History of Oakwood

The Oakwood Group was founded in 1945 as Oakwood Industries by Francois Audi. One of our first manufactured products was a water pump supplied to Ford Motor Company for their production of tractors. By 1950, Oakwood Industries had begun making parts on small stamping presses. Oakwood Industries was renamed Oakwood Metal Fabricating Company in 1957. It then established itself as a reliable long-term supplier of a variety of metal brackets produced on four-slide and multi-slide machinery. In the late 1970s and 1980s numerous multi-slide machines as well as many metal stamping presses were purchased. 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 both progressive and line-die machinery. The ownership approach at the time was not to become the “biggest” supplier but to be the “best” supplier that we could be. Our quality performance, reliable delivery and attention to customer service helped to build an excellent reputation with our customer base.

By 1980, our company was lead by current president 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 manufacturing of “niche” products rather than commodity stampings that could be produced by a wider range of competition. This strategic objective was realized when Oakwood entered the metal speaker grille market and became the dominant supplier to Tier One interior companies for the domestic and foreign OEMs. With vertically integrated manufacturing capability (expanded metal, stamping, powder paint and assembly), patented attachment designs and creative material pattern development Oakwood established a reputation as the primary source for these products that still exists today. By the early 1990s the company was into so many different manufacturing processes that our name was changed to The Oakwood Group.

While the company thrived within the interiors market, initiatives were under way to diversify our product portfolio. After much effort, the company was successful in developing a thermoformed energy absorber called SafetyPlastic® in the late 1990s to meet a new federal mandate to better protect occupants in rollover crashes and side impact events. This successful development yielded our first commercialized application in 2000 for the newly formed division, Oakwood Energy Management. Effective geometric design, low cost and optimum product performance combined with progressive manufacturing capabilities allowed OEM to establish a dominant position in the head-impact market.

Further development of thermoformed energy management products and the manufacturing process over the past ten years have allowed the company to attract business in side impact and bumper applications. The Oakwood Group currently provides energy-absorber (EA) countermeasures to all of the major
tier one suppliers that provide components to Ford Motor, General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan and Chrysler.

The increased business with OEMs in Asia has resulted in the formation of Oakwood Japan, GK as well as manufacturing partnerships with Samwoo Neotech Industries in Pusan, South Korea and Toyota Boshoku in Kunshan, China. These partnerships have allowed The Oakwood Group to become global for key products that it sells.

As we look to the future, there are many efforts in place to expand into other industries and to build new revenue streams. In 2010, Oakwood Media was formed to develop a presence in the online media environment and have developed seven websites in its first year of existence. We have also developed two products; helmet liners and flooring for blast mitigation, for the military industry. These product developments motivate us because they represent diversification and they serve a valuable purpose in protecting the lives of our country’s military personnel.

The Oakwood Group’s focus on being the best in our field through intellectual property, the development of niche products, vertical integration, and the willingness to take risks is the business model that has proven to work for us. At the core of our principles we are inventors and innovators. Oakwood looks toward the future for ideas, opportunities and solutions. We believe in empowering and developing the entrepreneurial spirit that has made us successful. With the third generation of family leadership in place, and a group of experienced core professionals, the future of The Oakwood Group looks very bright indeed. Our business philosophy is “Create and Promote Excellence” and we strive to achieve this every day.