- 04 December 2006 -
Giving Thanks During the Holiday Season

The Holiday Season is my favorite time of the year. I've always looked at it as a time to give thanks for our blessings, both personal and professional, and a time to huddle with family members, whether it's over Thanksgiving Day dinner, celebrating upcoming religious holidays, or watching bowl games on New Year's Day.

In the metal finishing industry, we obviously have a lot to be thankful for. Most industry members I spoke to this year reported that 2006 was a good year business-wise. Suppliers tell us there were more investments being made in capital equipment, and raw materials sales improved over last year. Most surface finishers report that business was steady while others noted even greater success in certain niche markets.

The industry's biggest trade show, SUR/FIN 2006, was a success as well, based on feedback we received from SFIC, exhibitors, and attendees alike. SUR/FIN was also the venue that hosted the historic AESF Council of Delegates meeting to ratify the association’s move to join NASF, the last hurdle in the formation of the new single trade association representing AESF, MFSA, and NAMF. I expect SUR/FIN 2007 will be an even bigger success next August in Cleveland, located in the heart of plating country.

Speaking of trade shows and conferences, Powder Coating 2006, held in Indianapolis, served as the backdrop for the 25th anniversary of the Powder Coating Institute, the organization dedicated to promoting the technology to end users. And in the Far East, Guangzhou played host to SFCHINA, Asia’s premier event for the electroplating and powder coating industries. That event drew more than 11, 500 attendees. Meanwhile, SFIC-sponsored events—such as the Washington Forum and SFIC Annual Convention—provided a venue for surface finishers to learn about hot topics and issues impacting their business while providing excellent networking opportunities.

On the environmental front, the industry secured a reasonable outcome on OSHA’s new hexavalent chromium workplace exposure standard. The Policy Group (Washington), the surface finishing industry's government relations arm, posted a significant accomplishment by credibly arguing, on technical and economic grounds, for a more workable and protective limit for affected facilities. As a result, OSHA moved on its proposed reduction of the hex chrome PEL from 1 to 5 ug/m3.

Indeed, these and other developments make 2006 a year to remember. For Metal Finishing, it represented another good year, and we are thankful for the support we received from industry suppliers and readers. We appreciate the opportunity to serve as a conduit for communicating technical and business information as well as a vehicle for promoting new products and services from our advertisers. We would also like to thank SFIC for choosing Metal Finishing to handle the marketing and promotion of SUR/FIN for the second consecutive year.

On behalf of the Metal Finishing team, I’d like to wish you and your families a very healthy and happy Holiday Season.

-- Greg Valero, g.valero@elsevier.com