I like a good party just as much as the next person. I enjoy hanging out on the beaches of some resorts, sipping Mai Tais, and shooting the yuck with someone who is also enjoying ocean breezes on the company dime.
But what I see a lot lately, when I read about industry gatherings, is what is not being discussed: the core issues that threaten the industry and how to solve them, or at least lessen their impact.
Our article in this issue about the changes in the metal finishers association in California — and how they are taking big steps to address these concerns — made me jot down a few things that should be on the agenda at every industry function, somewhere in between the tee shots and the pig luaus. It's what nearly every shop owner and manager I speak to has a concern about, and it's what should be driving the topics of discussion to help ease some of the pain these operations are facing.
Here is my Top 5 list of concerns, as told to me by dozens of shop owners and managers:
1. Regulatory Matters: It isn't just the national EPA rules that are the main concern, but also the state and local regulations that are starting to creep up and impact finishing operations. The industry needs to generate new scientific data that supports its cause, where applicable.
2. Staffing and Training: nearly every shop could use a few more hands — or a lot of them — but it is hard to attract talent. Perhaps an industry initiative that speaks to high-tech manufacturing, the industry's longevity, and the importance of how finishing shapes the Made-In-America mantra.
3. Insurance: nearly every shop is facing either higher premiums or dropped coverage. Those in the insurance industry say it is because of the perceived notion that the finishing industry is a riskier industry to insure, and they say that an initiative to change that notion must be undertaken by the industry itself; again, a scientific and data-driven study would help shops when they take information to their broker to shop for premiums. Perhaps an ad hoc committee that studies the root causes of these rate hikes or drops and works to correct the misinformation out there that seems to be the basis for them.
4. Industry Partnerships: the finishing and coating industry is one of the key functions in the manufacturing cycle in the U.S., so perhaps working more closely with fabricating and assembly industries to align issues and concerns, much like the way California is doing it with their partnership, the California Metal Coalition. Yes, the national association has a somewhat working relationship with the automotive sector. Still, we are talking about working much more closely with the stampers, the casters, the machining, the fabrication, and the assembly sectors, who come to rely on finishers as the final step in the process.
5. Stronger Unification: It is no secret that perhaps 80% of finishers and coaters do not belong to their national association. The reason is obvious: those groups seem to have lost touch with what matters to shop owners and managers, and they mostly function to host an annual trade show where vendors can display their wares. If they start talking about what’s top of mind for these shops, they might get their attention. But there is a definite need to get more shop owners — who want to be involved in something truly worthwhile to them — at the table to discuss pain points and how to solve them, so the industry can flourish. And that comes with a complete 180° turn in thinking.
Yes, tackling these issues will take time, energy, and money. But it is needed to keep the finishing and coating industry thriving for decades to come.
Tim 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 
