Marko Duffy is enjoying his fourth decade in the finishing industry, but the last four have been the whirlwind he has always dreamed about.
Marko DuffyThe Managing Director at TDF Metal Finishing in Danvers, Massachusetts — who took the job in 2021 after a lengthy career on the supplier side of the business — has transformed the once family-owned company in just a little over four years.
Duffy has helped the shop, founded in 1984, become accredited by the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program and has added new finishing lines and more processes. More importantly, he won over the 30 employees by fostering a culture of accountability and appreciation.
No one told him it would be easy to accomplish what the shop owners, Phenna Group from the United Kingdom — who also own nearby Hansen Aerospace — wanted: getting TDF Metal Finishing Nadcap certified, updating its processes, and installing a few new lines.
But that didn’t stop Duffy, who on his LinkedIn profile calls himself the “World's Most Collaborative Plater.”
Marching Orders: Get to the Highest Quality Level of Finishing
TDFMF is accredited for anodizing, electroless nickel, chem films, silver plating, and several passivates.“It's not easy, but when you have great platers, a great organization, and really good infrastructure, it helps,” Duffy says. “When you go from commercial ISO9001 and doing good, quality work with good, quality procedures and processes, Nadcap is still a whole other level.”
Phenna’s marching orders to Duffy and TDFMF were simple: get to the highest quality level of finishing you can get to, and we’ll support you in the process. It was necessary because Hansen Aerospace was pursuing a more sophisticated level of work in aerospace and defense, and they needed their sister company to reach the same level.
The work started on Day 1 when Duffy was hired to take over for founder Thomas Ferrairo. He worked to rapidly integrate TDFMF into today’s business landscape, evolving the company into one capable of meeting the needs of machine shops, fabricators, and OEMs throughout the region, serving a multitude of industries.
“We basically changed every chemistry in the building,” Duffy says. “Everything had to be updated with newer processes that we were sure to see in Nadcap requirements. The lab did a good job, but it’s not just a lab now; it's a lab on steroids. We are analyzing tanks at three or four times the frequency that they were being analyzed before.”
Of course, the devil is in the details, and the system paperwork for a process has gone from maybe two pages to 9 or 11 pages, depending on the process. The added complications of the newer materials included finishing tasks such as hydrogen embrittlement bakes and stress relief bakes, as well as the additional checks that needed to be done.
“Basically, it was that rising tide that had to lift every ship at TDF,” Duffy says. “From the attention of the operators, to the skill level, to the analysis and consistency, to the order entry. I joke that some companies could process an order faster than a Nadcap shop can even just enter the order.”
Adding Black Oxide Class Four
Duffy says most of the company staff rose to that occasion. A few employees leveraged their experience to enhance their electroplating knowledge and expertise.TDFMF is accredited for anodizing, electroless nickel, chem films, silver plating, and several passivates. They also plate tin and zinc for some aerospace work. The shop recently started doing black oxide class four — often called black passivate — and eliminated their black oxide on steel process.
The process has helped them secure work in the medical industry and in certain aerospace applications. The non-reflective black finish works well in conjunction with optical machines, cameras, microscopes, or telescope-type applications.
“We're really focusing on class four because we think it has a lot of growth potential and not a lot of folks out there are doing it,” Duffy says. “We've really mastered it and we're doing a good job. Maybe not this upcoming Nadcap audit, but the next one we'll add that to the Nadcap umbrella.”
The titanium and nickel lines have recently started up and are producing for the shop. Their first customer was Hanson Aerospace, where they are doing titanium and nickel alloy etching. The customers are two of the top aircraft engine manufacturers in the U.S., and the forgings are first rough-machined at Hanson Aerospace before being ultrasonically inspected to ensure they are suitable for finishing.
“One vendor that came in and saw the line told me it screams that this is not our first rodeo, and I took that as a great compliment.”
After TDF etches the parts, they inspect the grain structure to ensure that the grains of the titanium and nickel alloys meet the specifications. It then undergoes fluorescent particle inspection, and upon passing, it returns to final machining.
Duffy says it is a process that not many shops can do, or even want to tackle, for that matter.
“These are big lines and have some nasty acids,” he says. “We've got hydrofluoric acid, nitric and ferric chloride, and things like that in there. It's an aggressive process, but we built a lot of safety features into the line that protect the operator.”
Additional Space Brings More Room
The previous owners acquired the space for the lines in 2020, when a soccer academy next door was forced to close due to the pandemic.The previous owners acquired the space for the lines in 2020, when a soccer academy next door was forced to close due to the pandemic. They shared the space with a nearby machine shop across the parking lot, and it was perfect when TDF needed to expand.
The room that holds the lines is 65 feet long and made entirely of plastic to help stop building erosion. Even the suspended ceiling is made of plastic, as are the walls. And it’s all because of the aggressive acids of the process, which Duffy says will eventually take their toll on the building structure if protective measures are not taken.
“The performance and the built-in safety add to the quality in that line,” he says. “One vendor that came in and saw the line told me it screams that this is not our first rodeo, and I took that as a great compliment.”
But aside from getting new and upgraded equipment as TDF prepared to tackle Nadcap accreditation, Duffy knew he also had to prepare his existing team for what was about to take place. He understood that he needed to get everyone on board with the certification process, which included ensuring they understood what was at stake for TDF in earning Nadcap credentials.
”We had to make sure that they understood the importance of it,” he says. “But a big part of it was making sure that these folks understood the opportunity for them to get their next raise, and to be doing higher-level work to help the company grow.”
