Top Shops: Colourfast’s Commitment is to Quality.

Joseph Manzoli doesn’t just tell you what Colourfast Corp. in Concord, Ontario, has to offer customers; he also tells you what his Canadian coating shop doesn’t have.

“Shortcuts do not exist,” says Manzoli, the company president. “We have been most intentional about putting quality above all else. We understand that timing of delivery without quality is, in fact, a negative, and never works in the end.”

Colourfast is honored in the Products Finishing Top Shops Benchmarking Survey for its business strategies, which since 2000, have included a quality management system that was designed to critique all aspects of the operation in order to allow the shop to improve its relationship with customers.

“We aggressively analyze those crucial areas of the business which we believe will not only allow us to maintain market share, but do so in the form of a leader, not a follower,” Manzoli says. “Aggressively looking into faster, cleaner and more cost-effective ways of operating through research and development, we are constantly making adjustments with all we do.”

Colourfast, which has grown from humble beginnings in 1992 as a small job shop, is a source of finishes for institutional furniture, seating, store fixtures and home décor for companies such as Coach, Nordstrom, UGG, Ferrari, Porsche and many more that seek an artisanship quality to their finished products.

The management team includes Marino Manzoli, vice president of operations; Henry Yuan, office manager; Paul Fletcher, plant supervisor; Matarr Njie, production manager; and Wayne Hall, logistics supervisor.

“It begins and ends with quality,” Joseph Manzoli says. “It is the cornerstone of our philosophy. Along with quality is a well-trained and most competent crew that knows well our customer expectations. Training, training and further training keeps our team alive, motivated and poised to meet the most challenging finish and timing requirements.”

He says those efforts have paid off, as Colourfast’s work is seen in the most visible, high-profile installations on the planet, including airport seating, institutional lighting, automotive specialty products and store fixturing.

“Our commitment to stand behind our product is one we do not take lightly, and our clients have come to know and respect this of Colourfast,” Manzoli says. “It is the formula, a difficult one, which allows our finishes to be showcased on the most respected and recognized products on the globe.”

Every order processed through the Colourfast facility is timed, with an objective that nothing stay on the floor for more than 36 hours. Average lead time is two days, with a 98 percent first-quality pass rate.

The company has several continuous improvement programs that it uses to track customer satisfaction, as well conducts surveys to garner feedback from its clients.

The shop has seen roughly 18 percent growth over the past year and is operating at about 60 percent capacity, so it has room to add customers that it chooses to partner with. Currently, Colourfast is working with about 200 customers from all over North America, and it is looking to grow that base.

“We have always made it a point of going the extra mile when it comes to quality and customer service,” Manzoli says. “We have worked hard to have a most impressive and desirable client list, and have worked even harder to keep these leading manufacturers completely satisfied.”

Colourfast was recently awarded the 2017 Canadian Enterprise Award from North America News for custom automotive finishes, but Manzoli says being named a Products Finishing Top Shop is a particularly proud moment for his shop.

“We’ve had the privilege of being nominated and winning several awards throughout our 25-year journey in metal finishing,” he says. “This one ranks amongst the most important. We are honored to have been selected for this prestigious award.”  

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Colourfast Corp.

Concord, Ontario, Canada

colourfastcorp.com