also stressed the importance of what Barron’s 80 employees do to keep our military safe. She congratulated Barron on its success. “A hundred years of keeping their business alive, keeping it flourishing and growing… in this day and age, over a hundred years is really a remarkable task,” she said.

Barron received the county’s Impact Award for workforce development and has been named Oakland County Business of the Year.

About Barron Industries
Barron Industries is a global supplier of precision machined castings and assemblies. Barron manufactures ferrous and non-ferrous investment castings for aerospace, defense, space, automotive and other commercial industries. Using the most advanced casting and CNC machining technology, Barron’s turnkey manufacturing process includes everything from design for manufacturing to in-house Nadcap certified NDT and welding, as well as complete supply chain management.

To learn more about Barron Industries please visit https://www.barron-industries.com/.

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