Benchmarking Survey Results

Reprinted From:
PFonline.com
Benchmarking
Survey Results
MEDICAL
Coating Research Achieves
Better Implants – 8
PLATING
We Profile the Best Practices
of 5 Top Shops – 16
E-COAT
POWDER
APRIL 2015 / VOLUME 79 / NO. 7
Measuring and Maximizing
Throwpower – 30
Technology You’ll See at
The Powder Coating Show – 34
Electroplating
Benchmarking
Survey Results
50 plating operations make the cut in the Products Finishing
Top Shops Inaugural Benchmarking Survey.
BY TIM PENNINGTON EDITOR
I
t is said baseball is a game of inches; in the electroplating
industry, it is a game of percentage points.
While the difference between victory and defeat on the
diamond could be the width of the ball or foul line, the span
between being a Products Finishing Top Shop and others
comes down to fractions of numbers.
For example, the plating companies that made the Top
Shops list had some significant statistical advantages over
the rest of the plating field:
• Order lead time was just 5.0 days for Top Shops, and 8.6
days for all other shops.
• Scrap rates are 2.0 percent for Top Shops; 3.8 percent
for others.
• Active customers is 412 for Top Shops; the average is
349 for all others.
• Capacity utilization is 83.4 percent for Top Shops; the
average of other shops is 59.0 percent.
After weeks of examining survey results from several
hundred electroplating operations in North America, the
Products Finishing Top Shops Benchmarking Survey is
complete and being shipped to those shops that took part in
the program.
The three reports will give shop owners and managers a
unique look at how their plating shops perform compared
with the rest of the industry. The information—and an
additional executive summary that compiles all the data—is
divided into three separate reports:
• Comparison by shop type; i.e. captive, contract and
job shop.
• Plant size, broken into five separate categories to give a
clearer perspective.
• Comparison to the Products Finishing Top Shops so
plating operations can see where they need to be in
order to be considered among the best in the industry.
Continued on page 19
TOP SHOPS
Annual Growth
Capital Exp./ Gross Sales
Top Shops 21%
0
Top Shops $134,000
Top Shops 9%
Other
Shops
8%
Other
Shops
2%
Other
Shops $78,000
Median
10%
Median 4%
Median $92,000
5
10
15
20
25
Finishing Capital Equipment
0
2
4
8
10
0
400
800
A Look Inside The Top Shops
1000
0
500
90
120
150
Other Shops 88%
Median
$224,250
600
60
Top Shops 100%
Other
Shops
$523,600
Median
$200,000
30
Customer Retention Rate
Top Shops $1,700,100
Other
Shops
$375,100
200
6
Finishing Chemical Purchases
Top Shops $913,100
0
Gross/ Employees
Median 97%
1000
1500
2000
0
20
40
60
80
100
Top Shops Benchmarking Survey Reports
Shops that completed
the
Products Finishing Top
• Top of the Class: Roy Metal Finishing
Shops
Benchmarking Survey
The third generation company employs 200 associates at
will
receive
a series of data
three automated facilities and finished No. 1 in our rankings.
reports that separate the
• Finishing Practices: Nobert Plating Co.
survey data into categories,
Chicago-based Nobert produced some of the best finishing
including type of finishing
practices of all shops in the Products Finishing Top Shops
business (job shop, contract
Benchmarking Survey.
shop or captive operation),
number of employees and
• Finishing Technologies: Reinfro
number of parts produced.
Headquartered in Brownsville, Texas, Reinfro is not only
In addition, we’ll send an
a player in the finishing industry, but it made Inc. MagaExecutive Summary comparing responses
zine’s fastest growing companies list.
between the Top Shops benchmarking group and the rest of
• Business Strategies: Microfinish
the survey participants. This benchmarking group represents
The St. Louis finisher gets to know its customers by first
the top percentage of electroplating shops determined by
name, and works to understand the challenge of that
totaling the points assigned to select business- and technologyperson’s business.
related questions.
• Human Resources: KC Jones Plating
These reports not only serve as a baseline “report card” of
Leadership is key at Michigan’s KC Jones Plating Co.,
sorts, but also provide hard data that will eliminate the need to
and its management team works hard to develop
rely on gut feelings as a method of identifying and prioritizing
good leaders and keep them.
improvement efforts.
