- 16 May 2008 -
Technical Conference Track II Highlights Surface Preparation Track II of the SUR/FIN 2008 Technical Conference, which takes place at 2 p.m.–5 p.m. on Monday, June 16, at the Indiana Convention Center, focuses on “Surface Preparation & Treatment.”...more

- 16 May 2008 -
Last Call to Reserve Your Seat for the J.D. Power & Associates Featured Presentation
With SUR/FIN 2008 right around the corner, tremendous excitement is building for the Automotive Symposium featured speaker, Dr. Bob Schnorbus, chief economist and director of macroeconomics at J.D. Power & Associates. However, seating for this event is limited. Therefore, it is highly recommended that attendees reserve their seats ahead of time for this rare special event, which kicks off at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 17, at the Indiana Convention Center....more

- 16 May 2008 -
Proven Tips on Navigating SUR/FIN
With so much to see and do at SUR/FIN 2008, attendees are being advised to make their SUR/FIN “shopping plans” well in advance of the event. The following proven tips show you how....more

- 09 May 2008 -
Technical Conference Kicks Off With Timely Seminars on Electroless Deposition
The highly touted Technical Conference at SUR/FIN 2008, which takes place at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis next month, lifts off on Monday, June 16, with a program dedicated to innovations in electroless nickel....more

- 09 May 2008 -
SUR/FIN Certified Training Course Deadline Approaching
May 29 is the last day to register for the AESF Foundation–certified training courses at SUR/FIN, which takes place June 16–19 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis....more

- 09 May 2008 -
Register Early for SUR/FIN
and Save $$$$!
Early registration for SUR/FIN 2008 ends on Thursday, May 15. After this date, registration fees increase for the conference programs. Don’t delay—register online today!...more

- 02 May 2008 -
PCI Names New Executive Director
The Powder Coating Institute (PCI) has named Steve Houston its new executive director, effective May 1. Houston, who most recently served as global marketing director for DuPont’s Industrial Coatings business, replaces Greg Bocchi, who resigned from PCI on Feb. 20 to accept the executive director position with the Vinyl Institute....more

- 02 May 2008 -
Countdown to SUR/FIN:
NASF Previews 2008
Automotive Symposium Lineup
The value-packed conference program will feature informative technical sessions, an automotive market trends forecast, plus an appearance by J.D. Power & Associates' chief economist....more

- 02 May 2008 -
Metalformers Expect Business Conditions to Weaken Over
Short Term
Metalforming companies expect business conditions to weaken during the next three months. This news comes from the April 2008 Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Conditions Report, released earlier this week....more

- 25 April 2008 -
Nordson Corp. Signs
Distribution Agreement with Sensory Analytics
Nordson Corp., Westlake, Ohio, earlier this week announced that it has signed a license and distribution agreement with Greensboro, N.C.–based Sensory Analytics, a leading developer of innovative coating measurement systems. The distribution agreement enables the exclusive use of certain Sensory Analytics SpecMetrix coating measurement technologies within new Nordson coating measurement offerings for container manufacturers....more

- 25 April 2008 -
Ian Sellars, Managing Director of Elcometer, Passes
Ian Sellars, the owner and managing director of Elcometer, and one of the founders of the modern coating inspection industry, passed away last week. He was 70....more

- 25 April 2008 -
Chemical, Paint Suppliers Report First-Quarter Earnings
DuPont, Rohm & Haas, Co., Sherwin Williams, and PPG were among the market leaders reporting first-quarter earnings....more

- 18 April 2008 -
U.S. Industrial Production Inches Up in March
A newly released report from the Federal Reserve showed U.S. industrial production rose 0.3% in March, despite projections forecasting a decline....more

- 18 April 2008 -
IPC Urges California Members to Act on Chemicals Initiative
The Association Connecting Electronics Industries (IPC) is urging its California members to contact the California Department of Toxic Substances (DTSC) regarding the state’s Green Chemistry Initiative. Through its “Green Chemistry Initiative” the DTSC plans to establish a new framework for chemicals management, which would have major adverse implications for all types of industries, including the electronics industry....more

