What Means Industries makes

Means Industries is a Tier 1 automotive supplier of advanced mechanical and electro-mechanical clutch systems and precision-formed metal components for vehicle transmissions and electric drivelines. Its signature products are one-way and selectable one-way clutches: the Mechanical Diode (MD), a passive strut-based one-way clutch; the Controllable Mechanical Diode (CMD), a selectable clutch that can be switched on or off with the outer race fixed in the transmission case; and the Dynamic Controllable Clutch (DCC), an electrically actuated clutch whose outer race spins within the case. The company positions these devices for electric-vehicle driveline disconnects, electronic park-lock, hill-hold, and multi-speed shifting.

Alongside the clutch business, Means runs a vertically integrated advanced metal-forming operation branded Transform. It says it developed the first aluminum flow-forming process for the auto industry and introduced hoop-band forming to production manufacturing, and it builds complex welded and laser-welded assemblies. Process capabilities on record include roller-die and segment-die spline forming, Grob forming, flow forming, deep drawing, machining, and welded assembly. This combination lets Means design and build complete clutch and torque-transfer modules rather than shipping loose components, which is why it describes itself as a supplier of choice for OEM and Tier 1 propulsion-system engineers.

Ownership and history

Means Industries was founded in 1922 and is headquartered at 3715 East Washington Road in Saginaw, Michigan, where it also runs its Transform Products metal-forming plants on South Jefferson and satellite operations in Sterling Heights and Shelby Township, plus a business office in Southfield. The contact page also lists international points of presence spanning the US, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and Japan.

The company is part of the Amsted Automotive Group (AAG), formed in 2021 when parent Amsted Industries combined Means Industries with Burgess-Norton, its century-old powder-metallurgy business, to build a vertically integrated supplier of electrified propulsion solutions. AAG added SMW Manufacturing, a cold-formed-components maker, later in 2021. The ultimate parent, Chicago-based Amsted Industries, is one of the largest employee-owned companies in the United States: it has been 100 percent employee-owned through an ESOP since 1986 and reported roughly 6.5 billion dollars in revenue and about 14,600 employees for 2024, with a footprint the company describes as about 65 facilities across 10 countries. The employee-ownership structure and the diversified rail, vehicular, and construction parent give Means a stability profile unusual for a mid-sized components maker.

Current leadership named on the company's own site includes Chad Workman, Vice President of Global Business Development; Tom Meier, Vice President of Process Technologies, who holds a PhD in engineering and patents in hoop-banding and all-wheel-drive clutch design; Tom Stockwell, Vice President of Sales and Marketing; and Jerry Randich, Chief Financial Officer for the Amsted Automotive Group.

Certifications and quality

Means Industries holds IATF 16949 certification for its clutch systems business, assessed by NSF International Strategic Relations and held in conjunction with ISO 9001. The certification, first announced in 2018, covers the automotive quality management system for the design and assembly of automotive transmission components. IATF 16949 is the automotive sector's baseline quality standard, and holding it is a precondition for direct OEM transmission work, alongside program disciplines such as PPAP. The company describes its quality record through repeated customer recognition rather than through published audit scores.

Known customers

Means serves global automakers and transmission designers, and several relationships are documented through supplier awards the company and its customers have published.

These are program-level and award-level facts published by Means and Amsted Automotive; the company does not disclose a full customer list or revenue concentration.

Sourcing evidence

Means Industries appears in US customs bill-of-lading records as an importer, consistent with a domestic manufacturer bringing in tooling and specialized components rather than finished goods. The record shows 126 US import shipments, with the most recent recorded in April 2025. Named foreign suppliers include Shilla Industrial, Federal-Mogul Wiesbaden, Alumetec, and WF Maschinenbau und Blechformtechnik, a mix of Korean, German, and metal-forming equipment sources that fits a clutch and metal-forming operation. The modest shipment count reflects that Means builds and forms in Michigan; most of its inputs and finished output move by domestic freight and do not appear in ocean-import data. That domestic footprint is a selling point in the current trade climate: Amsted Automotive has publicly pitched its US capacity to automakers weighing nearshoring and tariff exposure.

Coverage caveats: these are US ocean-freight records only. Air, truck, and rail movements 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, and for a company whose supply chain is largely domestic, import data captures only a narrow slice of activity.

Frequently asked questions

What does Means Industries make?

Means Industries makes advanced mechanical and electro-mechanical clutch systems and precision metal-formed components for automotive transmissions and electric drivelines. Its core products are one-way and selectable one-way clutches, including the Mechanical Diode, Controllable Mechanical Diode, and Dynamic Controllable Clutch, plus flow-formed aluminum components and welded assemblies.

Who owns Means Industries?

Means Industries is part of the Amsted Automotive Group, a business unit of Amsted Industries. Amsted Industries is a Chicago-based diversified manufacturer that has been 100 percent employee-owned through an ESOP since 1986 and is one of the largest employee-owned companies in the United States.

Where is Means Industries located?

Means Industries is headquartered at 3715 East Washington Road, Saginaw, Michigan 48601. It operates additional Transform Products metal-forming plants in Saginaw and in Sterling Heights and Shelby Township, Michigan, and a business office in Southfield, Michigan.

Who are Means Industries' customers?

Means supplies global automakers and transmission designers. Documented relationships include General Motors, which awarded Means Supplier Quality Excellence and Platinum Supplier status, and Honda, which gave Means its Excellence in Quality and Delivery Award. The company also reports supplying metal-forming technology used in Great Wall Motor's Super Powertrain.

When was Means Industries founded?

Means Industries was founded in 1922 in Saginaw, Michigan, giving it more than a century of continuous operation. It joined Amsted Industries and later became part of the Amsted Automotive Group, formed in 2021.

What certifications does Means Industries hold?

Means Industries holds IATF 16949 certification for its clutch systems business, assessed by NSF International Strategic Relations and held together with ISO 9001. IATF 16949 is the automotive industry's core quality-management standard and a precondition for direct OEM transmission work.

Last verified September 28, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.