- Email: [email protected]
The sheriff is coming to close up the shop
sherwood onmanagement The Sheriff is Coming to Close Up the Shop No cash, no credit, and no profits endanger our pioneering business. (Editor's note: This article is the third in a multi-part series. Look for further installments in upcoming issues of Metal Finishing.)
T
he two previous columns in this series related the early history of electroless nickel (EN) discovery and the subsequent formation of Chemplate Corp., one of the nation's first job shops to process parts for industry. The initial investors ran out of money and the company was in grave danger of being shut down by the sheriff at the request of the creditors. And so the story continues.... The wagon train was put in a circle and the industrial EN pioneers vowed a fight to prevent the sheriff's Indians from killing the business. Scouts were sent out to find enough money to fight off the braves and keep the wagon train going. Serendipity prevailed, once again, when the experienced president/owner ofa steel company, headquartered in southern California, listened to our story and subsequently made a proposal to buy out all of the stock from the initial investors and assume the liabilities of Chemplate (CP). His conditions for purchase were tough: he paid the investors 50% of their initial investment, but nothing to repay the past operating expenses. But he did assume the company's liabilities. The two business interns, Ed Zorn and yours truly, were offered equivalent Draconian conditions to continue on in the business and retain their stock. September 2008 I metalfinishing I 64
We were asked by the potential investor: "Just how much do you believe in this company? Enough to work with no compensation until CP becomes continuously profitable? Also, will you accept my decisions and orders as final?" The two pioneers now had an offer from a new Indian chief with much wampum. The questions condensed down to: Just how much did we believe in this venture becoming profitable? Furthermore, how long could we survive with zero income? Ed Zorn had no problem with deciding to accept. He was an unmarried salesman who, like all good salesmen, religiously believed in his product and accepted the offer as quickly as a knee-jerk reflex. I, in sharp contrast, had many soulsearching sessions alone and with wife Joan, to decide whether we could survive with zero income, for an indefinite period, to pay the expenses of our G.!. house, our oneyear-old son, and all of our additional living expenses, including minor ones such as food. Well, you know the answer; we hunkered down behind the wagons and accepted the deal like two kids who didn't know enough to refuse the lollipops. It turned out, fortuitously, that our new stockholder (we'll call him "Steel") was not only a money man and owner of a major manufacturing company, but he was also a terrific manager, teacher, and a tough, unyielding, disciplinarian. He became de facto president and gen-
eral manager with myself as production manager and Zorn as purchasing agent/salesman. Strict limits were put on expenditures, with Zorn given a small maximum dollar amount that he could use without Steel's approval. Well, having the stereotypical salesman's disregard of complying with rules and regulations, Zorn failed to get authorization from Steel to buy $5,000 worth of nickel salts that were urgently needed. Steel, not one to allow deviations from his direct orders, tore up the purchase order, gave the fragments to Zorn, and said, "I didn't authorize this purchase, so now you pay the $5,000 for the nickel; CP will not. And, since you can't be trusted, all purchasing will now be done by Bert, who will now assume the duties and responsibilities ofgeneral manager." Affluent and busy Steel couldn't afford the time to be at CP more than one visit per month. We would meet at his office in San Marino monthly to review operations and financial statements. Recognizing bur minimal knowledge of business, Steel hired an accounting/management consulting firm to set up the accounting procedures and give me the equivalent of an MBA with experience. It was on-the-job training at its finest. The training was not without its perils because the assigned trainer/procedure-system installer became romantically involved with our beautiful new secretary, thereby creating all sorts of problems with which I had little experience. Anyway, I received a terrific education in business procedures and the distractions of office romances. While all my training was continwww.metalfinishing.com
sherwoodonmanagement uing, the EN business was still stuttering because the big aerospace and electronic companies would not accept our CP process as a sole vendor, further complicated by the lack of military specification approvals. In addition, I attempted process improvement experiments in our mini lab on weekends, undisturbed by myriad day-to-day management problems. At home, things were getting difficult financially and maritally since Joan, baby Craig, and home were being neglected by my near 24/7 working conditions. It got to the point at which Joan and Craig could only see me if they came to the lab on weekends. Joan would sit in an office chair watching and kibitzing while Craig would be in the baby carriage complaining. In the meantime, the mostly working-class neighbors in our Lakewood, Calif., G.!. tract assumed and told us that we were
