Heavy metal -- the industrial kind -- is hip at Hitachi Metals America (HMA). Founded in 1965, the North American outfit of Hitachi Metals makes and markets a slew of groundbreaking products. Its lineup includes auto castings, ceramics, cutting tools, gas piping components, permanent magnets, radio frequency components and power inductors, sensors, and specialty steel. The company manages about a dozen sales offices and plants, two of which specialize in auto OEM machining and assembly. HMA primarily serves the automotive, consumer products, energy, industrial, information technology, semiconductor, and telecommunications sectors.