About Us:
Located in the City Of Commerce, California, Valley Plating Works, Inc. is a high quality electroplating company, specializing in large orders with quick turn-around. Valley Plating Works, Inc. has experience with Chrome plating, Nickel plating, Zinc plating; as well as barrel plating and rack zinc plating. We can be your resource for all your nickel plating, chrome plating and zinc plating needs.
Since opening in Los Angeles in 1931, Valley Plating has been a family owned business, serving the San Gabriel Valley and the Inland Empire, as well as northern California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Texas.
Quality:
We are committed to quality. Our in-house test labs follow the most stringent industry guidelines to ensure quality control at every stage of production. Our documented quality program includes Statistical Process Controls (SPC) charting of all variables, computerized plating bath analysis and external independent chemical analysis.
Service:
Our state-of-the-art proprietary systems combined with over 80 years of experience in working with manufacturers enables Valley Plating Works, Inc. to provide our customers with the service they demand. We pride ourselves in maintaining dependable production volume turnaround times. We provide:
- Computerized production scheduling
- SPC quality control systems
- Computerized inventory control
- An experienced customer service staff
- Pick-up and delivery
- In-house polishing
- Reliable, systematic turnaround
Environmental Care:
As third generation metal finishers, we are extraordinarily concerned about our impact on the environment. Future generations as well as the future of our industry depend upon how we handle our assets.
That is why Valley Plating Works, Inc. is dedicated to preserving our environment with state-of-the-art waste treatment facilities. We use the best available control technology.
We have been recognized for our environmental control policy and meet or exceed all local, state, and federal environmental requirements.
History and Life of Valley Plating:
Joseph Cullen and his brother-in-law, Bertram Solomon, started Valley Plating Works (VPW), in 1931. Mr. Solomon had been working for about a year as a cadmium plater and developed the skills and necessary know-how to venture off and start his own shop. The business was rather primitive at first. The plating process was accomplished by running parts through a series of barrels. Although cadmium plating was the primary product, silver, gold and nickel plating were also done on a smaller scale.
Bertram and Joseph started the business on a one hundred dollar investment and began in a small triangular rental building at 1701 San Fernando Road, Los Angeles, CA. In the beginning stages, Mr. Cullen continued to work at his job as a welder for a large water heater manufacturer.
In 1941 Joseph left his day job to join Bertram on a full-time basis to better help in the war effort.
In 1952 Joseph bought out Bertram, and Joseph’s son, Frank Cullen became involved in the business. The company was incorporated in 1956. They were joined by Joseph’s other son, John Cullen in 1960.
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS
Over the years numerous events helped the business grow and attract more customers.
In 1939, Burt moved out of the original 1701 San Fernando Road location into a new facility approximately half a mile north, located at 2701 San Fernando Road, several blocks south of Glendale. This new location allowed the business to accommodate more customers and significantly increased production. Gold, silver, copper and nickel plating, along with polishing and buffing were all a part of products offered during the 1940s. From 1947 to 1950 bright nickel/chrome and zinc plating were introduced.
An additional building was raised on the property in 1957, and a larger zinc plating facility was started in the new building in 1960.
In 1967 the business acquired and implemented the first automatic programmable hoist plating machine in the Los Angeles area. This technology enabled the company to increase production and plate pieces of metal up to twelve feet in length. This was cutting edge technology for the time and helped establish the company as a leader in the plating industry. (This was a zinc plating line.)
The business implemented an automatic decorative nickel/chrome plating machine at its production facility in 1972, and in 1979 the company acquired another location across the street, at 2640 San Fernando Road. This location was used to store completed parts and also to increase lines of production. In 1982 the company added a large automatic chrome plating line to this warehouse location.
In 1995 the business expanded again and acquired an additional location at 5900 Sheila Street in the City of Commerce. This location consists of eight acres of land and buildings totaling approximately 190,000 square feet. The company subleases about half of the space and uses about 100,000 square feet for plating and polishing.
Valley Plating Works has been active through the years in implementing the latest technology and techniques available. With the rise of information technology the company implemented special computer software, which enables it to have complete control over its production costs, provide pricing, and analyze cost on a per job basis.
In 2005 an entirely new project was started in Conway, Arkansas. An institutional furniture manufacturer had an existing plating line on-premise that had failed and had been abandoned. VPW was contracted to, and did, take a team out to rejuvenate, rebuild where necessary, and modernize the entire line, then get it successfully up and running.
Where before, this company was trucking its product 800 miles to the nearest plater, now VPW is doing all its plating in-house, taking care of all the hiring, managing, OSHA and other governmental compliance.
We now count the plant in Conway, Arkansas as our third location.