We profile the best practices of the Top Shops in different categories:
TOP SHOPS BENCHMARKING SURVEY
Products Finishing Top Shops: The Best of The Best For 2015
A.M. Metal Finishing Inc.,Rick Hunter, President, Orlando, Florida, ammetal.com
American Metal, LLC., Konstantine Dotsikas, President, Mentor, Ohio, americanmetal.com
Advanced Plating Technologies, John Lindstedt, President, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, advancedplatingtech.com
Allied Finishing Inc., Bruce Stone, President, Kentwood, Michigan, alliedfinishinginc.com
American Metaseal Corp., Stephen D’Alfonzo, President, Arbutus, Maryland, metaseal.com
America’s Best Quality Coatings, Brian Stoddard, President, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, abqc-usa.com
Anoplate Corp., Jim Stevenson, President, Syracuse, New York, anoplate.com
Arlington Plating Co., Richard Macary, President, Palatine, Illinois, arlingtonplating.com
Aurora Circuits, Chris Kalmus, President, Aurora, Illinois, auroracircuits.com
AVM Inc., Vijay Kapur, President, Chantilly, Virginia, avmplating.com
Bergquist Co., Mike Maxson, General Manager, Prescott, Wisconsin, bergquistcompany.com
BFG Manufacturing Service, Jeffrey Grube, President, Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, bfgmfg.com
Bron-Shoe Co., Robert Kaynes Jr., President, Columbus, Ohio, americanbronzing.com
Bronson Plating Co., John Welch, President, Bronson, Michigan, bronsonplating.com
Coating Technologies Inc., Robert Barrkman, President, Phoenix, Arizona, coatingtechnologiesinc.com
Danco, Ross Tiamson, President, Arcadia, California, danco.net
DC Coaters Inc., Dennis Cook, President, Tipton, Indiana, dccoaters.com
Denver Metal Finishing, Larry Morgan, President, Denver, Colorado, denvermetalfinishing.com
DiFruscia Industries, Frank DeFruscio, President, Johnston, Rhode Island, difruscia.com
E.M.E. Inc., Wesley Turnbow, CEO, Compton, California, emeplating.com
East Side Plating Inc., Gary Rehnberg/Tim Lamb, Owners, Portland, Oregon, eastsideplating.com
Electrolizing Corp. of Ohio, Bill Loucks, General Manager, Cleveland, Ohio, electrohio.com
Electro-Spec Inc., Jeffrey Smith, President, Franklin, Indiana, electro-spec.com
Elite Metal Finishing, Dan Rose, President, Oceanside, California, elite-metalfinishing.com
Freedom Metal Finishing, Keith Eidschun, Owner, Clearwater, Florida, freedommetalfinishing.com
Gleco Plating Inc., Jeff Fodge, President, Rowlett, Texas, gleco.com
Hohman Plating & Mfg., William Miller, CEO, Dayton, Ohio, hohmanplating.com
Houston Plating & Coatings, LLC, William Howard, Jr., CEO, South Houston, Texas, houstonplating.com
Howard Finishing, Jeff Mertz, President, Roseville, Michigan, howardfinishing.com
Hudson Plating Works, William Hudson, President, Moorpark, California, hudsonplatingworks.com
IPS Industrial Polishing Services, Alex Lebrija, Sales Manager, San Diego, California, ipsfinishing.com
K&L Anodizing Corp., Don Leiker, President, Burbank, California, klanodizing.com
KC Jones Plating Co., Robert Burger, President, Warren, Michigan, kcjplating.com
Lustrous Metal Coatings Inc., Mike Paxos, President, Canton, Ohio, lustrousmetal.com
Medina Plating Corp., Shawn Ritchie, President, Medina, Ohio, medinaplating.com
Microfinish, Bill Stock, President, St. Louis, Missouri, microfinishco.com
Nassau Chromium Plating Co. Inc., Shirley Waring, President, Mineola, New York, nassauchrome.com
Nobert Plating Co., Diann Sickles, President, Chicago, Illinois, nobertplating.com
Palmetto Plating Co., John Cutchin, President, Easley, South Carolina, palmettoplating.com
Pilkington Metal Finishing, Van Pilkington, President, Salt Lake City, Utah, pilkingtonmetalfinishing.com
Professional Plating Inc., Larry Dietz, General Manager, Brillion, Wisconsin, proplating.com
Reinfro Corp., Abelardo Gonzalez, President, Brownsville, Texas, reinfro.com
Reliable Plating Works / Elite Finishing, Jaime Maliszewski, President, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, rpwinc.net
Roll Technology Corp., Lew Walker, President, Greenville, South Carolina, rolltech.com
Roy Metal Finishing, Cliff Roy, CEO, Conestee, South Carolina, roymetal.com
Sheffield Platers Inc., Dale Watkins, President, San Diego, California, sheffieldplaters.com
Silvex Inc., Phil Ridley, President, Westbrook, Maine, silvexinc.com
Surface Technology Inc., Michael Feldstein, President, Robbinsville, New Jersey, surfacetechnology.com
Tanury Industries, Michael Akkaouri, CEO, Lincoln, Rhode Island, tanury.com
Techmetals Inc., Phillip Brockman, President, Dayton, Ohio., techmetals.com
TOP SHOPS
Continued from page 16
“We are very focused here on getting better, and as such
are always working on what we need to get better at,” says
Matt Lindstedt, technical sales manager at Advanced Plating
Technologies in Milwaukee. “It’s great to stop every once in
a while and realize that we do a few things right, too.”
