blurring the lines between ‘coaters’ and ‘platers’
TRANSCRIPT
tuckerstake
Take a look at the Finishers’Directory section in this issue
(page 51) and you’ll find somethinga little peculiar—a plethora of “liq-uid painting and powder coatingcompanies” with neither the words“painting” nor “coating” in theirmonikers. Odder still, there are sev-eral prominent “platers” listedamongst the firms specializing in“organic finishing” services.
What gives? The short answer is we’re wit-
nessing the acceleration of a trendmarked by increased diversificationinto a broader range of serviceofferings to meet an equally bur-geoning demand among OEMs,end users, etc. I like to think of it asan “evolution” of sorts—a phenom-enon that persists even in a matureindustry such as ours. More impor-tantly, it provides hard evidencethat surface finishers are indeedinvesting in their businesses andoperations to put themselves in abetter position to capitalize onemerging opportunities.
I have had the good fortune ofexperiencing this evolution first-hand, courtesy of shop ownersaround the country who have wel-comed me into their facilities overthe years. A handful of examples:Professional Plating (Brillion, Wis.),which, in addition to traditionalrack- and barrel-plating servicesoffers black oxide finishes, powdercoating, and epoxy- and acrylic e-coat services; C.R. Hudgins Plating(Lynchburg, Va.), which supple-ments its strengths in zinc platingand chromate conversion on alu-minum with powder coating capa-bilities; and Paramount Metal
Finishing (Linden, N.J.), whichboasts the ability to provide “morethan 50” finishing options, rangingfrom barrel/rack plating, conversioncoating, passivation, chem film andanodizing, as well as robotic andmanual liquid painting and powdercoating, among others.
This drive to expand into a greaterarray of organic finishing capabili-ties is in line with an overarchingtrend toward higher paint and pow-der coating consumption. Accordingto some recent statistics provided byGlobal Industry Analysts, Inc. (GIA),the worldwide coatings market isexpected to surpass $98 billion by2015. Among the primary driversbehind this forecast: rapid industri-alization, economic activity andvibrant demand from automotiveand construction sectors in develop-ing countries, as well as technologi-cal and new product developments,and shifts in regulatory/environ-mental requirements in Europe andthe U.S.—all of which is spurringnovel coating formulations.
The Asia-Pacific region, led byadvances from high growth marketssuch as China, India, and Indonesiashow the greatest potential, withEurope, the U.S., and Brazil follow-ing closely, the GIA report showed.Within specific product groups,architectural coatings and “specialpurpose” finishes are expected tolead the charge.
Either way you slice it, it all bodeswell for finishers willing to expandtheir parameters.
Blurring the Lines Between ‘Coaters’ and ‘Platers’
September 2011Volume 109 - Number 6
PublisherGreg Valero
EditorReginald Tucker
Publisher EmeritusEugene B. Nadel
Art Director - Production ManagerSusan [email protected]
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