- 11 April 2008 -
Continental Airlines Receives
EPA Award for Use of Non-Toxic Pretreatment in Aircraft Painting Process
Continental Airlines, the industry's fifth-largest carrier, has received an award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Design for the Environment (DfE) Program. The honor is in recognition of the airline's use of PreKote, an environmentally friendly, non-chromium surface pretreatment for its aircraft. Continental is the first commercial air carrier to use this technology—which is produced by Pantheon Chemical—on its aircraft....more

- 04 April 2008 -
Top Automakers Report Sales Slump in March
First-quarter automotive sales continued on their downward curve as several of the industry’s largest manufacturers reported a slump in sales....more

- 04 April 2008 -
SERFILCO Announces
U.K. Trade Tour
SERFILCO, Ltd., manufacturer and marketer of a broad line of corrosion-resistant pumps, agitators, filtration systems, and instruments, has announced plans to conduct a trade tour in the United Kingdom this fall. The tour, which is slated for Oct. 7–10, 2008, will entail visits to aerospace facilities utilizing SERFILCO’s products and technologies....more

- 13 May 2008 -
Tucker’s Take: Profiles Tell the Story—Yours
This spring marks the one-year anniversary of the launch of Metal Finishing’s Platers/Painters Profile series. Over the course of the past 13 months we’ve delivered rare insights into nearly a half-dozen noteworthy surface finishing operations....more

- 01 April 2008 -
Tucker's Take: Multitasking Tips for Business Owners
Accomplished business owners and people in general can be better multitaskers by mastering the art of managing priorities as situations dictate. So says Jones Loflin, the guest speaker at the recent NASF Management Conference in Los Cabos, Mexico....more

- 01 April 2008 -
Finish Line: It’s Getting Close to Show Time!
Spring is here, which means SUR/FIN 2008 is just around the corner. The National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF) is organizing an event built around comprehensive conference programming complemented by a two-day exhibition showcasing a smorgasbord of surface finishing processes, equipment, products, and services....more

- 16 May 2008 -
DoD Sees Major Impacts from the European Union's New Chemical Regulations
A top Defense Department official says the European Union's (EU) broad chemical regulatory system could have major "indirect" impacts on the Defense Department, including limiting supplies and increasing costs of some materials, although the department will likely be able to comply with the system's direct requirements, such as measures requiring substitution of harmful chemicals. This news comes from a Defense Department alert released earlier this week....more

- 02 May 2008 -
2008 Washington Forum Provides Platform to Air
Critical Issues
Ensuring that “bad” science and misinformation does not factor into legislators’ decision-making processes—especially when drafting laws or rulings that stand to significantly impact the metal finishing industry at large. That was the driving issue that dominated discussions at the 2008 Washington Forum, held April 22–24 at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, D.C....more

- 07 March 2008 -
Policy Group Update
The Policy Group, the educational and advocacy arm of the National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF), next week expects to submit a proposal to the EPA regarding the pending USEPA "Plating and Polishing Rule." According to Christian Richter, one of the Policy Group's principals, the EPA rule would essentially impose new requirements on non-chromium plating processes. The good news: over the last two months The Policy Group, along with industry members, has been able to achieve a major cost avoidance on behalf of the industry. "By working with the EPA over the last couple of years, we've been able to whittle that rulemaking down so that when the rulemaking comes down we're going to see minimal cost to the industry," said Richter, during the 2007 NASF Management Conference in Los Cabos, Mexico, on March 6.

- 16 May 2008 -
In brief...AkzoNobel has agreed to a transfer of the lease on its London base. The company will be moving into new office space a few miles away in Portland House. The Manchester Square property—formerly ICI’s head office—will be taken over by The Boston Consulting Group. The substantial deal has been agreed to just a few months after AkzoNobel’s acquisition of ICI. “We’re very keen to make swift and efficient progress with all aspects of the ICI integration and it’s pleasing to have agreed this transaction so quickly,” said AkzoNobel CEO Hans Wijers. “It’s also a fine example of how focused we are on benefiting from the many synergies we have identified.” The company has taken over the 26th floor of Portland House, which is situated close to Victoria Station. Approximately 75 employees will move to the new location and are due to be in place by the end of June. The Manchester Square deal will officially be finalized in August.

