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Metals

Research and Development Tax Incentives for the Metals Industry

Many companies in the metal industry are not aware that the government offers generous research and development (R&D) incentive programs. Even those that are aware often fail to capture the full extent of R&D tax credits that they are entitled. For example, many companies may be capturing relevant expenses from their R&D cost centers, but not all qualifying R&D activities take place in traditional R&D departments. In many companies, qualifying activities happen in the plant or on the shop floor, and thus may be overlooked for purposes of the R&D tax credit. If you think you must have a Ph.D. and a state-of-the-art laboratory to be conducting qualified activities as defined by the Internal Revenue Code, think again. Let alliantgroup’s metal industry experts help you claim the credits you deserve.

Examples of Metals Innovations Eligible for R&D Tax Incentives Include the Following:

  • Designing new die tooling, fixtures tooling, and specialized cutting tools for production
  • Designing and developing new or improved forming process (hot or cold form)
  • Developing improvements to the forming, stamping, and grinding production processes
  • Developing improvements to the quality, function, performance, or reliability of parts and components
  • Developing improvements to pollution controls, including baghouse improvements
  • Testing and development of a new casting, molding, and grinding types
  • Designing and/or developing automation of production equipment/machinery
  • Developing improvements to the welding processes
  • Developing techniques to eliminate material waste
  • Developing ways to recycle excess materials
  • Developing new and improved heat treatment processes
  • Conducting design validation testing to determine ultimate design of molds, dies, tooling, and fixtures
  • Implementation and development of automated processes
  • Developing new or improved manufacturing technologies
  • Innovations to optimize strength of tooling or components during the molding process
  • Testing conducted for new composite materials (metallurgical, tensile, gate freeze study, etc.)
  • Quality assurance testing, including First Article Reports and Inspections

alliantgroup’s Metals Industry Specialization Team

In order to better serve metals industry clients, alliantgroup has developed an Industry Specialization Program to focus exclusively on the qualification and quantification of R&D tax benefits for companies operating in this industry. This specialized program employs individuals with educational backgrounds and hands-on research experience within the relevant scientific and engineering disciplines. Their focus is on qualifying and quantifying R&D credits for companies ranging from small, privately owned businesses to large, publically traded corporations.