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224 Miles

Expecting The Unexpected

When Murphy's Law "unexpectedly" delivered five critical parts for simultaneous finishing, instead of the usual one or two, they were processed quickly and without breaking a sweat. Explanation—this supply chain had planned for contingencies everyone agreed would "probably" never materialize...

Fair Conditions Forecast for the Finishing Industry

As the American economy entered 2004 with less anxiety than 2003, many in the manufacturing industry couldn’t stop worrying about the dark cloud that has loomed over it. While the finishing segment has weathered an especially long and severe storm for the past few years, Products Finishing’s 2004 Capital Spending Survey results indicate that the future seems to be clearing…

How to Spot Your "Dependables"

Phasing In

When Ford Motor Company made the decision to expand the paint shop in its St. Thomas Assembly Plant, it sought to do so without losing production time and without sustaining any “lost day” injuries…

Shelf Life

At Thorco Industries—a supplier of point-of-purchase shelves and shelving fixtures—a new pretreatment system is helping to maximize productivity…

The ABC’s of Success…

America’s Best Quality Coatings Corporation — a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based plating job shop—has earned a reputation as one of the nation's biggest and best. Not to mention the fact that the company’s revenue per employee has doubled in the last four years. What’s its secret? A lean but flexible approach to tasks large and small…

The Burn that STILL Burns, Part 1

In November 1978, Products Finishing magazine published “The Burn That Burns,”1 which examined true burn and false burn from bright nickel and chromium systems, as well as some of the remedies. Twenty-six years later, plating practitioners continue to be challenged and frustrated by this aspect of the process, prompting this updated and expanded review, presented in three parts…