Believe it or not, there was a time before PowerPoint when the top minds in the surface finishing industry would stand before their peers and read a written paper on their research and process breakthroughs that they would share with others in a meaningful way to educate others.

One of the biggest criticisms I hear about the finishing and coating industry is the overall lack of innovation in technology and processes.

When people introduce themselves as electroplaters, anodizers, powder coaters, or any type of surface finisher,  I am always drawn to a simple conclusion that is more obvious: they are business owners and managers who just happen to apply a finish.

Lately, the finishing industry in California has resembled the Black Knight character in Monty Python and the Holy Grail movie.

The finishing industry is a uniquely niche manufacturing sector. It is often run by family businesses that have been in operation for decades and passed down through generations.

The spoil belongs to the victor, and surface finishers are certainly hoping that the new federal administration taking office in January will somehow derail the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's current path.

We'll call him Bill since on TV, and in the movies, they always say they changed the name to protect the innocent, which I am not exactly sure what that means.

This month, Jim Castiglia, our esteemed business coach writer who assists entrepreneurial business owners, wrote an interesting article that points out something that I have seen in almost two decades of covering the finishing and coating industry.

It was four years ago that this all began—right in the middle of the pandemic—when we all looked at each other and asked, "Why not?"

As we all know, actions have consequences, and I'm sure many of us have been told that many times, including when we were kids, and our parents were trying to teach us the difference between right and wrong.

Trust me; I wasn't trying to start a major uprising when I reported on a Stellantis official going on CNN saying that the automaker was removing chrome from its cars in the next wave of style enhancements.

Finishing and coating shops are, by their nature, family businesses. It seems that 60% or more of shops are owned and operated by a family, usually one entering its fourth, fifth, or sixth decade, if not more.

Hardly a week goes by that I don't get an item on my Google news feed on finishing that someone from the industry has passed away.

Ivan Padron didn't roll over when government officials tried to shut down his metal finishing operation.

I’m not sure what attracted so much attention to my article on the nine Connecticut plating shops that forged a partnership to help ensure a reliable workforce in the future.

Most finishers are eternal pessimists, which is appropriate considering they never know when their next order may come through the door or if they might get undercut by a cheaper coater down the road, which has been in business for only a few years.

Any day now, more than 2,000+ electroplating shops will get a letter from the U.S. EPA asking them to take an extensive survey called “Chrome Finishing Industry Data Collection.”

It seems as if a lot of shops have made their shopping list for new or upgraded equipment for their electroplating and anodizing operations, which is a great indication of how strong the finishing industry truly is.

Eric Svenson Sr. has been fighting the good fight to save hexavalent chromium processing for some time now.

There were no candles to blow out, no cake to eat, no singing "He's a Jolly Old Fellow" or anything like that.

Hooking up to your local community wastewater treatment system is becoming even more of a risk factor for your finishing and coating operations.

Don McLean’s “American Pie” bemoans the day the music died in our country following the death of Buddy Holly and others in a 1959 plane crash.