Actually, those that were named a Products Finishing Top
Shop did a lot of things right, including being profitable in a
business environment that doesn’t always lean toward being
in the black.
Those earning the Top Shops distinction averaged about
$2.7 million in gross sales off each finishing line, compared
to the average of $1.5 million for all others.
More importantly, the Products Finishing Top Shops saw
an average of 21 percent growth in their business from
2013, while the average of the survey was 8 percent.
The Products Finishing Top Shop Benchmarking Survey
is nothing new; years ago, Products Finishing annually
surveyed the largest finishing shops in the U.S. to gather
general data on the status of the industry.
But this time around, we went looking to determine the
best shops in the country. The comprehensive benchmarking
survey is broken into four categories:
• Current Finishing Technology: We looked at which
shops have the most up-to-date equipment and technology to make them efficient and consistent in their
plating operations.
• Finishing Practices and Performances: We examined
shops that have substantial “best practices” in areas
such as testing, quality control, environmental stewardship and shop management.
• Business Strategies and Performances: The survey
looked at shops that have unique and profitable
•
operation plans and business strategies that attract and
keep customers.
Training and Human Resources: Plating lines do not run
themselves, and we looked at how shops hire and train
employees, as well as how those employees are compensated and recognized for outstanding contributions.
The Products Finishing Top Shops Benchmarking Survey
included more than 40 questions, which often required shops
to dig up their records and supply statistics they may not have
otherwise maintained on a regular basis.
But the reward is well worth it since the overall data has
been compressed into an Executive Summary and three additional reports that will let shops compare apples-to-apples with
other shops, including those who made the Top Shops list.
When the statistics and data were compiled in our
database, we scored companies on their responses to certain
questions in the four critical areas. We relied heavily on questions pertaining to testing and evaluation, as well as overall
certifications and approvals.
The result was that we took the top 50 shops that scored
best overall and made them the recipients of the Products
Finishing Top Shops honors. When we notified the shop
owners, most were extremely excited—and rightly so—
while others were a little taken aback that their operation
made the cut.
“When I got through completing the survey, I actually felt
like we suck,” says Gary Rehnberg, who along with Tim Lamb
owns East Side Plating in Portland, Oregon. “So I am honestly
wondering if you are messing with me.”
Nope, we’re not messing with you, Gary. Welcome to the
Products Finishing Top Shops club.
New Jersey –­­ 1
State-By-State Look at the Top Shops
Wisconsin ­­– 5
Maine ­­– 1
New York ­­– 2
Michigan ­­– 4
Pennsylvania ­­– 1
Oregon ­­– 1
Indiana ­­
Illinois ­­– 3 – 2
Utah ­­– 1
Ohio ­­– 8
Rhode
Island ­­– 2
Maryland ­­– 1
Virginia ­­– 1
Missouri ­­– 1
Colorado ­­– 1
South Carolina­­– 3
California ­­– 7
Arizona ­­– 1
Texas ­­– 3
Florida ­­– 2
TOP SHOPS BENCHMARKING SURVEY
No. 1: Roy Metal Finishing Is 'Top Of The Class'
Roy Metal Finishing
Co. Inc.
P.O. Box 38
Conestee, SC 29636
800-610-7822
Roymetalfinishing.com
nickel electroplating, electrocoating and powder coating
to the automotive, heavy truck, recreational and industrial vehicle markets.