“We paid for him to go to the school for it, and I thought that, if he doesn't make it, it's okay, and we're not going to cut him off at the knees. But that's another example of a guy who started at the bottom and worked his way into a great position. He's in a great spot and a young man.”
Duffy says most of the company staff rose to that occasion, and for some, it was almost too much. A few employees leveraged their experience to enhance their electroplating knowledge and expertise, ultimately transitioning to new roles at other companies.
“In a couple of cases, they rose to the occasion and right out the door and on to bigger and better things, but that's the risk we take,” he says. “There were a couple of folks that I was mentoring, and a good mentor knows they are going to leave at some point. A great mentor hopes you do, so in some cases, that was good for them. I always tell people, ‘If you ever want to get a promotion, make sure there's somebody who knows your job.’”
Backfilling of Positions Helps Grow Staff
Duffy constantly trains employees in other aspects of the operation, enabling him to easily promote them when an opening occurs.However, Duffy says that “backfilling” positions has become a good practice at TDF. He constantly trains employees in other aspects of the operation, enabling him to easily promote them when an opening occurs.
A case in point is Mike Lombardi, who worked for seven years in the TDF masking department before being promoted to company chemist.
”He was literally putting round plugs into round holes, and he was really good at it, and we do some incredible masking,” Duffy says. “But I've been around long enough to know a good lab guy when I see one, and I said to him, ‘You're a lab guy.’ And he said, ‘I'm nervous.’ I said, ‘Trust me on this.’ And I challenged him not only to become a chemist, but to become a Nadcap-certified chemist. And three years later, he's a Nadcap chemist, he's really good at it, and he's getting paid for it.”
Another example was an employee who started in sandblasting and was promoted to run the laser engraving department. Duffy saw how skilled the employee was in learning the new craft and challenged him to take on even more responsibilities.
Duffy eventually sent the staff member to train to obtain his Massachusetts Level III Wastewater License, which he is working to achieve before the end of the year. Now, TDF has a new wastewater operator engineer to help run that department even more efficiently.
“You have to grow your own. All of this was provided by grants and done with the support of the Phenna Group, and it is all reimbursed. We put out a fair amount of cash at any given time, but we get reimbursed as long as we keep that paperwork straight. It's a tremendous program.”
“We paid for him to go to the school for it, and I thought that, if he doesn't make it, it's okay, and we're not going to cut him off at the knees,” he says. “But that's another example of a guy who started at the bottom and worked his way into a great position. He's in a great spot and a young man —does he want to be the chief operator someday? Where does he want to go with it? We created that opportunity, and we've really tried to do that for a lot of folks.”
Apprenticeship Program Spurs New Leaders
Zachary Orlando completed 150 hours in an apprenticeship program sponsored and funded by the Massachusetts and the Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Council.Another success story is Zachary Orlando, who completed 150 hours in an apprenticeship program sponsored and funded by the Massachusetts and the Northeast Advanced Manufacturing Council. In addition to extensive external training, Orlando invested countless hours in hands-on in-house training at TDF, deepening his technical skills and sharpening his expertise.
As a key member of TDF’s incoming inspection and contract review teams, Duffy says Orlando plays a critical role in ensuring quality at every stage, from specification evaluation to material analysis and processing procedures.
“Zach is a vital part of the TDF team,” he says. “His commitment to learning and improving not only strengthens our processes but also sets a high standard for quality and precision. We're excited to see him continue to grow with us.”
Jameson O’Keefe, another 20-year-old working at TDF, also went through the apprenticeship program and is now the shop’s Quality Administrator. Through a Massachusetts program partially funded by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he attends classes at the University of Massachusetts Lowell two days a week and participates in the Manufacturing Technologist program.
“You have to grow your own,” Duffy says. “All of this was provided by grants and done with the support of the Phenna Group, and it is all reimbursed. We put out a fair amount of cash at any given time, but we get reimbursed as long as we keep that paperwork straight. It's a tremendous program.”
Gary Smith, John Miller, Tom Moore and Duffy have over 200 years of experience in electroplating and finishing.
Seasoned Veterans Help TDF in Fundamentals
And it hasn’t been just the youngest workers that Duffy has been focusing on. He has three part-time employees — Gary Smith, John Miller, and Tom Moore — who, along with Duffy, have over 200 years of experience in electroplating and finishing.
They each lend an ear when Duffy needs it, and they are more than happy to help anyone younger than them — which seems to be the entire staff — when the need arises.
The TDF Metal Finishing team.“TDF has become the old horse farm,” Duffy says. “They all bring invaluable experience and knowledge. Gary has become an integral part of our quality team and contract review process, helping us understand and document orders. Tom helped us rebuild the entire factory facility, and he has been instrumental in our infrastructure development and rebuilding efforts. Johnny has 40 years of experience in wastewater treatment and works Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and loves his hours.”
Looking back, Duffy says the last four years have almost been a blur to him in how fast it has gone by, but that it has also been some of the most enjoyable and rewarding work he has done in his life.
The amount of change has been tremendous, and TDF's direction has shifted considerably with the new accreditation. And for Duffy, there were a few times when he questioned his own sanity in what he was getting himself into.
“I have on occasion told myself you can't put six pounds of sugar in a five-pound bag without something hitting the floor,” he says. “At one point, I was building the big etch line, we were creating the culture that we needed to have, and we were implementing Nadcap. Any one of those three things would've been a really cool and fun job. It’s a credit to everybody in this company that they were willing to come along and that there was a lot of trust in me and in the decisions that we were making.”
