- 18 April 2008 -
Finishers Test Market at
SAE Automotive World Congress

Major parts and materials suppliers to the automotive industry—as well as a handful of platers and coaters—were on hand at this week’s SAE Automotive World Congress in Detroit, Mich. Finishers on hand—several of which attended the show for the first time—came to get a lead on how Tier 1 and Tier 2 players are influencing finishing specifications for their OEM partners and automotive manufacturer customers.

Finishers on hand ranged from specialty platers and coaters to companies offering a diverse range of coating services. Among them: Cleveland, Ohio–based MPC Plating, which provides decorative electroplating onto plastics and metals for interior and exterior use. Despite the challenges impacting major automotive suppliers, the company reported brisk 2007 sales to companies specializing in the manufacture of auto parts and components.

Then there were firms such as Cincinnati, Ohio–based Varland Metal Service Electroplating. The company, which specializes in barrel plating finishes (electrolyctic and electroless nickel; copper; brass; zinc and zinc-iron alloy; trivalent chromates, tin; and cadmium) and plating-related processes (baking, bead blasting, antiquing, and oil dipping). Art Mink, sales representative, said he’s here to seek out complex, specialized jobs that other platers eschew.

Rounding out the batch of finishers was Precious Plate, based in Niagara Falls, N.Y. This ISO 9001 and TS16949-certified firm specializes in plating sharply defined areas of small precision parts, offering innovative mechanical and electrochemical techniques. As a first-time SAE exhibitor, the company came to explore new finishing opportunities, according to Dave Miller, vice president of sales and marketing.

(For more on this story, look for the May issue of Metal Finishing.)