RMF’s more than 50 years of experience in the metal
finishing industry earned the company its ranking at the
head of the Products Finishing Top Shop benchmarking
program. Strong business practices, outstanding inspection
protocols and world-class equipment put RMF at the top
of the list. RMF’s plants operate 24 hours a day and satisfy
customer demand with lead times of less than two days,
on-time Is
delivery
rate
of over 98 percent and a first-pass
Nobert KnowsanService
Key To
Success
quality yield of 99 percent. In an industry where entropy is
the norm, RMF relies on stringent and formal documented
procedures for control of lab and chemical processes, equipWhen BMW announced plans to build its North American
ment maintenance and water treatment.
manufacturing plant in Greenville, South Carolina, 23 years
RMF President John Pazdan says growth has come through
ago, it was only a matter of time before Greenville-based RMF
a continued willingness to change.
would evolve into one of the leading providers of corrosion
“Our industry continues to evolve as our customers look for
resistant coatings to the automotive industry in the U.S. In
better, more environmentally friendly solutions to corrosion
1992, RMF had already established a solid foundation serving
issues. Add to this the fact that the U.S. manufacturers are
the various manufacturing facilities throughout the Southeast
continuously looking to reduce cost and eliminate non-valuebut it was the transition to meet the demands of the German
added steps in the supply chain. Our company will be well
auto industry that set the company on its current path.
positioned to assist, and this is the framework of our strategic
The third generation company, started more than 50 years
plan.” Pazdan adds. “It also helps that we operate in a state
ago, today employs 200 associates at three automated faciliwith an excellent business climate and skilled talent to meet
ties in the upstate of South Carolina. The company offers a
our customer’s needs.”
wide range of functional coatings including zinc and zinc
Top Shops Have More Than Double the Customers, Yet Keep Them Year to Year
When it comes to the Products Finishing Top Shops, the group
had almost double the median average of customers, but also
kept nearly 100% of its clients in a year-over-year comparison.
The survey also showed that the best shops run their lines
about 20 hours per day, and have around 13 lines, or more
than double the median of the survey.
Finishing Usage Per Day
Active Customers
Top Shops
412
Top Shops
20 Hours
Other Shops
350
Other Shops
15 Hours
Median
204
Median
14 Hours
Number of Finishing Lines
Customer Retention Rate
Top Shops
100%
Top Shops
13
Other Shops
88%
Other Shops
8
Median
97%
Median
6
TOP SHOPS
Top Shop: Finishing Practices/Performances
Nobert Plating Co.
340 North Ashland Ave.
Chicago, IL 60607
800-EST-1903
nobertplating.com
Nobert Plating Co. knows that each of the employees at the
shop in Chicago sees the business from a different and important vantage point, which is why it is even more important to
get feedback from them that eventually yields results in better
servicing customers.
For example, the facility uses “Visual Shop” software that
has allowed it to track all orders in-house and then have
orders in its system before parts arrive so that a night shift can
hit the floor running. That means when a rush order comes
through the door, the paperwork is waiting for the job, and
not the job sitting around waiting for the paperwork.
“Communication initiatives such as putting together a
“discovery team” of employees to find ways to improve our
business model through business mapping has helped us in
attacking the low hanging fruit from that map, or list,” says
Diann Sickles, president of the company and granddaughter
of the company founder.
The result is evident, and Nobert produced some of the
best finishing practices of all the shops listed in the Products
Finishing Top Shops Benchmarking Survey.
Order lead time is down to five days, and less than one
percent of the work is scrap or rework.
HR Profile Shows Efforts to Keep Employees
Plating shops are moving to more HR-friendly incentives to
keep and maintain employees
Employees
150
100
152
114
66
50
Top Shops
0
Other Shops
Median
“We have the shifts available to meet our customer
demands,” says Rob Sickles, Nobert’s vice president. “Many
times we will receive an order at 3 to 5 p.m. and a customer
may pick it up at 10 p.m. or the next morning at 5:00 a.m.
The shop software is critical to this goal.”
With a customer retention rate of about 90 percent, they
are definitely doing something right. Quality Manager Jamie
Sickles—Diann’s daughter and Rob’s sister—says everyone at
Nobert knows the true path to success.
“Service, service and service,” she says. “Price and quality
need to be there, but our key to retention has been the ability
to service customers in most any situation to meet their
demands.”
