MKS Holds Sustainability Summit

MKS, via its recent acquisition of Atotech, hosted a Sustainability Summit at the Motor City Casino in Detroit, Michigan, Feb. 1-2. The two-day event was designed to offer opportunities for discussion and cross-learning to help align the plating industry and establish a path forward on the implementation of sustainable technologies. More than 100 members of the plating industry were in attendance, with participants ranging from applicators to suppliers, Tier 1s to OEMs, and other industry representatives.

Day one of the Sustainability Summit began with presentations from John Kochilla, Managing Director, Atotech Products, North America and Vice President of the Americas, followed by Christian Richter, the Principal of the Policy Group, where he serves the NASF in key leadership roles to advance the surface finishing industry’s strategic priorities at the federal, state and international levels. Kochilla and Richter provided an update of the regulatory roadmap and the environmental trends facing the plating industry. 

Additional presentations throughout the day discussed the elimination of PFAS and hexavalent chromium from plating applications, with a deep dive into the Atotech decorative TriChrome Cr(VI)-free decorative chrome plating and the opportunities it offers to applicators, designers, and OEMs. 

The day was concluded with a discussion of the company’s abilities to assist finishers and their customers by offering use of their TechCenter in Rock Hill, South Carolina, to validate new processes and chemistries on their own parts. Atotech says this capability is unique in the industry and provides an opportunity for customers to access and experience the new technologies without impacting production in their own facilities.

The second day of the summit continued with focus on the elimination of hexavalent chrome with the Atotech Cr(VI)-free pretreatment for plating on plastics; Covertron 600, and the Atotech BluCr trivalent hard functional chrome technology. From there, the discussion turned to the electric vehicles (EVs) market and what is required from the surface finishing industry and how it can prepare to meet those needs and goals. 

Additional presentations explored the general topic of manufacturing sustainability and how to reduce the industry’s chemical, energy and water needs in areas of cleaners, zinc and zinc-alloy plating, and paint support technologies.   

The Sustainability Summit concluded with a moderated panel discussion with five representatives from OEMs in the automotive and motorsports sectors discussing their own company’s position and expectations for an eventual conversion to hexavalent chrome-free plating in their supply chains.