A Conversation With ... Pat Wenino

Pat Wenino is the new mechanical finishing columnist at Products Finishing magazine and a veteran of more than 30 years in the industry. He also just recently published a new textbook called Metal and Composite Finishing, designed for manufacturing engineers and manufacturing process personnel. We caught up with Wenino, who is based in Broomfield, Colo.,  to give readers some insight into our new columnist.

 

PF: How did you get your start in finishing?

PW: I was selling machine tools in Denver in 1980 when an opportunity to sell mechanical metal finishing equipment presented itself. Specializing in finishing machines looked and proved to be a very interesting and rewarding career.

 

PF: What other jobs have you worked outside the finishing business?

PW: I started my career in motel management, and then sales of aluminum and machine tools in the metalworking industry.

 

PF: You just published your book on metal and composite finishing. What led you to write the book? Tell us about the process of putting it all together.

PW: The idea of writing Metal and Composite Finishing began in the early 1990s. It was apparent the engineers in the manufacturing industry had had very little exposure to mechanical finishing within their college curricula. The lack of written knowledge and 27 years of machine sales and process development in all areas of abrasive, blasting and mass finishing led to the book idea. The process of putting the book together started in 2008 and took five years of writing, rewriting, organizing and reorganizing to appeal to an engineering and process manufacturing personnel audience. The book editing took quite a bit of time and effort.

PF: What are some new innovations you see coming to fruition in the mechanical metal and composite finishing industry?

PW: Product manufacturers are shortening their product life cycles to be more innovative and competitive, therefore decreasing order quantities, lead times and inventory. Manufactures are also producing more complex parts for specialized industries, leaving the low-dollar competitive parts for others. Finishing systems have to adapt to the customer demands that tend to be specialized, compact and flexible, with accelerated process time cycles, within a cellular manufacturing structure.

 

PF: What is the best piece of personal or professional advice you were given, and by whom?

PW: My personal advice is to maintain interest in learning and learn by your failures. My father’s advice with business decisions is to consider that your first loss may be your best loss, and don’t drag out a loss by using good energy for possible increased negative results.