Jamie Sickles says the company will service a customer
demand made on a Saturday morning, but not gouge them,
and then hope it is paid forward. Recently, a customer had a
part to be finished for a nuclear plant that was partially down
waiting for a refurbished part. This customer e-mailed Nobert
the situation on a Saturday morning about 8 a.m., and the
plant manager responded and was able to have personnel
available to finish the part upon arrival at 8 p.m. that night.
“It shipped at 11 p.m. that same day,” Rob Sickles says.
“Dedication to meeting customer demand is what we do.”
The shop has about 100 customers, but only 15 percent
represent the major bulk of their work. Diann Sickles says
that staff communication regarding their customer needs
is extremely important when they are dealing with many
different customers.
“Our staff is in constant customer communication via
e-mail and cell phone,” she says. “Therefore, our customers
can make contact at any time and get answers regarding lead
times and anything else right away.”
Top Shops
Others
Annual review and raise program
84.0%
66.7%
Apprenticeship program
32.0%
29.6%
Bonus plan
76.0%
51.9%
Education reimbursement
64.0%
44.4%
Employee ownership options
8.0%
7.4%
Formal employee training program
84.0%
59.3%
Formal safety/health program
84.0%
81.5%
Leader/supervisor development
48.0%
51.9%
Paid medical benefits
68.0%
59.3%
Profit- or revenue-sharing plan
48.0%
25.9%
Teaming/team-building practices
44.0%
40.7%
Employee Development/
TOP SHOPS BENCHMARKING SURVEY
Top
Shop:
Finishing
Technologies
Top
Shop:
Finishing
Technologies
Reinfro
3320 East 14th St.
Brownsville, TX 78521
956-267-9700
Coatplate.com
Reinfro in Brownsville, Texas, was started as part of a larger
industrial group more than 25 years ago, primarily to serve
its corporate counterparts in the automotive manufacturing
industry.
Now an independent operation, Reinfro has established
itself as one of the top metal finishing operations, with two
plants in Sendero, Mexico and another in Ciudad Industrial,
also in Mexico.
In fact, Reinfro was recently ranked on the list of Inc.
Magazine’s fastest growing companies among 5,000 listed.
The company provides acid zinc rack and barrel (clear, blue,
yellow and black), alkaline zinc rack (clear, blue, yellow and
black), zinc iron rack and barrel (clear and black), zinc nickel
rack and barrel (iridescent, silver and black), tin (bright and
matte) rack and barrel, nickel (Watts, sulfamate and electroless) rack and barrel, copper rack and barrel and copper
nickel rack and barrel, in addition to electrocoating, zinc flake
coatings (dip/spin, dip/drain, spray) and liquid paint.
Much of that success is attributable to the purchase and
success of new equipment and technology and its plants, says
Raul Gonzalez, Reinfro’s Vice President.
“This new equipment helps us be more efficient by having
better repeatability in our process,” Gonzalez says. “Before
automating our processes. We invested heavily in our process
control systems and in software that can help us to manage the
large number of data generated by our lab.”
In just the last three years, Reinfro has purchased and
installed:
• Automatic 2 hoist Barrel Heavy Zinc and Ca/Mod Zinc
Phosphate plating line
• Automatic 2 hoist Barrel Alkaline Zinc/Nickel plating line
• Automatic 4 hoist Rack Alkaline Zinc - Alkaline Zinc/
Nickel plating line
• Automatic 3 hoist Rack Acid Zinc Plating Line
• 3 spray coating liquid paint booths
• Dip/Spin coating line with belt oven
• New rectifiers
• New ovens
• Pilot Plating line for laboratory
• 2 XRF measurement devices
• 1 carbonate removal system
•
•
•
•
1 Atomic Absorption Spectrometer
New 250 GPM Waste WaterTreatment Plant
Software package for chemical process control.
New ERP/MRP software package (ongoing
implementation)
“We transitioned from adding chemicals by agenda—or
because it worked—to adding by an analytical method,”
Gonzalez says. “This decreased the variation as well as
allowed us to increase the frequency of our tests. Once we got
to this point we started investing heavily in process automation and the result has been amazing.”
Reinfro’s internal reject rate is down, their productivity is
up and their costs are down.
“These three factors help us to be very competitive in the
market and back it up with great quality and excellent turnaround times,” he says.
Reinfro maintains a preventive maintenance plan at each
plant, as well as having an in-house equipment design team
that is constantly updating existing equipment. Gonzalez says
that company management is always looking to get better,
whether it is a new automation system or adapting new
technologies available in the marketplace to assure that they
are always using and implementing the newest technology
available.
