BY TIM PENNINGTON EDITOR
California-based plater
transforms into a major
automotive manufacturer.
Bumper Crop
for Valley Chrome
Valley Chrome is one of the
largest manufacturers of
accessories for the trucking
industry, selling about 50,000
bumpers per year.
14
NOVEMBER 2016 — PFonline.com
THE VOICE OF FINISHING
80
YEARS
Ray Lucas looks over an empty lot behind his family's manufac-
turing operation, Valley Chrome, in Clovis, California, and points
to the barren two acres of land. "The new plating line will be built
right there," he says. "We will need it soon because we expect
business to really take off over the next several years."
Valley Chrome bought the lot adjacent to its existing plant in
Clovis last year, signaling a remarkable comeback for a shop that 20
years ago was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Once an exclusive plating operation that catered to automo-
bile bumpers, the company has transformed itself into one of the
largest manufacturers of accessories for the automobile and trucking
industry, selling about 50,000 bumpers per year at around $700 each.
"It's a drop in the bucket to what we think the potential market is,"
Ray says. "We've already invested several million dollars in fabricating
equipment, and our customers want us to show them that we can do
more."
Visit the company website today and there is no mention of the
finishing operation, or list of capabilities that is a hallmark to most
plating operations. Instead, visitors will find photos and catalogues of
accessories for trucks such as Freightliner, International, Kenworth,
Peterbilt, Volvo and others.
PLATING