Let me start off 2004 by apologizing for the cheesy “Matrix” reference
in the headline above. I’m a huge fan of the films, and figure that since
I didn’t make so much as a single “Matrix” reference in 2003, I
was entitled to at least one in 2004. But then again, the “Matrix” is
soooo 2003.
To be fair, my motivation for using the word “reloaded” isn’t entirely
Matrix-based. After all, January is traditionally a time when we “reload”
our personal and professional lives, taking stock of the previous 365 days and
setting new objectives for the year ahead. The business world is no exception
to that rule.
In the past couple of years, I’ve made it a point to let our readers know
what PF has on the docket for the upcoming year. So in that tradition, I’d
like to share with you some of the things we have in store for our readers in
2004.
Editorial Advisory Panel
Perhaps the change that I’m most excited about is the addition to Products
Finishing magazine of an Editorial Advisory Panel (EAP). Sometimes, advisory panels
have a tendency to turn into little more than just a list of individual and company
names on a masthead somewhere, leaving readers to wonder what kind of contribution
those people actually make to the publication. This will not be the case with
PF. Not only will the members of our EAP play an active role in determining the
short and long-term future of Products Finishing, but they are going to be playing
an active role in the month-to-month production of our publication by authoring
articles and moderating our PF Online Forums. Plan to see the following names
in our publication on a regular basis:
•Lyle Gilbert (powder coating) is no stranger to PF, nor to the industry.
Having served this past year as the Moderator of PF Online’s Electrocoating
Forum, Mr. Gilbert is an experienced veteran of the coating industry. He worked
for 26 years in various positions with MetoKote Corporation, Lima, OH. Mr. Gilbert
is an SME Certified Manufacturing Engineer in the field of Coating and has delivered
technical papers at several coating conferences. Now working as an Industrial
Coating Consultant, he has authored several articles for Products Finishing magazine
and other trade magazines.
•Bob McElroy (painting) is marketing services manager for Sherwin-Williams
Chemical Coatings Division. He joined Sherwin-Williams in 1984 and has many years
of experience in sales, service and product development, working with OEMs and
their finishing vendors in the metal, plastic and wood finishing industries. He
is a member of the Chemical Coaters Association International (CCAI) and the Society
of Plastic Engineers (SPE) and holds a B.S. degree in business management from
Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Mr. McElroy is based at the company’s
Cleveland, Ohio headquarters.
•Ray Dargis (plating) has over fifty-six years of experience in the metal
finishing and metallurgy industries. An educator at heart, Mr. Dargis spent the
majority of his career working for McGean-Rohco. In recent years, he was instrumental
in securing the use of the McGean World Training Center (which he also helped
design and build) for hosting AESF courses. In addition, as project manager for
the Small Business Environmental Assistance Center at Cuyahoga Community College,
he championed the offering of AESF courses there. This past summer, The American
Electroplaters and Surface Finishers Society (AESF) awarded Mr. Dargis the Charles
Henry Proctor Leadership Award, one of the industry’s most prestigious honors.
Management Column
Last year, one of the comments that we heard most often in plant visits and
reader correspondence was that you wanted more management-oriented content in
our publication. Consequently, we’ve brought on board a new management
column, authored by Dr. Ted Pollock. Much of Dr. Pollock’s career has been
devoted to helping business people maximize their effectiveness. He holds a
Ph.D. from Columbia University and is the author of a number of highly popular
books, including Managing Effectively and Sales Secrets of the Pros, as well
as of hundreds of articles for the business press. His column debuts in the
February issue of Products Finishing magazine.
Solutions
Beginning this month, you’ll notice a new section of the magazine called
“Solutions.” Coming on the heels of last year’s introduction
of our “Quality Finishing” section, “Solutions” is designed
to open readers’ eyes to supplier-driven solutions to the day-to-day obstacles
faced by today’s captive finishing plants and jobs shops. You can find
our inaugural “Solutions” article on page 48.
Special Projects
Continue to keep your eyes open in 2004 for special print and web-based projects
designed to take your understanding of various finishing processes to the next
level. One project currently in development is our UV Technology supplement,
which will run in the April 2004 issue of PF. Developed in association with
Radtech International, the supplement will focus on the evolving role of UV
technology in three key areas: powder coating, automotive and plastics. Based
on the incredible success of past supplements, we’re very excited about
this project.
Included in the supplement will be the results of our UV Awareness Survey. We
invite all of our readers to participate in this survey at www.pfonline.com/uv.
Spend five minutes providing us with your input, and you could win a Panasonic
DVD player, and the “Adventures of Indiana Jones” DVD box set!
Other Improvements
Don’t think we’ve forgotten about PF Online, the Directory & Technology
Guide (PFD) or any of the other tools that make PF the industry’s #1 publication.
We are constantly revisiting and reinvesting in these products in order to make
them even more valuable for our readers. For instance, we’re currently
looking at some ways to make the PFD an even better resource for buyers of finishing
equipment and commodities.
We have also developed a new Anodizing Zone on PF Online. Functioning similarlry
to our other process zones, the Anodizing Zone conveniently organizes all of
our anodizing resources, databases, archives and special features in one location,
making it easier to find and access information that is specific to anodizing.
You can visit the Anodizing Zone at www.pfonline.com/anodize.
As always, the ability of Products Finishing magazine to evolve and mature hinges
on reader feedback. Please continue to write and call to let us know what you
think, even if that feedback isn’t always positive. In the end, it’s
the readers who are the core of this publication.
