About the Active Manufacturing Team
If you are looking for information about Active Manufacturing, you are probably trying to understand more than a name. You want to know who will handle your drawings, parts, deadlines, materials, and confidential work.
Active Manufacturing is a family-owned metal manufacturer in Spring Lake, Michigan, focused on difficult custom metal prototypes, short-run production, low-volume releases, and production-intent metal parts. From early engineering validation to repeat releases, our role is practical: help engineers and purchasing teams get complex metal components made correctly, efficiently, and with the right level of manufacturing discipline.
Ready to see how the shop supports that work? Start with our facility overview and virtual shop tour, or send project details through our custom metal parts quote request.
U.S. Based
Proudly manufacturing in Michigan
Family Owned
Built on relationships. Focused on results.
ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Quality you can trust
ITAR Registered
Supporting defense and aerospace programs
From Two Employees to a 40-Year Manufacturing Partner
Fred Hohman founded Active Manufacturing in Grand Haven in 1986. The company began with two employees in a rented garage, using hand presses, a mill, and wire EDM to give larger manufacturers a fast, accurate source for prototypes and short production runs.
Jeff Braak and Jeff Berry, both long-time employees and Fred Hohman's sons-in-law, purchased Active Manufacturing in December 2012. The company remains family-owned, and its leadership includes Jeff Braak as President, Jeff Miller as Vice President of Sales, Jason Braak as Lead Estimator, and Chris Innes as Plant Manager.
The original prototype mission still guides the business, while the range of customer needs has expanded. A prototype may lead to tooling tryouts, bridge production, launch support, recurring low-volume releases, or ongoing specialty production. Active builds with manufacturability, inspection, material behavior, and repeatability in mind so a production-intent prototype can support the next phase instead of becoming a throwaway part.
Our mission has always been the same: solve hard problems and help our customers bring great products to life
Our Leadership Team
Jeff Braak
President
Jeff Miller
Vice President of Sales
Jason Braak
Lead Estimator
Chris Innes
Plant Manager
Customers We Support
Active works with technical buyers who need more than a basic part supplier.
Some buyers come to Active because a prototype is urgent. Others need bridge production while tooling is delayed, low-volume metal parts for a recurring program, or support from a Michigan metal manufacturer with broad in-house capability and practical production experience.
Common customer roles include:
Design engineers and manufacturing engineers
OEM teams and Tier 1 or Tier 2 suppliers
R&D groups and product development teams
Sourcing and purchasing teams
Program managers and supplier-quality teams
Medical, defense, aerospace, automotive, electronics, and specialty industrial manufacturers
To see where our work fits by market, visit industries served by Active Manufacturing.
Family-Owned, U.S.-Based, and Built for Difficult Work
Active Manufacturing operates from an approximately 55,000 square foot facility in Spring Lake, Michigan. As a U.S.-based metal manufacturer, we support customers across the country and, in some cases, international programs where the project fit is right.
The company's identity is not built around commodity fabrication or simple bends. Active is a custom metal manufacturing company for parts that require problem-solving, coordinated processes, and experienced people. Our work can involve stamping and forming, micro forming, laser cutting, micro laser cutting, laser welding, micro welding, wire EDM, EDM hole drilling, CNC milling, tooling, fixtures, assemblies, managed secondary operations, and inspection.
To understand the breadth of available processes, review the manufacturing capabilities and equipment list.
People Plus Equipment
A strong equipment list is important, but equipment alone is not the differentiator. Active's advantage comes from skilled people who understand how to make specialized machines solve real manufacturing problems.
Our team supports customers who may arrive with a CAD model, a drawing, a physical sample, a difficult material, or a part that another supplier could not make. The work often requires several operations coordinated through one team. It may also require judgment about which process path makes sense for a prototype, a short run, or a future production release.
Experienced Team
Decades of hands-on manufacturing expertise
Advanced Equipment
Specialized machines for precision and complex parts
Coordinated Processes
Multiple operations managed seamlessly under one roof
Quality Focused
Inspection and validation at every stage
The shop-tour effect
When engineers tour the facility, they often understand Active's range quickly. They see the people, machines, inspection resources, and process flexibility working together. This website is designed to create that same shop-tour effect online: a clear view of what we do, where we fit, and why difficult metal parts are different from ordinary fabrication work.
55,000+
Square Feet Manufacturing Facility
40+
Years in Business—Since 1986
50+
Skilled Team Members and Growing
U.S. Based
Spring Lake, Michigan
Quality, Confidentiality, and Trust
Active's verified trust anchors include ISO 9001:2015 certification, ITAR registration, U.S. manufacturing, Precision Metalforming Association membership, and 40 years in business in 2026. These credentials support the way we handle prototype and production work, but we are careful not to overstate certifications we do not hold.
Confidentiality is also part of the work. Many current programs cannot be shown publicly because of NDAs, customer restrictions, export-control considerations, or sensitive applications. That is why our proof relies on approved examples, process capability, equipment depth, inspection resources, and careful conversations with qualified customers.
For details on verified quality and compliance language, visit quality, certifications, and compliance.
A Practical Manufacturing Culture
Active's culture is technical, direct, and practical. We believe in clear questions, realistic timelines, and honest fit. We are not trying to be the lowest-cost source for simple sheet metal. We are built for metal parts where difficulty, timing, repeatability, and process coordination matter.
That same culture applies to the team. Active is family-owned and rooted in West Michigan manufacturing, with a practical shop environment where skilled people, flexible capacity, and customer urgency all matter. If you are interested in joining the team, visit manufacturing careers in Spring Lake.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Active Manufacturing founded?
Fred Hohman founded Active Manufacturing in Grand Haven in 1986. The company began with two employees in a rented garage and marks 40 years in business in 2026.
Is Active Manufacturing family-owned?
Yes. Jeff Braak and Jeff Berry purchased Active Manufacturing in December 2012, and the company remains a family-owned metal manufacturer serving prototype, short-run, low-volume, and specialty production needs.
Where is Active Manufacturing located?
Active Manufacturing is located at 17127 Hickory Street in Spring Lake, Michigan 49456.
What types of customers does Active support?
Active supports engineers, OEMs, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, R&D teams, sourcing and purchasing teams, program managers, and supplier-quality teams that need difficult custom metal parts, prototypes, short runs, or low-volume production.
Still have questions?
If you have other questions that weren’t answered here, feel free to send us a message. We're happy to assist you and provide the information you need.
Talk With Active Manufacturing
If your project involves a difficult metal prototype, production-intent sample, tooling challenge, or recurring short-run metal part, we can help you determine whether Active is the right fit.
Share drawings, material requirements, quantities, and timing through the request a quote form, or reach out through the Spring Lake contact page to start a practical conversation.
