Woman-owned service center grows alongside booming U.S. titanium industry

July 2019 - In the metals distribution and processing arena, there are niches—and then there are niches. For Titanium Processing Center, now 20 years old, finding that niche and sticking with it over time has been the right strategy to gain experience and leverage it toward growth.

Based in New Baltimore, Michigan, TPC was founded in 1999 by Denise Zielinski-Kakos, who remains president and owner. It still is one of the only woman-owned and operated titanium service centers in North America. According to Steve Patera, vice president of sales, Zielinski-Kakos worked in the industry before establishing her own company, at a time when there were fewer titanium distributors in North America.

“We cover an enormous breadth of products: bar, billet, sheet, plate and strip, fasteners, fittings, pipe and tube,” Patera says. “We stock Grades 2, 4, 5, 7, 12 and 23.”

As an AS9100-D and ISO 9001-2015 fully certified woman-owned business, TPC continues to grow at a rapid pace.

Applications for titanium products include oil platforms and other environments that are challenging in terms of high pressure and corrosion.

Near net shapes

Stocking fully certified and mill traceable domestic products to support aerospace and industrial applications, TPC has the ability to service these industries with a multitude of processing equipment. This includes waterjet machines, shears, along with bar and plate saws to provide cut-to-size, custom shapes and sizes for customers’ specific needs.

“We cut to size. We profile near net shapes. We can do any type of shape per drawings. We provide cut-to-length sheet and plate. If someone wants nonstandard sizes or wants smaller pieces from a standard size, we will provide that,” Patera says.

Custom fabrications, welding and plate grinding services are locally outsourced. Typical fabrications include cylinders and welded vessels.

End market growth

TPC has been participating in a robust aerospace market for the past several years. Based on all aerospace industry indicators, its leaders expect that market to remain very strong for years to come. Additionally, with the overall strength of the U.S. economy, TPC has enjoyed a substantial increase in industrial uses of titanium, primarily in the petroleum, petrochemical and mining industries. “Our extensive inventory allows us to support these industries.”

Chemical plants and jet engines often require titanium specified to withstand acids and high combustion.

Staying strong

TPC differentiates itself by the experience of its employees. Patera and Zielinski-Kakos each has over 30 years of experience. “Our sales representatives and other employees are all experienced. That does help us when it comes time to take care of customers.

“We have strong long-term relationships and support from the mills, which allows us to be competitive. There are times when a customer will go to a competitor and find out they cannot do what we do.

“We are growing and flourishing,” Patera says. “Our market share is increasing all the time, and we are doing well and gaining share even within a good market.” MM