wealthy because we were company owner/managers. How wrong they were! Attaining the poverty level would have been a step up on the economic ladder. Finally, business started to improve to the point at which Steel had confidence in us and relented on his pronouncement: "no income until the company shows a profit." Steel allowed CP to pay us minimal salaries, just a little below the poverty level. He could see that we were very close to breakeven accompanied by personal deprivation and near starvation, and that we had demonstrated our readiness and belief in the business by our sacrifices. However, Steel was an outstanding businessman and recognized that his investment in CP would never be rewarding enough to justify his time, money, and energy. Our initial dream of being a huge nationwide company, plating the
interiors of pipes in the chemical and other industries, was not going to become a reality. Rather, it was developing into a comparatively modest enterprise that could be run profitably enough for two partners. Steel's outstanding character and generosity came through at one of our monthly meetings in which he offered to sell his stock for his initial investment. Payment was to be on an installment basis with only a nominal interest charge. In essence, the deal was just not big enough for him and he wanted out. What a wonderful man, I thought. All of his stock would be transferred after payment was complete. The two of us would again own 50% each. The new structure of CP was myself as president/general manager and Zorn as VP-sales/engineering. It remained that way for a very long time. Actually, the arrangement lasted until the disastrous "palace revolt." (That story will come later when I summon enough courage to
The powerto
finish firSt!
LJJYUTE _ ~ equipment frnm PEe llXIIITlp"'a 'Wngi_ quo ltv FIr lMII" 50 y&lII'lI. PEe hils been rTlIlOting domlnding I'llql.livncnlB W ~ bench """""""". LJJYUTE it the mellIl finishing .-o-y"a ctoce fer dopendabi tJi and e!!ioerc powor.
Circle 043 on reader information card or go to www.metalfinishing.com/advertisers
www.metalfinishing.com
Circle 035 on reader information card or go to www.metalfinishing.com/advertisers
September 2008 I metalfinishing I 65
sherwoodonmanagement write about it.) As Steel had anticipated, we grew profitable as soon as the major aerospace customers and their subcontractors put the Chernplate process for EN on their list of approved sources. In addition, a military specification, MIL-C-26074, was adopted that allowed us to certify to a specification and eliminate the "sole source" obstacle of CP being the only vendor specified on the prints. A major step forward was in plating military aircraft parts, such as the P38 manufactured by, guess who, North American Aviation (NAA), my former employer. My previous employment with NAA was actually a detriment due to its concern over a conflict of interest with its employees, who might buy unethically on the basis of friendship and/or a financial arrangement. This was unttue because the accept-
ed full disclosure before they committed. No deals were made.
ance of CP and EN was based on intense engineering and service trials. EN became a replacement for hard chrome when the chrome was too porous to provide corrosion resistance and/or could not be deposited as precisely as EN. We were on the road to a business success resulting from the marketing and process improvements we and others, to a lesser extent, had developed. We became famous to the point in which several large manufacturers proposed licensing our process. We were overwhelmed by the limousine pickups in the eastern cities and meetings at 25-person executive boardrooms, seating VPs, lawyers, engineers, and scientists. We were complimented and flattered by their offers of purchase or licensing, but the conditions were unacceptable. The interested manufacturers want-
ACTUATED VALVES INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY BY CONTROLLING FLOW AUTOMATICALLY & SAFELY
COMPETITION
Sales and profits were booming for some time due to industry acceptance and the lack of serious competition from job shops. The party came to an end with the merging of Chern Research into Metal Surfaces, two plating job shops in Los Angeles. Fortunately, they were good competitors and actually helped us in that we no longer had to fight the battle of being the objectionable "sole source." Because it was a quality, well-financed company, it helped us build up volume and diversify the acceptance of EN. KING KONG DESCENDS ONTO THE SCENE
Then disaster came, or we thought it did, when the King Kong of EN, a
Continued on page 71
Surface finishing adds the value
Electric
Designed for durability &superior performance. NEMA 4X rating, ideal for corrosive atmospheres. Adaptable electronic control. Position and motor running lights. Thermally protected motor, manual override. 1/21/ through 2': 2-Way & 3-Way. Bodies in PVC, CPVC, Polypro or PVDF.
