What ConMet makes

ConMet, formally Consolidated Metco, Inc., builds the parts that carry the weight of a heavy truck. Its flagship line is wheel ends: hub assemblies, hubs, brake drums, and rotors, anchored by the PreSet and PreSet Plus pre-adjusted hub systems that ship assembled and set to a target bearing preload. The company says more than 30 million of its hubs are on the road, with roughly 2 million replacements needed each year, which is why its aftermarket business runs alongside its OEM work. It introduced the PreSet hub in 1995 and PreSet Plus in North America in 2011, and marked 30 years of PreSet technology in 2025.

Around the wheel end sit three more businesses. ConMet Castings produces lightweight aluminum and heavy cast-iron structural components for commercial vehicles, running die casting and foundry operations. ConMet Plastics designs and molds structural interior and exterior plastic components for truck OEMs. TruckWings, the aerodynamic device ConMet acquired with TruckLabs in 2023, closes the tractor-to-trailer gap on Class 8 trucks to cut fuel use. A newer eMobility unit develops in-wheel electric hub and generator technology, including the eHub, to support trailer electrification. The customs record backs the product story: the most-declared US import codes are motor-vehicle parts of cast iron (HTS 8708.99.53, wheel hubs) and brake rotors (8708.30.5030).

Ownership and history

ConMet began in 1964 as part of Portland Freightliner, a subsidiary of Consolidated Freightways, making one of the most critical parts on a truck lighter and more reliable. It went private and independent in 1987, was acquired by Varlen Corp in 1989, and became part of Amsted Industries in 1999 when Amsted bought Varlen. It has been a division of Amsted Industries since. Amsted is a 100 percent employee-owned (ESOP) manufacturer and one of the largest transportation-component groups in the world, which gives ConMet long-horizon private backing rather than quarterly public pressure. ConMet runs its own employee stock ownership plan as a supplementary retirement program.

The company expanded well beyond Oregon over six decades. It opened its first metals facility in Monterrey, Mexico in 2000, its first iron foundry in China in 2008, and a Nanjing PreSet assembly plant in 2011. It added a Charlotte, North Carolina distribution warehouse in 2016, a second facility in Monroe, North Carolina in 2018, a European headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany in 2023, and expanded Monterrey aluminum production with a second foundry in 2025. Today ConMet reports 16 global locations and more than 5,000 employees. Day-to-day leadership, per the company's own materials: John Waters, President since 2019 and a 27-year company veteran who spent 24 years as CFO; Zelma Cilliers, Vice President of IT and Digital Business Solutions; Ryan Dillon, General Manager of Castings; and Michael Flynn, General Manager of the Plastics Business Unit.

Certifications and quality

ConMet posts IATF 16949 certificates for multiple plants on its own certificates page, including Denton, Texas, Monroe, North Carolina, and its Mexico plastics operation. IATF 16949 is the automotive quality-management standard that OEM programs expect from a wheel end and casting supplier, so multi-site certification is the sector baseline for the kind of programs ConMet supplies. The company describes its manufacturing as built around PPAP-grade discipline for OEM launches, and its casting and plastics units market full engineering and product-lifecycle services rather than build-to-print only.

Known customers

ConMet does not publish a named customer list, which is normal for a component supplier serving OEM programs under non-disclosure. What is on the public record is a steady run of OEM and channel supplier awards.

ConMet also names eMobility partners in its own press: Meritor (zero-emission trailer axles), Carrier Transicold, and Sysco (a zero-emission refrigerated-trailer pilot). These are announced collaborations rather than volume OEM programs.

Sourcing evidence

ConMet's US import record is large and revealing: 9,603 ocean shipments since January 2015, most recently September 20, 2026, across 57 named foreign suppliers. The largest by far are ConMet's own Chinese plants, Shandong Conmet Xin Mechanical (4,176 shipments), Weifang Haoxin Conmet Mechanical, and Conmet Weifang Mechanical, meaning most of this flow is an intra-company supply chain feeding US assembly and aftermarket rather than arm's-length buying. Beyond the captive plants, the record names bearing makers National Engineering Industries and Shivalik Engineering in India, Schaeffler in Slovakia, Chu Hung oil seals in Taiwan, Automotive Components Floby in Sweden, and EKU Fren brake castings in Turkey.

Eight shown of 57 recorded suppliers. By declared code, the mix leads with cast-iron wheel hubs and brake rotors. Customs-derived estimates put cumulative ocean shipping spend near $13.2M, with cost data covering about a third of shipments, an order-of-magnitude figure rather than an audited one. This bill-of-lading pattern, castings and bearings in, finished wheel ends out, is the signature of a manufacturer that runs its own overseas casting base to feed North American production, and it gives buyers a read on ConMet's nearshoring posture and its exposure to bearing and casting lead times.

Coverage caveats: these are US ocean-freight records only. Air, truck, and rail movements, including most cross-border flows with Mexico, do not appear; some records name freight intermediaries rather than manufacturers; and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence.

Frequently asked questions

What does ConMet manufacture?

ConMet manufactures wheel ends for commercial vehicles, including PreSet and PreSet Plus hub assemblies, hubs, brake drums, and rotors, plus lightweight aluminum and cast-iron structural castings, structural plastic components, TruckWings aerodynamic devices, and eMobility in-wheel electric hub and generator systems for trucks and trailers. The company says more than 30 million of its hubs are on the road.

Who owns ConMet?

ConMet has been a division of Amsted Industries since 1999. Amsted is a 100 percent employee-owned (ESOP) transportation-component manufacturer and one of the largest such groups in the world. ConMet was founded in 1964, became independent in 1987, and passed through Varlen Corp before Amsted acquired it.

Where is ConMet headquartered?

ConMet is headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, at 5701 SE Columbia Way. It reports 16 global locations, with manufacturing across the United States, Mexico, and China and a European headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.

Who are ConMet's customers?

ConMet supplies commercial-vehicle OEMs and the aftermarket and does not publish a named customer list. Public supplier awards document relationships with PACCAR (Peterbilt and Kenworth), Navistar, FleetPride, and Aurora, and the company says its products are standard equipment on most heavy-duty trucks in North America.

How many employees does ConMet have?

ConMet reports more than 5,000 employees across 16 global locations. Company materials and third-party directories place the figure in the 5,000 to 6,000 range.

What certifications does ConMet hold?

ConMet posts IATF 16949 certificates for multiple plants on its certificates page, including Denton, Texas, Monroe, North Carolina, and its Mexico plastics operation. IATF 16949 is the automotive quality-management standard OEM wheel end and casting programs require.

Last verified September 27, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.