DuPont Industrial CoatingSolutions Brazil recently received the "Partnership Excellence Award" from the John Deere Agricultural Equipment Division at the 2008 John Deere Achieving Excellence Banquet and Supplier Conference. The "Partnership Excellence Award" honors excellence in supply of paint and coatings for 2007. DuPont Industrial CoatingSolutions Brazil excelled in the quality of the coatings, the timely supply of the coatings, and its superior service to John Deere in the application of these coatings.

BASF AG plans to double its manufacturing capacity for certain alkylethonalamines (AEOA) by mid-2009. This expansion is the company's response to increases in its customers demand for these products. BASF manufactures its range of AEOA specialties at the integrated Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany, by means of a flexible, fully backward-integrated multi-product facility. AEOA, such as ethylethanolamines, propylethanolamines, and butylethanolamines, are used successfully in a wide array of applications, including coatings and lubricants in pharmaceutical and agrochemical products.

- 09 May 2008 -
TrueLogic Opens Asia-Pacific Regional Office in Singapore
TrueLogic Company, LLC, maker of TrueChem chemical and wet-process management/control software, has announced the opening of its Asia-Pacific regional office in Singapore. TrueLogic Far East will be responsible for business development, sales, and customer satisfaction for TrueChem across the Asia-Pacific region....more

- 09 May 2008 -
In brief...BASF SE said it will set up a new engineering plastics factory in the city of Thane and that it plans to expand its coatings facilities in Mangalore, both in India, to cater to the booming car industry in Asia. (Asian car makers posted an 8% sales increase last year, making Asia the fastest growing region in the global automotive industry, according to BASF.) In Thane, where BASF operates a plastics engineering lab, the company will build an engineering plastics compounding plant that will enter service in the second half of 2009. In Mangalore, BASF is building a new laboratory for systems to mend damaged coatings.

- 02 May 2008 -
In brief...3M Co. plans to build a new facility in Singapore to produce coatings for film-based products used in commercial, electronic, and automotive applications. The expansion site will be responsible for the coating of optical films, window film, and other film products. 3M estimates it will spend about $200 million on the facility over two years.

KMI Systems, Inc. has successfully completed the installation of a new porcelain enamel system for Midea, a major appliance manufacturer located in Guangdong, China. The new porcelain enamel coating line will be used for coating small appliances. The new system comprises a four-stage washer, dry-off oven, two Nordson powder booths, an environmental room, and porcelain enamel furnace. With four major projects installed in China and one more on the way, KMI has the experience, expertise, and dedication needed to deliver quality systems to companies in China. From the beginning the project was on a fast track, and KMI was able to deliver the system in less than 18 weeks, from purchase order to production.  




- 12 May 2008 -
The Evolution of Cleaning
John Durkee, Metal Finishing columnist and an authority on cleaning, looks at the recent history of metal cleaning and what tomorrow might look like....more

- 03 March 2008 -
PLATERS/PAINTERS Profile: Master Metal Finishers
Aluminum anodizing specialist leverages expertise in proprietary processes, innovation, and wealth of experience....more

- 04 February 2008 -
Converting a ‘Worker’ into a ‘Supervisor’
Are you faced with the daunting decision of hiring an outside manager or promoting an existing staff member? Should you choose the latter route, there’s an assessment map you need to follow...more

- 04 December 2007 -
You Can’t Forget
Hazardous Wastes
When a waste material is classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as hazardous, that classification can’t ever be rescinded. Finishers may stop using chromium in operations, but the chromium-containing wastes they previously disposed will always be theirs to own. In other words, the liability for management of a hazardous waste is permanent!...more