Reinfro has just 24 customers that it coats for, but yet it
coats over 150 million parts each year, or roughly 30,000
parts per hour.
The main challenge to running such a high volume finishing operation, Gonzalez says, is first and foremost that the
production process and equipment design is done correctly.
“If the engineering is right, then having a great preventive maintenance program coupled with a very good process
control system is key,” he says.
Reinfro firmly believes that its main strength is its
employees, and the company has set up an internal surface
finishing academy where all Reinfro employees take a mandatory in-house course on the basics of finishing technologies.
“Coupled with having the right equipment to do the necessary tests, it helps us stay up to date in the way we control our
process or react to any condition we detect in the process,”
Gonzales says.
TOP SHOPS
Top Shop:
Shops:Business
BusinessStrategies
Strategies
Top
Microfinish
11048 Gravois Industrial Ct.
Sunset Hills, MO 63128
314-849-8181
Microfinishco.com
If you are a customer of Microfinish in St.
Louis, chances are you have just about all
of the finisher’s department head’s direct
lines on speed dial.
Bill Stock, president of Microfinish, says that when new
customers come on board, they are immediately introduced
to the key people who will be taking care of their parts.
“After the initial relationship and the requirements are
established, the customers are turned over to the operation and
production managers, as well as shipping supervisors at each of
our four locations,” Stock says. “Each of our customers has easy
access to key personnel, and deals firsthand with the people who
can best address their particular needs in a timely manner.”
That’s one of the reasons that Microfinish was named one
of our Top Shops, especially in the area of customer services
and business strategies.
The company provides coatings to five different automotive
companies, as well as leaders in the heavy equipment, electrical, lawn care, appliance, and communication industries.
“Our managers are accessible to our customers, through
their cell phones, e-mails and texts,” Stock says. “The
customer doesn’t have to go through all kinds of hoops to
reach an individual to know the status of their parts, discuss
any special packaging or learn when their parts will be ready
for pick up. They talk to the person who will make whatever
they need, happen.”
Microfinish department heads and employees get to know
Top Shops See Higher Quote-To-Book Ratio
When it comes to nailing down an order than has been quoted
to a customer, the Top Shops closure average was more than
Quote-To-Book Ratio
their customers by first name, and to understand the challenge of each person’s business.
“I try to remind them, that when a customer has an unreasonable request, think of it as John or Jane just trying to
do their job,” he says. “It’s not Acme Mfg., which is pushy,
demanding and overbearing. Remembering that it’s a person
that needs your help, that’s what keeps it personal.”
Stock and his management team survey their customers
once a year. Before they are compiled into an ‘official’ report,
the surveys are passed to every manager to review.
“Our people get to see the smudged, personal handwriting,
comments and signatures of each response” he says. “This
keeps it from being a sterilized report, and much more
personal. When a concern is listed, it is handed off to the
appropriate individual to address. A follow up contact is then
made to be sure the issue has been fully resolved.”
That’s one of the reasons Stock often hears his customer
bragging on the “Microfinish Experience.”
“I hear about the way our entire staff works hard to be
accommodating, and to produce high quality finishes,
on-time,” he says. “We also continue to expand the finishes
we offer, to make ‘new customers’ from our existing customer
base with the new processes.”
Established in 1959, Microfinish continues to grow through
expansion and acquisition. Their services include zinc, nickel/
chrome plating, electroless nickel plating, electrocoating and
powder coating.
double the median average. Top Shops received 81 percent of the
orders they quoted, compared to 40 percent median response.
Gross Sales/No. of Lines
Top Shops
81%
Top Shops
$2,706,443
Other Shops
50%
Other Shops
$1,514,938
Median
40%
Median
$841,072
Customers > 80% of Sales
Gross Sales/No. of Employees
Top Shops
30%
Top Shops
$134,000
Other Shops
23%
Other Shops
$77,973
Median
15%
Median
$92,857
TOP SHOPS BENCHMARKING SURVEY
Top Shop: Human Resources
KC Jones Plating Co.
2845 East Ten Mile Road
Warren, MI 48091
586-755-4900
kcjplating.com
The most significant reason for the success that KC Jones
Plating Co. in Hazel Park, Michigan, has enjoyed over the
past 60 years doesn’t have as much to do with the baths
and tanks at their sprawling plant as it does with the
people who maintain those fixtures.
Leadership is key at KC Jones Plating Co., and its
management team works hard to develop good leaders
and keep them.
