Ralph Capalbo says he feels like royalty these days, although the remark comes with a tongue firmly planted against his cheek.
The CEO of New Method Plating in Worcester, MA, is semi-retired and has abdicated his presidency responsibilities to his sons, Chris and Nick, who share the co-president title.
“I have been relegated to the position of CEO, which is kind of like the King of England, a figurehead,” says Ralph, who had worked at the shop since he was 12 for his father, who founded the business in 1931 when he was just 17 years old.
Automated Metal Finishing Facility
Nick Capalbo and Chris Capalbo are the new co-presidents of New Method Plating in Worcester, MA.New Method Plating is an automated metal finishing facility that has four automated plating lines. It has just 17 employees, but thanks to automation, only 12 are direct production workers.
“Because of this automation, the work processed is uniformly consistent, and job turnaround time is rapid,” says Chris Capalbo. “It results in greater customer satisfaction and retention.”
This operational production philosophy was set in place several decades ago by the late Ralph Capalbo Sr., the founder of the company. It has been nurtured by the second generation and is being perpetuated and expanded upon by the present third generation of Chris and Nick.
“Having two siblings that bring different talents to the table working together towards a common goal is a good receipt for success,” Ralph Jr. says.
Known for Cadmium Plating Finishes
Ralph Capalbo, Jr.New Method Plating is known throughout the eastern seaboard and the Midwest for its cadmium plating finish but is also accomplished on zinc, nickel, and copper-nickel.
“The ability to plating on zinc die castings is a specialty we’re proud of,” Nick says.
Cadmium plating is typically used in the aerospace industry and other environments exposed to high salt concentrations and is usually paired with substrate materials such as steel, copper, various types of iron, and powdered metals.
New Method is Nadcap AS7108 approved for cadmium, as well as being able to meet Mil-Specs in AMS QQ-P-416; AMS 2400, ASTM B766, MIL-STD-171, ASTM F1914, ISO 4042, and ASTM B850.
Cadmium has a number of properties that set it apart as a coating material and is known as a sacrificial coating since it corrodes and breaks down before the underlying material, adding a layer of protection to the metal below.
But cadmium plating chemistry involves the use of several toxins, including a cyanide bath and post-treated with chromate sealant, which is all heavily regulated because of their toxicity. Those environmental concerns restrict its use to only a few industries and applications, mainly aerospace and defense.
Rebuilt Industrial Wastewater Treatment Facility
New Method was forced to completely rebuild its industrial wastewater treatment facility because of the use of cadmium process.Cadmium is highly toxic to humans and classified as carcinogenic; therefore, extensive safety measures are required in order to process it.
“We gave a strong emphasis on aerospace and defense, but do a fair amount of industrial hardware, security devices such as locks, and automotive,” says Chris, who also is on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Surface Finishers.
Unfortunately, being known as a major player in the cadmium plating market has had its rough spots for New Method, too, and over the past few years, the facility has been forced to completely rebuild industrial wastewater treatment facility (IWTF) because of the use of cadmium process.
“With cadmium plating being the major part of our business comes the repercussion of having a target on our back from the local sewer authority,” Ralph says.
The municipality recently lowered the discharge limit for cadmium by a multiple of six, down to 0.07 parts per million (PPM), resulted in New Method having to replace their former hydroxide precipitation treatment system with a membrane filtration system in order to achieve the extremely low discharge limits.
It was an additional expense by New Method that doesn’t bring any new revenue in the door, however.
“This type of investment, unfortunately, does not have an ROI,” Nick says. “It only allows us to put a key in the door and open for business every morning.”
Added an Aluminum Chem Film Line to Process List
New Method specializes in cadmium finishes.New Method also added an aluminum chem film line during the past two years. The sealant is designed to adhere to the surface of metal components to provide a protective layer against corrosion and is relatively inexpensive to apply. It provides a smooth, clean finish that can be left as-is or used as a primer for a final paint application. The facility maintains a wide range of chem-film certifications, including ISO 9001:2015, AS9100, Nadcap AS7108, and Mil-Spec MIL-DTL-5541.
The company has come a long since 17-year-old Ralph Sr. started the company in 1931 during the depression. With the enthusiasm of youth, the business traces its origins to when he once lectured an older person in his 40s on why that person’s business had failed, who told Ralph Sr. “If you’re so smart, do it yourself.”
Ralph says he has worked hard to maintain his father’s solid creed for running the business, which was producing quality finishing services at a fair price and with honesty.
“I’ve found over the years that the most important part of a business or any relationship is saying what you’re going to do and then doing what you said you’d do,” he says. “Nobody likes to be lied to.”
Chris says reputation and word-of-mouth advertising brings plenty of work to their doorstep.
“Satisfied customers have been our greatest source of attracting new and retaining existing customers,” he says.
Proudest Moment When Two Children Take Over
Ralph Capalbo, Sr. at the age of 27. It was professionally taken for Plant Engineering magazine as a promotional article for Caterpillar Diesel. Ralph Jr. says the story goes that he was at odds with the power company for constantly going up on his rates; they told him if he didn’t like it to make his own power, so he did with a Caterpillar Generator, which ran the entire plant until he started growing too fast and the capital expense of upgrading the generators became too much to handle.Ralph says he is extremely confident that Nick and Chris are going to lead the company the way his father wanted it to be led. He says one of his proudest days was when he realized that two of his children would be taking over and successfully operating the business that his father had started and turn it into a third-generation operation.
“Any day you can help a customer succeed in achieving their goals is a good day,” Ralph says. “But nothing can surpass the pride and joy of watching your children perpetuating your lifelong efforts and aspirations.”
He says he has nothing but the best feeling for the future of New Method Plating.
“Chris and Nick have the foresight and vision to develop new processes, adjust to market conditions and demands, and invest in and implement new technologies were needed to move the business forward,” Ralph says.
