How DECKED Builds Truck Storage Systems That Last
If you ask just about any of us at DECKED where the heart of our company beats the strongest, one answer rises above the rest: our factory in Defiance, Ohio. It’s not as simple as “that’s where we make our stuff,” either. While that’s true (and pretty damn important), the factory also represents something deeper that was instilled when our founders first sketched up a Drawer System prototype on a dive-bar napkin.
The DECKED factory is the perfect representation of what we stand for: intuitive thinking, rugged work ethic, and a no-BS way of getting sh*t done. From our workers on the factory floor to shift supervisors and beyond, our Ohio crew has a hand on single product that we spend so much time telling you about — and we wouldn’t spend that time if we didn’t think they did a kickass job.
But, enough gushing over our factory workers because we’re really here to gush over our factory itself. We’ve built a monument to modern, American-based manufacturing that simply can’t be beat by some overseas operation. It’s taken years of trial and error to get it right, and more cash than we’d like to admit, but when we hear someone mention our factory, we can’t help but swell with pride. We love it. We can’t stop talking about it. It may be a problem.
Alright, we can practically hear you thinking, ‘why do I care,’ and we’re glad you asked.
First, big machines are rad. That’s one reason. More importantly, our world-class factory operations don’t just make products that last a lifetime — they’re the entire reason our products last a lifetime. So, at the risk of getting nerded out on factory lines and terminology we may or may not understand, we’re taking a deep dive into what makes the DECKED factory so good at grinding out chaos-conquering truck systems every single day.
Bigger is Actually Better.
When it comes to manufacturing, floor space is the unsung hero. Considering the fact that we started DECKED out of a 700-square-foot barn, we’ve come a long way. After realizing that overseas manufacturing wasn’t going to cut it, we decided to stop being a bunch of ninnies and just build our own factory in Defiance, Ohio, strategically located in the heart of premier American manufacturing and shipping.
Having our own space to do whatever the hell we want is everything. It allows us to keep an insanely clean factory, which keeps our workers safe, streamlined, and more than happy to eat that sandwich they just dropped on the floor. It also allows us to continually customize our operations to ensure that we’re producing products in the most efficient way possible so we can keep prices competitive for you and millions of other go-getters. Lastly, it allows us to maintain a massive storage space so we can keep nearly two weeks of inventory on-hand for quick, free shipping directly to your door.
You can never have too much space when it comes to manufacturing. Today, we’ve expanded from a 700-square-foot barn to the Taj Mahal of Midwestern Manufacturing, which means better Storage Systems for you.
Numbers Nobody Asked For:
320K
Total square footage
of our factory.
115
Total employees in
Defiance.
5
# of original factory employees who’ve upgraded from the barn.
250K
Square footage dedicated to assembly, warehouse, and shipping.
13
Days of inventory
on-hand at all times.
0
Times we’ve considered manufacturing in China.
The Golden Mold.
Enough small talk. Let’s get to the fun stuff — crazy-expensive, probably dangerous machines that may even weigh more than your mother-in-law. Of course, we’re talking about our beloved injection-molding presses.
DECKED products are made with either HDPE (high-density polyethylene) or fiber-reinforced compound resin. These magical materials are able to withstand UV rays, constant abuse, just about any weather outside of a volcano, and that quick off-road detour you took trying to dodge a squirrel. So, why doesn’t everyone use these materials? Probably because it takes a lot of time, money, and space to get it right — not to mention employees with more degrees than our entire creative team combined.
Essentially, we’ve built our factories to support the presses. They’re highly specialized and versatile machines that require massive amounts of attention to operate effectively and safely, so there’s no skimping on the process.
Each month, we receive monster shipments of HDPE pellets, which are inspected for quality every single time via a “melt-flow analysis” that ensures we have the perfect balance of viscosity (not too muddy, not too runny). This guarantees that our Drawer Systems, CargoGlide Systems, Tool Boxes, Cases, and Bins are getting the most bomb-proof material to go toe-to-toe with their bomb-proof engineering. It’s no accident that Drawer Systems can hold 2,000 lbs without breaking a sweat. You can thank HDPE and big product-development brains for that.
If you want to know more about injection molding, you’ll probably need to take a few college courses. Or, go talk to our VP of Manufacturing, Bryan Perry, in Defiance. Highly recommended. Speaking of Bryan, he told us that we’d risk putting you to sleep if we kept talking about injection molding, so he threw some big numbers at us instead.
Numbers Nobody Asked For:
4
Number of injection-molding presses.
3.2K TONS
Amount of force our largest press can throw down.
74.8K LBS
How much our largest mold weighs.
800K LBS
Minimum amount of HDPE pellets we use yearly.
2
Kuka 5-Axis robots that still won’t give back massages.
0
Han Solo molds we’ve been permitted to make.
Freakish Quality Control.
Oddly enough, when you spend way too much money building a state-of-the-art factory and fill it with state-of-the-art equipment, you’re even more reliant on human beings to ensure that things are getting done right. We demand perfection. Our customers demand perfection. Therefore, we demand perfection from our factories.
Our facilities are certified as ISO 9001:2015, which is the highest standard for quality control and also desperately needs a catchier name, so we’re going with “Quality Control Freak Certified.” Not only that, but we have off-the-chart stats when it comes to quality issues that our customers have to deal with. For reference, under 15% is considered “world class” and we’re regularly sitting under .5%. If we get that number under .1%, our Testing Validation team said they’d get “Quality Control” tattoos on their lower backs.
How do we get this done? It’s complicated. Unless words like 3D Keyence Scanner, Zontec Software, PPAP, and gauge calibrations really get you going, we’ll keep it high level. We’ve invested in technology that scan tools, molds, and products that keep measurements consistent. Our Test Validation team can cook or freeze any of our products in our environmental testing machines. Our processes can track and standardize parts and tools across our factory, as well as our local suppliers in Defiance.
This all adds up to a headache that’s worth having, because it means a headache that you don’t have to deal with. We’re human, and humans make mistakes. But, with a failure rate smaller than a minnow’s eyelash, our factory folks are quickly approaching superhuman status.
Numbers Nobody Asked For:
2
Number of Test & Validation employees who need a vacation.
24 HOURS
Time our injection-molding lines are up and running.
.16%
Our quality issue rate in August 2026. No big deal.
.001″
How closely we can measure parts, products, and tools.
2 HOURS
How often we check for consistency and quality off the line.
90%
Percentage of parts that are sourced within 45 minutes of our factory.
If you can’t tell, we could gush over the DECKED factory any day of the week. That’s probably because it hasn’t been an easy journey. In fact, it’s been pretty damn difficult. But if we’ve learned anything, it’s that there’s nothing harder than taking the easy way, and that means we treasure every single square foot of factory floor space in Defiance, Ohio. Seriously, we’ve seen our CEO get emotional when the presses are running at full steam.
So, we’ll continue beaming with pride and you can continue reaping the benefits: world-class products that not only make your life better every single day, but will keep doing their job for as long as you need them to
