The Finish Line

Tim
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The Finish Line brings you news and interviews with some of the top companies and individuals in the finishing and coating industry, hosted by Tim Pennington, Editor-in-Chief of www.FinishingAndCoating.com

  1. 4D AGO

    Shop Profile: Doug Orantes, Aero Plating

    Since 2017, Doug Orantes and his wife, Loida, have been trying to get Aero Plating in Lancaster, California, off the ground. Still, a miscommunication with local city officials derailed those plans until he was finally able to realize his dream of opening the doors in 2023. “It’s been a long wait,” Orantes says. “But it has been very much worth it.” Today, Aero Plating operates in an 8,500-square-foot facility that is certified to 9001:2015/AS9100D and Nadcap standards for chem-film and passivation applications. https://finishingandcoating.com/index.php/conversion/2551-worth-the-wait-aero-plating-comes-online-after-6-years-of-planning

    23 min

  2. DEC 6

    Shop Profile: Jim Leidig, Matrix Finishing

    Jim Leidig is the General Manager of Matrix Finishing in Harrington, Delaware. For the last year, Leidig has had the dream job of designing and building — and now running —a hi-tech powder coating operation that would be the envy of any finishing applicator in the land. When it came time to buy the equipment needed to run the 65,000-square-foot facility, it was Leidig’s bosses who insisted that he go high-end on the equipment and supplies he needed.

    26 min

  3. NOV 21

    Shop Profile: Ashley Hunsaker, HTS Coatings

    Ashley and Jason Hunsaker are owners of HTS Coatings in Madison, Illinois, which offers thermal spray coating for corrosion protection. HTS Coatings is expanding and growing not only as a coating shop but also as a machining and grinding facility. They market themselves as a full-service thermal spray, grinding, machining, and welding facility that specializes in preventing corrosion- and erosion-related wear and in repairing components damaged during operation. Their trademark thermal spray coating, BTHC-0005, is, they say, superior to hard-chrome deposits for corrosion protection. “We know that the chrome replacement is coming,” she says. “And we do believe thermal spray is a viable option.” Read the full article at https://finishingandcoating.com/index.php/liquid-coat/2477-hts-coatings-soar-with-high-velocity-thermal-spray-as-chrome-replacement Visit https://htscoatings.com.

    27 min

  4. NOV 7

    Shop Profile: Guillermo Aguilera and Brenda Tapia, Metal Chem

    Guillermo Aguilera and Brenda Tapia are owners of Metal Chem in Chatsworth, California, a shop that offers chem film, passivation, anodizing, electroless nickel, zinc, and phosphate conversion on the plating side, as well as Mil-Specs, urethanes, epoxy, and polyester hybrids on the powder coating side, in addition to liquid coatings. Metal Chem also provides conformal coatings for printed circuit board assemblies, potting or encapsulation finishes in filling an electronic assembly, and dry film lubricants, too. Their Nadcap accreditation has enabled them to meet the metal application needs of top technology pioneers in the aerospace, military, and naval industries, resulting in further growth for the company. Visit https://www.metalcheminc.com.

    31 min

  5. OCT 17

    Shop Profile: Jeffrey Rubin, Testrite Visual

    Jeffrey Rubin is President of Testrite, a manufacturer of visual display products located in Hackensack, New Jersey.  After decades of wishful thinking about bringing powder coating in-house, in 2025, Jeffrey and his father, Larry, the CEO of Testrite, are finally up and running with their own powder coating line, following years of outsourcing the work to an external shop. Testrite integrates graphics into visual merchandising, communication, and presentation environments, utilizing those graphics to capture attention and convey messages tastefully and effectively. Their customers include some of the world's top retailers and brands. They collaborate with these companies’ visual merchandise and store planning departments, as well as associated digital printers, marketing, logistics, and installation companies, to deliver messages to stores that customers will see and, hopefully, respond to. Visit www.Testrite.com, www.TestriteOEM.com and www.TestriteAluminum.com.

    19 min

  6. OCT 3

    Shop Profile: Park Kersman, Lorin Industries

    Park Kersman is President of Lorin Industries, which he purchased from his family in 2006. His grandfather founded the Muskegon, Michigan coil and batch anodizer in 1943, which has over 400,000 square feet of space. Lorin Industries has collaborated with some of the most prestigious names in architecture, design, and construction, and the Michigan company has quickly established a reputation in the architectural market. However, while Lorin Industries has worked diligently on a global scale to establish itself as a leader in the coil anodizing sector, it has recently returned to its roots by installing a new batch anodizing line to enhance its services. Christened in early 2024, it enables Lorin to meet the needs of its current coil-to-coil customers with batch-anodized parts. New customers requiring batch anodizing can now access Lorin’s premier coil anodizing process.   Visit https://www.lorin.com.

    26 min

  7. SEP 19

    Legends: Gary Burton, GW Lisk

    Gary Burton has spent over 50 years in the metal finishing industry, working on all sides of the spectrum, including as an applicator and with suppliers. Burton returned to his roots in running plating operations when he joined G.W. Lisk in 2010 as a plater and chemist, a role he still holds today. Burton graduated from Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1962 with a degree in industrial chemistry technology and worked at Utility Platers in Kingston, New York, as a Plant Chemist until 1968.

    21 min

  8. SEP 5

    Shop Profile: Carl Troiano, Trojan Powder Coating

    Carl Troiano is owner of Trojan Powder Coating, which has facilities in Florida and New York. He was  recently honored by the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) for over 20 years of service, including many as a committee member of the FGIA Architectural Aluminum Handling, Cleaning, and Maintenance Task Group and now as a member of the Board of Directors. Troiano is also president of the Southeast FGIA in Florida. He concentrates on the hurricane window specifications the municipal building departments write into their codes. He has done this thankless job as a volunteer for the past two decades, but he does it out of necessity to be a voice of the powder coating and finishing community.

    28 min
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The Finish Line brings you news and interviews with some of the top companies and individuals in the finishing and coating industry, hosted by Tim Pennington, Editor-in-Chief of www.FinishingAndCoating.com

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    Tim
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  • Episodes
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