What Pridgeon & Clay makes

Pridgeon & Clay is one of the largest independent, value-added manufacturers of automotive stamped and fine-blanked metal components in the United States. The company runs progressive press stamping, transfer press stamping, servo press stamping, deep drawn stamping, and fine blanking, backed by in-die sensoring and welding, hybrid MIG-laser welding, laser welding, robotic MIG welding, resistance welding, CNC machining, tapping, studding, and automated assembly. Its presses run from 40 to 1,500 tons, and the company says it operates more than 100 stamping presses worldwide.

Materials span high-strength, stainless, and cold- and hot-rolled steel, aluminum, copper, brass, bronze, and galvanized stock, along with specialty alloys such as titanium. The company serves automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers alongside Class 8 heavy truck, agriculture, marine, motorcycle, wind and solar energy, fuel cell and battery, and hardware and appliance customers. Exhaust components are a stated specialty. Its Advanced Engineering group has developed patented products including selective catalytic reduction (SCR) mixing modules, reverse-extrusion catalytic converter cones, and fuel cell and battery components for zero-emission vehicles.

Engineering and quality lab

More than 80 engineers work at Pridgeon & Clay, and the company positions itself as a development partner rather than a build-to-print stamper. Its design engineering department runs computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element analysis (FEA), and it takes products from ideation through prototype, validation, and serial production under one roof. The company describes APQP and PPAP as standard practice through its stamping, welding, and assembly work.

The Grand Rapids campus houses a 32,000-square-foot research and development and advanced engineering facility and an A2LA-accredited independent testing lab (A2LA Certificate No. 1516.01). Quality equipment includes multiple coordinate measuring machines, blue-light scanning, digital height gauges, profilometers, and weld-integrity microscopy. The company states it maintains some of the lowest defect rates in parts-per-million in its industry.

Ownership and history

John Pridgeon and Donald V. Clay founded the company in 1948 in a converted garage at 1005 Grandville Avenue in Grand Rapids, Michigan. John Pridgeon retired in 1976, leaving sole ownership to Don Clay. In 1992, Don sold the business to his sons, Donald C. Clay and Robert E. Clay. Donald C. Clay retired in 2008, and Robert E. Clay remains chief executive. The company remains private and family-owned, and it offers employees an Employee Stock Ownership Plan.

Today Pridgeon & Clay operates four manufacturing facilities and additional sales and engineering offices. The Grand Rapids headquarters combines a 350,000-square-foot manufacturing plant, a 103,000-square-foot distribution center, and the R&D center, running more than 70 presses. A manufacturing plant in Monterrey (Apodaca), Nuevo Leon, Mexico employs more than 80 people on presses up to 1,000 tons for exhaust, seating, and brake parts. A plant in Apostag, Hungary runs presses up to 800 tons with in-house tool build. Sales and engineering offices operate in Germany and China. In October 2024, the company filed a notice to permanently close its Franklin, Indiana plant, a 76,000-square-foot lighter-gauge stamping site that was its only US manufacturing location outside Grand Rapids, affecting 125 workers.

Certifications and quality systems

Each of Pridgeon & Clay's production facilities is IATF 16949 registered, the automotive quality-management standard, with certificates on record for Grand Rapids, Monterrey, and Apostag. The Grand Rapids site is also ISO 14001 registered for environmental management, with a certificate dated 2026 posted on the company's site. The Advanced Engineering Lab holds A2LA accreditation as an independent testing facility, and the company references AS9100D, the aerospace quality standard, in its materials. As is normal for a multi-site stamper, these are the company's own registrations, reported here as the company states them.

Known customers

Pridgeon & Clay serves OEM and Tier 1 manufacturers on a global basis, and most program relationships are not public. One recognition is documented:

The company's US import record supports the picture of a domestic stamper that builds parts in Michigan rather than reselling finished goods.

Sourcing evidence

US customs bill-of-lading records list 143 sea shipments for Pridgeon & Clay, with the most recent recorded in August 2024. The named foreign suppliers are tool and die makers, including Yushin Precision Industrial, Shenzhen Meinie Tool & Die, E Tooling HK, and Hongshun Tool And Die. That is the tooling-in, parts-out signature of a manufacturer that imports tooling to stamp components domestically. The slowdown in recorded import cadence in 2024 tracks with the wind-down of the Franklin, Indiana plant that year.

Coverage caveats: these are US ocean-freight records only. Air, truck, and rail movements do not appear, some records name freight intermediaries rather than manufacturers, and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence. Buyers weighing nearshoring will note the company's Mexico plant sits about 200 km from the US border.

Frequently asked questions

What does Pridgeon & Clay manufacture?

Pridgeon & Clay manufactures precision stamped and fine-blanked metal components: progressive, transfer, servo, and deep drawn stampings, fine blanking, plus laser and MIG welding, robotic welding, CNC machining, and automated assembly. Exhaust components are a specialty, and its Advanced Engineering group holds patents on SCR mixing modules and fuel cell and battery components.

Who owns Pridgeon & Clay?

Pridgeon & Clay is a private, family-owned company. It was founded in 1948 by John Pridgeon and Donald V. Clay, and it has been owned by the Clay family since 1992, when Don Clay sold it to his sons Donald C. Clay and Robert E. Clay. Robert E. Clay is the current chief executive, and the company offers employees an Employee Stock Ownership Plan.

Where is Pridgeon & Clay located?

Pridgeon & Clay is headquartered at 50 Cottage Grove SW, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49507. It operates manufacturing plants in Grand Rapids, in Monterrey (Apodaca), Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and in Apostag, Hungary, plus sales and engineering offices in Germany and China.

How many employees does Pridgeon & Clay have?

Pridgeon & Clay reports more than 1,000 employees worldwide, including more than 80 engineers. The company does not publish audited headcount figures.

Who are Pridgeon & Clay's customers?

Pridgeon & Clay serves automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers globally, along with Class 8 heavy truck, agriculture, and clean-energy customers. Most programs are not public. The company announced it received FORVIA's 2025 Exceptional Supplier Partnership Award.

What certifications does Pridgeon & Clay hold?

Pridgeon & Clay's manufacturing facilities are IATF 16949 registered, and its Grand Rapids site is ISO 14001 registered. Its Advanced Engineering Lab is A2LA accredited as an independent testing facility, and the company references the AS9100D aerospace standard in its materials.

Last verified September 28, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.