Why the EPA Targets the Finishing Industry

Buried a bit in the announcement by Lee Zeldin, the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, of the Trump Administration’s plans to limit the amount of PFAS producers of the toxic substances that can discharge into the water was a nugget that leaped off the page.

Stopping the Slide: The Need for Written Industry Research

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.

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Fellow Finisher

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.

Finding the Hard Truth on Hard Chrome

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.

Keeping it All in the Family at Finishing Shops

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.

Finishers Expect Another Bumpy Ride in 2024

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.

Is There a Dr. Flanders in the House?

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.”

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Tim Pennington, Editor-in-chief

TPennington 3Tim Pennington is Editor-in-Chief of Finishing and Coating, and has covered the industry since 2010. He has traveled extensively throughout North America visiting shops and production facilities, and meeting those who work in the industry. Tim began his career in the newspaper industry, then wound itself between the sports field with the PGA Tour and marketing and communications firms, and finally back into the publishing world in the finishing and coating sector. If you want to reach Tim, just go here.

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