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A new approach is put forwards for the numerical simulation of steady and non-steady state bulk metal forming processes. The approach is based on the utilization of the reproducing kernel particle method in conjunction with the flow formulation for slightly compressible rigid-plastic materials.The effectiveness of the proposed approach is discussed by comparing theoretical predictions with finite-element calculations and experimental data for three different bulk metal forming operations: flat rolling (under steady-state conditions), compression of rods and heading of cylindrical billets. The overall comparisons comprise a wide range of topics such as material flow, geometry, strain distribution and forming load/torque. It is shown that, the proposed approach is capable of efficiently handling large plastic deformations without the need of remeshing procedures and providing results that are in close agreement with both finite-element predictions and experimental measurements.