Highlights from SUR/FIN 2023

This year’s SUR/FIN surface finishing industry trade show recently took place in Cleveland, Ohio. The event always serves as a good indicator of the topics and trends that are top of mind for finishing operations, as well as the suppliers that serve the industry.

The Products Finishing crew was very busy at the show. We recorded several exhibitor videos (be sure to check these out via our social media feeds), and conducted several interviews that will be released in the coming weeks. I also had the opportunity to introduce one of the keynote speakers, Sharon Miller, a senior research scientist with the NASA John Glenn Research Center. Miller delivered a fascinating talk on the role that coatings play in space exploration and the work that goes into protecting spacecraft components from the harsh environments of space where atomic oxygen, radiation, debris and extreme temperatures contribute to degradation.

Some of the biggest topics of conversation at this year’s SUR/FIN revolved around environmental responsibility and sustainability, automation, emerging technologies and workforce challenges. In the wake of California’s decision to phase out the use of hexavalent chromium for finishing operations in the state, discussions of improvements in trivalent chromium technology were a big topic of discussion.

NASF Awards

Christian Richter and Jeff Hannapel of the Policy Group representing the NASF on regulatory policy matters in Washington, D.C., gave an insightful update on the latest on the EPA’s metal finishing PFAS effluent standards initiative, in addition to an overview of regulatory trends in the industry, and the NASF’s work to collaborate with industry sectors. The pair were awarded the NASF Presidential Award at the NASF Awards Ceremony in recognition of their advocacy work on behalf of the finishing industry.

In addition to the Presidential Award, the NASF Awards Ceremony presented the following awards:

• Patrick Hayden, Unimetal Surface Finishing Inc. — The Silvio C. Taormina Award
• George Gilbert, Gilbert & Jones Inc. — The August P. Munning Award
• Timothy Hall Ph.D., Faraday Technology — Scientific Achievement Award
• Peter Tremmel, Accu-Labs Inc. — Award of Merit
• Tom Laken IV, Finishing Plating Services — Award of Merit

See our interview with George Gilbert below. 

Top Shops

Following the NASF Awards Ceremony, Products Finishing unveiled the qualifying shops in the 2023 Top Shops Benchmarking Survey. See the full list of qualifying shops below and check out the latest installment of PF’s Top Shops Insider column (page 10) to learn more about this year’s first-place ranking shops in each category:

• Triplex Plating — Electroplating/Anodizing
• JIT Powder Coating — Liquid/Powder Coating