On the Line

In this episode of Product's Finishing On the Line podcast, Chandler Mancuso, technical director with MacDermid Envio discusses updating your wastewater treatment system and implementing materials recycling solutions to increase efficiencies, control costs and reduce environmental impact.

Products Finishing recently attended the Metal Finishing Association of California's annual legislation day event, which provides a forum for finishing operations in the state to voice their concerns to government officials. In this installment of On the Line, we learn more about the initiative and the key issues for California-based finishers.

OTL spoke with Bryan Leiker, executive director of the MFACA and legislative advocate Jerry Desmond, who works as the legal advisor for the MFACA. Leiker is also vice president of K&L Anodizing (Burbank, California) a 75-year-old family business, and has spent his career working to educate legislators about the efforts of the metal finishing community.

Recently Products Finishing traveled to Karlsruhe, Germany to attend Paint Expo 2024 and get a global perspective of trends in industrial coatings and to learn about the latest technologies. In this episode of On the Line, Gardner Business Media brand vice president for finishing and valve media Todd Luciano and PF editor in chief Scott Francis discuss some of the takeaways from the visit.

As the EPA conducts fact-finding surveys in the metal finishing community regarding PFAS contamination, wastewater treatment is a growing concern for finishing operations. In this installment of Products Finishing's On the Line podcast we're digging into trends in wastewater management. Robin Deal, product manager and wastewater treatment specialist with Hubbard-Hall recently took some time out of her busy schedule to sit down with PF and discuss the latest in this field.

In this episode of Products Finishing's On the Line podcast, we delve into the subject of workforce, touching on such topics as gender roles in manufacturing, and the importance of education in fostering a workforce for the future of the industry. Holly Gottfredson, president of two companies involved in manufacturing for the architectural market (American Metalcraft Inc. and Finishing Dynamics), recently took some time out of her busy schedule to talk with PF about her work running these companies and as an advocate for women in manufacturing and industry education.

This marks our 40th episode of Products Finishing's On the Line podcast and to celebrate we decided to turn the interviewer into the interviewee as PF senior editor Lori Beckman interviews PF editor-in-chief Scott Francis about some of the trends that are top of mind for finishers, industry events that are on the horizon and some of PF's initiatives for the year.

In the latest installment of On the Line, Products Finishing learned about a recent ERP deployment by manufacturing software solutions provider Steelhead Technologies that was completed in record time for A1 Paint, Powder and Sandblasting in Kansas City, Missouri.

Frank Laster, president and owner of A1 and Jordan Peterson, deployment engineer for Steelhead Technologies, recently sat down with PF to talk about the project.

The end of 2023 marks the completion of the third full season of Products Finishing's On the Line podcast. This installment marks our 38th episode of OTL (not counting several bonus episodes, video eps, etc.) and our last of 2023. To celebrate, PF is looking back at some of the stories from the past year that stood out as representative of some of the major topics in the surface finishing industry. Check out this special retrospective episode.

One of the biggest issues in the metal finishing industry is the move away from hexavalent chromium-based finishing technologies. While trivalent chromium alternatives have existed for decades, hexavalent has been favored by many in the industry. Today, as trivalent chemistries improve and regulations tighten, more platers are compelled to make the switch.

In this installment of On the Line, PF had the opportunity to speak with John Mulder, president of Master Finish (Grand Rapids, Mich.). Master Finish has a long history in chrome plating for decorative applications and has been using trivalent chromium for years. Mulder speaks about his experience with tri chrome and his advice for platers who are planning for the future by transitioning their current chromium processes or adding trivalent chromium capabilities.

In this installment of On the Line, we take a look at evolving material solutions trends and what they mean for finishers, particularly with regard to ways in which lightweighting and electrification of aerospace and automotive applications are influencing finishing operations. Peter Mirabello is chairman of Metal Finishing Technologies LLC, a company with a 75-year legacy in metal finishing with much of its work focused on aerospace and defense, including a large maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) division. Mirabello recently spoke with Products Finishing about his passion for surface finishing and trends shaping the industry today.