Who's Ready to Get On the Road Again?

If you can say anything about the past year, it’s that it hasn’t been boring. Each month I start thinking about a theme for my column to tie together the latest issue of Products Finishing. Every time I start worrying that I’m going to run out of things to say, a quick look at my inbox and to-do list yields the more difficult task of deciding which topic demands the most focus. There is so much going on in the industry at the moment from raw materials shortages and supply chain disruptions to accelerated timelines for imposing new regulations on metal finishers.

PF has recently been reporting on the new hexavalent chrome phase-out deadlines proposed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and what those changes could mean for metal finishers in the state, as well as for the industry at large. Our On the Line podcast interviews delve into some different points of view about the issue from the voices of those in the midst of the conversation:

• Check out an interview with Bryan Leiker, executive director of the Metal Finishers Assn. of California (MFACA) and manager of K&L Anodizing in Burbank and Justin Guzman, president of the Metal Finishing Association of Southern California (MFASC) and president of Aircraft X-Ray Laboratories in Los Angeles. The pair discuss what these aggressive deadlines might mean for California-based finishers and what it could mean for the rest of the country if the industry moves out of state. Listen here: short.pfonline.com/XxoGObuu
• And for another point of view, check out a conversation with Mark Schario, executive vice president with Columbia Chemical, to hear about the latest innovations in trivalent chromium plating technology. Listen here: short.gardnerweb.com/hexpart1

In this issue of PF, as coverage of the conversation revolving around hex chrome regulations continues, Shane Moore of Pavco offers insights into plating operations contemplating switching from decorative hexavalent chromium to trivalent (see page 56).

At the same time, in the face of some definite challenges, the surface finishing industry is ramping up efforts for a return to sorely missed in-person business and networking opportunities. I recently booked my first plane ticket since the COVID pandemic quarantine began last year. After a year of trade show cancellations, it feels strange to be finally gearing up for some in-person events. The first show I plan to attend will be Powder Coating Week in July in Orlando and things are ramping up from there. The Precision Machining Technology Show (PMTS) is in August and features a Parts Cleaning Conference. This month PF offers a preview of September’s FABTECH, which is poised to reunite the manufacturing and finishing industries after the past year’s hiatus (see page 36). In October, Products Finishing is teaming up with our sister publications Modern Machine Shop, CompositesWorld and Plastics Technology for the co-located Top Shops Expo, celebrating shops that participate in the Top Shops benchmarking program and offering programming and networking opportunities aimed at fostering innovation and collaboration (see page 11). Then, in November, the finishing community will have the opportunity to come together at SUR/FIN.

A return to these events will be a balm for an industry that has seen its fair share of challenges during the pandemic. Nevertheless, finishers have persevered through a tough year as a community. As we reunite through in-person events there’s no doubt that sharing the lessons we’ve learned and continue to learn will make the industry stronger as a whole.