“This is the key to our success in employee retention and
advancement,” says Robert Burger, company owner and
CEO. “All levels in management are engaged in developing
the work force and allowing growth and development.”
KC Jones uses various programs and educational
resources from the NASF Education and Training program
and university leadership programs, some of which span
several months and others as simple as one-hour in-house
sessions with small groups.
“Many of our supervisors and administration have
attended Lean Manufacturing and Lean Office Champion
Training,” says Brian Harrick, company vice president.
“We continuously seek new and effective means to assist
our supervisors and line leaders to successfully develop
our employees. They are also fully engaged on the
employee review process to indicate areas for improvement or areas where employees excel and should further
develop their talents.”
The shop has a well-developed apprenticeship program
that it uses to hire and maintain its quality staff. In
addition, KC Jones has sent employees to both Harvard
and Notre Dame for management training, and the
company is sending a third employee to Notre Dame’s
Certificate in Executive Education course this spring.
“We hire new team members that have a willingness
to learn and promote from within, and we start each
employee running our processes and cross train them
to learn all processes in the plant,” says Mark Burger,
KC Jones Plating’s business development and marketing
manager.
The program consists of chemical handling training,
process training with a mentor (supervisor or leader),
advanced plating education (classroom, webinars, etc.).
“Each employee selected for training or advancement is
based upon their interests, skills or performance reviews,”
Mark Burger says. “We have a team that is eager to learn
and willing to accept new challenges.”
Jeff Stone, vice president of operations, says that KC
Jones often coaches its employees with daily plant floor
interaction, monthly plant status meetings, smaller group
meetings to address issues and improvements, and annual
reviews and goals for employees.
“Effectively communicating goals and objectives allows
team members to achieve positive results,” he says. “We
also coach the team on finishing techniques, problem
solving, and time management, which helps remove
barriers that may affect their progress.”
KC Jones also has Kaizen events in the plant, 5S projects,
lunch meetings and weekend or off-shift enrichment
programs to communicate with employees. Every 8-10
years, they also do a complex employee satisfaction survey
and interviews through an outside consulting group.
“This assures us that we are on track with making
sure that our employees feel they are getting the proper
training, leadership, and benefits,” Robert Burger says.
“The results guide us in which areas we need to make
improvements or changes.
Stone says his management team encourages comments,
suggestions and ideas from all levels of the organization.
“We report suggestions to all employees through our
newsletter and respond to their ideas,” he says. “We want
employees from upper management to basic level entry
positions to know they have a voice and their input is
important.”
TOP SHOPS
How to Become a Top Shop
The Products Finishing Top Shop
Benchmarking Survey will be offered
every year starting in October/November.
We will make the survey available online
for electroplaters to fill out and then we’ll
report on the survey’s results once they are
tabulated.
So in the meantime, how can
your shop prepare to earn
the distinction of Top Shop
status?
One first step would be
to compare your shop’s
performance with the best
in the business using this
year’s Top Shop Executive
Summary, and then formulate a plan for improvement
in areas such as finishing technology, performance and practices, business strategy and human
resources.
The best place to get additional help and training
is through trade organizations such as the National
Association for Surface Finishing (NASF) and the Aluminum
Anodizers Council (AAC). The NASF (nasf.org) and the AAC
(anodizing.org) can help captive and job shops that want to
increase efficiency, improve their bottom line and work their
way to becoming a Top Shop.
Both organizations offer a variety of training and educational programs designed to help personnel improve their
shop’s performance. Working with the AESF Foundation, the
NASF holds in-person and online electroplating courses to
help shops train their staffs in the latest and most effective
processes.
The NASF also provides technical training and educational
opportunities at the annual Sur/Fin conference each June.
The AAC holds an annual technical and training conference
as well.
And by joining a local NASF chapter, your shop will be
able to attend monthly training and information gathering
sessions designed to help your shop run smoother and more
productively.
Look for the Products Finishing Top Shop Benchmarking
Survey in the fall and plan to spend at least 30 minutes
filling it out. Having completed it, you will receive a series of
benchmarking reports that will enable you to see how your
shop compares to the rest of the industry.
Get started on streamlining now, and you may end up
among next year’s Top Shops in the industry.
Reprinted from the APRIL 2015, PRODUCTS FINISHING Magazine and Copyright © 2015 by Gardner Business Media, Inc.,
6915 Valley Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45244-3029.