SBA Honors Barron Industries as Great Lakes Manufacturer of the Year Amid Major Aerospace and Defense Expansion
Oxford, MI – U.S. Small Business Administration Regional Administrator Brad Zaun visited Barron Industries Monday, August 24, to recognize the family-owned advanced manufacturer as the SBA Great Lakes Region Small Business Manufacturer of the Year and tour its expanding aerospace and defense manufacturing operations.
Zaun presented the regional award to Barron Industries President and CEO Bruce Barron at the company’s Oxford, Michigan, manufacturing campus. The honor recognizes Barron as the SBA’s top small business manufacturer in the six-state Great Lakes Region, encompassing Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Barron Industries previously was named the 2026 SBA Michigan Small Business Manufacturer of the Year.
The recognition comes as Barron Industries makes significant investments to increase domestic manufacturing capacity for the aerospace and defense industries, including a new $10 million Aerospace and Defense Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center (ADAMTeC) and the addition of vacuum-melt titanium investment casting capabilities.
“We are extremely honored to receive this recognition from the Small Business Administration at both the Michigan and Great Lakes regional levels,” said Bruce Barron, President and CEO of Barron Industries. “This award is really a recognition of our employees. Their skill, innovation and commitment to quality have allowed a small, family-owned Michigan manufacturer to compete successfully on some of the most demanding aerospace and defense programs in the world.”
During Monday’s visit, Zaun toured Barron’s vertically integrated manufacturing operations, including precision investment casting, additive manufacturing, CNC machining, inspection and non-destructive testing. He also met with company leadership to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing small manufacturers as they invest in new technology, expand domestic production capacity and develop the skilled workforce needed to compete.
“The SBA wants to listen and learn from the small businesses that are the backbone of manufacturing in the United States,” Zaun said. “They are the heartbeat of America, and Barron Industries is a prime example of that.”
Investing in U.S. Aerospace and Defense Manufacturing
Barron’s new 20,000-square-foot ADAMTeC facility represents an investment of approximately $4 million in building construction and $6 million in advanced manufacturing technology. It is expected to add approximately $25 million in production capacity and 50 skilled manufacturing jobs.
The company’s continued investment reflects a broader challenge facing U.S. manufacturers and their customers: strengthening domestic capacity for critical castings, forgings and precision components while developing the skilled workforce needed to produce them.
The facility will expand Barron’s capabilities in advanced CNC machining, inspection, non-destructive testing and other technologies needed to manufacture complex, mission-critical components for aerospace and defense customers.
Barron is also establishing vacuum-melt titanium investment casting capabilities at its Oxford campus following its acquisition earlier this year of titanium casting assets and process knowledge from TriTech Titanium Parts. The expansion is designed to address growing customer demand for domestically produced titanium components for aerospace, defense and other advanced applications.
“Our customers are asking their supply chains to move faster, increase capacity and provide more manufacturing capability here in the United States,” Barron said. “Our investments in advanced machining, additive manufacturing and titanium casting are all aimed at helping meet that need while creating skilled manufacturing jobs here in Michigan.”
More Than a Century of American Manufacturing
Barron Industries’ manufacturing heritage dates to 1923, when the Barron family established an iron sand foundry in Detroit supplying castings to the automotive industry.
Over the past four decades, the Oxford operation has grown from nine employees and approximately 13,000 square feet into a vertically integrated advanced manufacturing company with approximately 85 employees and operations serving the aerospace, defense, space, energy and other commercial industries.
Today, Barron combines investment casting with additive manufacturing, rapid prototyping, CNC machining, non-destructive testing, welding and assembly to produce complex precision components from more than 200 ferrous and non-ferrous alloys. “This company has survived and grown for more than 100 years because each generation has been willing to invest in what’s next,” Barron said. “We’re proud of that history, but we’re even more focused on what we can contribute to the future of American manufacturing”
About Barron Industries
Barron Industries is a family-owned advanced manufacturer headquartered in Oxford,
Michigan, with a metalcasting heritage dating to 1923. The company provides precision
investment castings, machined components and complete assemblies for aerospace,
defense, space, energy and other critical industries.
Barron’s vertically integrated capabilities include design for manufacturing, hybrid additive
investment casting, rapid prototyping, CNC machining, non-destructive testing, welding
and assembly. The company manufactures components in more than 200 ferrous and non
ferrous alloys and is AS9100D and ISO 9001 certified, Nadcap accredited for non
destructive testing and welding, ITAR registered and CMMC 2.0 compliant