It's Good to be Back ... Now, Where Was I?

I’m back. Did I miss anything?

It was in February when I stepped away from my duties as an editor in the finishing and coating industry. For 10 years, I crisscrossed the United States, Canada and once even in Mexico to see plating lines, watch powder coating take place, and occasionally give a speech or two to industry folks.

Between February and the first part of June, I’ve done a lot of thinking, smoked a few great (and not-so-great) cigars, sat with my dog on my deck, played horrible golf, watched a few TV shows, read some books that have been sitting on my shelf for several years, and played Uno with my wife and two college daughters more than I want to admit.

I do recall something about a pandemic and civil unrest taking place, but I was too busy thinking about my next step in life. And then it hit me: keep doing what I love to do, which is cover the finishing and coating industry. Of course, that makes it easy to name this website, FinishingandCoating.com. I didn’t have to hire a marketing firm for that.

When I designed this site, there were a few things I wanted to include in it besides profiling shops and writing about the latest technology and innovation.

• The “Find-A-Finisher” database has over 1,400 plating and coating shops in the U.S. and Canada; the goal is to help people find qualified shops and operations easily and get the info they need.
• A Q&A Forum where shop owners and manager can ask and get answers on technical issues or suggestions. It’s a peer-to-peer format, so jump in and ask, or better yet, give someone advice on solving their own dilemma.
• A Job Board for shops to post job openings; it’s a way to help find the perfect candidate for that position you make have in quality, production, management or sales.
• A “Resell Market” where shops can sell unused or unneeded items to other shops; call it E-Bay for finishers and coaters, but there’s no bidding. Just buy it.

I pledge to you to bring information to you that will help you improve your shop’s efficiencies and practices, and to enlighten you on the latest in research and the science of finishing and coatings. I have enjoyed this career more than I can ever tell you, and I hope you get as much out of this site as I think you might. Make sure you drop me a line from the “Contact” page and let me know what you think.

As always, I appreciate all of your support and friendship over the last 10 years.

Tim Pennington is Editor-In-Chief of FinishingandCoating.com. He has written about the industries for over a decade. You can reach him via email here.