Custom Materials Inc.

Custom Materials Inc., doing business as C M I Group, manufactures electrical insulation components and mechanical assemblies for the Department of Defense as a prime contractor. The company is a self-certified small disadvantaged business, a for-profit Subchapter S corporation based in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, competing under full-and-open and total small business set-aside procurement vehicles across the Defense Logistics Agency's multiple commands.

The company's federal work centers on specialized electrical insulation products: insulator plates, insulator beads, nylon insulators, insulation sheets, insulator bushings, insulator washings, standoff insulators, and related mechanical components such as bearing pads, ball assemblies, drive assemblies, handle assemblies, and cover assemblies. Recent representative prime awards include a $43 thousand purchase order from DLA Land and Maritime in March 2025 for supplemental armor assembly, a $56 thousand total small business set-aside from DLA Land and Maritime in June 2025 for ball cover assemblies, and a $21 thousand total small business set-aside from Naval Sea Systems Command in April 2024 for rectangular key components. The company also holds seven active Indefinite Delivery Contracts with DLA Aviation and DLA Land and Maritime, each with $250 thousand ceilings, awarded between October 2022 and April 2025 and set aside for total small business participation. These IDCs span product categories including insulator plates, nylon insulators, insulator beads, insulator bushings, and insulation sheets, with performance periods extending through early 2028.

DLA Aviation dominates Custom Materials' customer base, accounting for 173 awards worth $2.2 million combined potential value across 353 total awards. DLA Land and Maritime follows with 94 awards valued at $1.2 million, Naval Sea Systems Command represents 47 awards worth $429 thousand, and DLA Troop Support Construction and Equipment accounts for 25 awards valued at $145 thousand. Together, these four DLA and Navy commands represent 99 percent of award volume and 100 percent of combined potential value. The company's award cadence has remained relatively stable at 42 to 59 awards annually over the past five years, though 2026 year-to-date shows only six awards as of March.

The typical award is a firm fixed-price purchase order in the $1 thousand to $25 thousand range for small quantities of insulation materials or mechanical assemblies, with performance at the company's Chagrin Falls facility. Award frequency reflects DLA's use of task order vehicles: the highest-volume parent contracts are Indefinite Delivery Contract SPMYM315D3116 (7 task orders, $53 thousand combined value), Indefinite Delivery Contract SPE4A623D60NP (6 task orders, $245 combined value), and three additional IDCs with three task orders each. The company received only one sub-award in the source data: a mechanical actuator supply sub to Curtiss-Wright Electro-Mechanical Corporation in October 2024.

Over the next twenty-four months, five awards worth $34 thousand in combined potential value face ultimate completion dates, creating modest recompete exposure on the company's smaller, shorter-duration orders. The vendor's award portfolio reflects concentration in electrical insulation manufacturing (168 awards under the electrical insulators and insulating materials PSC) and small arms ordnance accessories (59 awards), supporting defense logistics and equipment readiness across aviation and maritime platforms.

Founded in 1964, Custom Materials, Inc. is a proven source for the custom fabrication of non-metallic and metallic electro-mechanical components and assemblies. Our depth and breadth of fabrication capabilities across multiple platforms including 3,4,&5 axis machining and turning; stamping; welding; die cutting; slitting; painting; and composite molding places the company in a strategic position to be a key supplier to our defense and commercial partners. We personally serve major manufacturers and suppliers of electrical power generation equipment, distribution equipment, and controls. While the components and assemblies we produce range from the insulation used in transformers, motors and motor controls to precision parts for the aerospace, military, medical, renewable energy, and other demanding industries. We offer our clients a reputation and performance track record established over 50 years in the industry.