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Jim Destefani
Senior Editor
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Tainted Toys?
First it was pet food, then toothpaste. Most recently, toys imported from China and found to have excessive levels of lead in paint are the subject of a recall by the world’s largest toy company, Mattel.
Oh, those Chinese manufacturers. They flout worker safety and environmental concerns in their own country while exporting substandard and even dangerous goods to countries around the world.
But who’s really to blame for the latest mess? Is it the suppliers? Is it the multinational corporations outsourcing manufacturing while providing minimal oversight of suppliers in low-labor-cost countries? Is it consumers in the U.S. and other developed countries, whose appetite for low-cost goods of all types fuels the outsourcing?
No doubt there’s plenty of blame to go around. Typically, it’s being shifted from one party to the next. But maybe some positives will come out of this latest mess. Mattel’s CEO, for example, recently told Congress that his company will significantly increase paint inspection frequency and test every batch delivered to every vendor. In China, the government was shocked into imposing a product safety regime that will begin to protect its own citizens.
And maybe, for some types of goods at least, the pendulum is beginning to swing away from “low-cost at all costs” to a more sensible focus on both quality and cost. If so, that should bode well for U.S. manufacturers.
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ALSO In this issue..
- The Finisher's Perspective
- Painting
- Plating
- Electrocoating
- New Products
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Feature Article--Changing Your Painting Process
Change can be difficult, but this company embraced it by encouraging employees to continually generate ideas. This resulted in a switch to electrostatic bells on the painting line. To read more, click here.
Painting Clinic--Masking Machined Surfaces
A reader whose company produces industrial control valves is looking for a way to protect machined surfaces on the parts. Find out the response of our painting expert Carl Izzo by clicking here.
Painting Forum--Painting Stainless Steel Fabrications
A reader is fabricating stainless steel posts that need to be painted to loosely match an existing color. Can you recommend a pretreatment/paint procedure? Click here.
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Feature Article--Five Minute Guide to Plating
This helpful article covers the basics of plating in a simple, easy-to-use format. To read more, click here.
Plating Clinic--Porous Deposits
Dense, homogeneous deposits good, porous deposits bad. This reader’s looking for tips on how to reduce porosity in plated deposits. Our plating expert Art Kushner responds here.
Plating Forum--Failing CASS
A reader is experiencing problems with accelerated salt-spray test results. Parts meet deposit thickness and other requirements, yet some fail while others do not. Any ideas what he should be looking for? Click here.
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Feature article --Meeting the Challenges of Contract Electrocoating
Processing a range of products for a varied customer base is just one of the many challenges in running a custom electrocoating line. To read more, click here.
Electrocoating Clinic--Anode Placement in an E-coat Bath
This reader is asking for specific recommendations on proper anode placement in an electrocoat bath. To read the response of our e-coat expert Ron Jacob, click here.
Electrocoating Forum--Uneven E-Coating
This reader is experiencing uneven e-coat application on a copper substrate. Think you can help? Click here.
From the product repository of PF Online
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