From Family Shop to Digital Innovator: K-mac Distribution Expands Reach Through Online Metals Marketplace

Family-run K-mac Distribution expands nationwide reach through OnlineMetals, serving a new generation of buyers.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI, UNITED STATES, May 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- What began as a small, family-run business rooted in Michigan’s manufacturing economy has grown into a nimble, digitally focused supplier serving customers across the country. Today, K-mac Distribution is expanding its reach through the Online Metals marketplace, connecting its specialized materials with a new generation of customers.

K-mac’s story stretches back decades and remains a true family operation, still run by founder and industry veteran Keith Gillion, with his son Aaron Gillion now helping lead the business. Aaron has been around the shop since he was four years old, growing up alongside the company as it evolved through major shifts in the manufacturing landscape.

In its early years, K-mac focused on injection molding and was a supplier to major manufacturers like General Motors, with a GM plant even located on the same street as K-mac. But the 2008 financial crisis marked a turning point. As large-scale manufacturing shifted and consolidated, K-mac adapted, pivoting away from custom parts and toward a more accessible, e-commerce-driven model.

That spirit of adaptation continues to define the business today.

“When things changed, we had to evolve,” said Aaron Gillion, IT Manager and Partner at K-mac Distribution. “We saw an opportunity to serve customers who didn’t have access to these materials before, people who didn’t need bulk orders, but still needed quality and reliability.”

Gillion played a key role in modernizing the company’s operations, building in-house systems to manage ordering and pricing across thousands of products. What was once a manual process became a scalable system designed to meet the needs of both businesses and individual builders.

Today, K-mac serves a wide range of customers, from machine shops to hobbyists, robotics teams, and engineers. In many cases, these are customers who need smaller quantities or highly specific materials, from plastic rods, tubes and sheets to steel bolts and other fasteners, that are difficult to source elsewhere.
That focus on accessibility has led to unexpected moments of demand. Recently, K-mac saw a surge in orders for polycarbonate tubing tied to global robotics competitions, an example of how new technologies and communities are reshaping who buys industrial materials and how they use them.

Now, through its partnership with Online Metals, K-mac is extending that reach even further.

“Online Metals has built something that feels very aligned with how we think about the business,” Gillion said. “It’s a place where customers come looking for exactly what we specialize in. And it helps us connect with people who might not have found us otherwise.”

Today, thousands of K-mac SKUs are live on the Online Metals marketplace, opening the door to new customers and steady growth. The partnership is already delivering results, with increased visibility and new types of buyers, including business customers and organizations that require trusted sourcing channels beyond traditional marketplaces.

Looking ahead, the company continues to invest in both its product catalog and its digital capabilities. For a business that has continually reinvented itself, the move feels like a natural next chapter.

“We’ve had to evolve at every stage,” Gillion said. “But the goal has always been the same—make materials more accessible, and help people build what they need to build.”

About K-mac Distribution
K-mac Distribution is a Michigan-based, family-owned supplier of plastics, metals, and fasteners. With a strong focus on e-commerce and accessibility, the company serves businesses, hobbyists, and manufacturers with high-quality materials and reliable supply.

About OnlineMetals
OnlineMetals, a division of thyssenkrupp Materials Services in North America, is a leading supplier of industrial and specialty metals, serving businesses, manufacturers, and individual creators with high-quality materials, precision cutting, and fast shipping.

Laura Porto Stockwell
tmrw and tmrw
+1 2062251514
laura@tmrwandtmrw.COM

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