Sturdy Thermoplastics Designed for Long-Cycle Life
Air
Designed for durability &superior performance. Air xAir or Air xSpring (fail safe). l Sizes: 1/2" through 2", 2-Way and 3·Way. Bodies in PVC, CPVc, Polypro or PVDE
PLAST-e-MATIC VALVES, INC. CEDAR GROVE, NEW JERSEY
(973) 256-3000 • Fax: (973) 256·4745 www.plastomatic.com Circle 038 on reader information card or go to www.metalfinishing.com/advertisers
September 2008 I metalfinishing I 66
Surface Finishing . Shot Blasting Innovative solutions from the worldls leader in surface finishing
,.
RC~SLER finding a Deller way ...
roSLER _ I Finishing USA LLC. • 1551 Denso Rood· 80IfIe CreeIc· M/49037 Tel.: 269·441·3000· Fox: 269·441·3001· infoOrosIM.us
Circle O4S on reader information card or go to www.metalfinishing.com/advertisers
www.metalfinishing.com
UPCOMINGevents SEPTEMBER
Sept. 14-16 2008 Southern Metal Finishing Conference, Charleston, S.c. For more information, email Anna Levitsky at [email protected], or call (704) 995-2263. Sept. 14-16 21st Century Cleaning Technologies, twoday workshop on metal surface cleaning, presented by Dr. John B. Durkee, Charleston, S.c. For more information, or to register, visit www.surfacefinishingacademy.com. Sept. 15-16 International Surface Finishing Academy Powder Coating Course, Charleston, S.c. For more information, e-mail [email protected]. Sept.23-25 COATING 2008, Indianapolis, Ind. For more information, visit www.thecoatingshow.com.
OCTOBER
Oct.17-19 AESF 44th Annual Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, Lancaster, Pa. For more information, contact Tim Baublitz at (410) 727-6770 or (410) 340-4884. Oct.28-29 5th International Congress ofNano-Bio & Clean Tech, San Francisco, Calif For more information, visit www.ianano.org.
Oct.28-29 High-Performance Electronics Assembly Cleaning Symposium, Rosemont, Ill. For more information, visit www.ipc.org. Oct. 28-30 parts2clean International Trade Fair for Cleaning within the Production Process, Stuttgart, Germany. For more information, visit www.parts2dean.dej. Kushner Electroplating School (Two-Day Programs) Oct.27-28 Houston, Texas. Oct. 30-31 Los Angeles, Calif For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call (408) 749-8652. Oct. 28-Nov. 3 TURKCOAT 2008 Paint Ingredients and Production Technologies Exhibition, Istanbul, Turkey. For more information, visit www.turkcoat.com.
NOVEMBER Nov. 5-6 International Surface Finishing Academy Powder Coating Course, San Diego, Calif For more information, e-mail [email protected]. Nov. 26-28 SFCHINA 2008, Guangzhou, China. For more information, visit www.sfchina.ner.
sherwoodonmanagement Continued from page 66 Fortune 500 company (General American Transportation) with the plating trade name Kanigen came into the picture in 1957 with two eastern plants to plate the interior of their railroad tank cars. (Recognize the name GATX?) They entered into the field with a blast of nationwide Kanigen advertising and what seemed like a zillion patents. We were afraid that this development would pur us our of business, with their local job shop being inside their valve-and-pump manufacturing facility (Fuller) in Compton, Calif. General American Transportation was setting up a nationwide list of job shops licensing their Kanigen process for EN. I experienced visions of them carrying us to the top of the Empire State Building (like Faye Wray) and throwing us down toward our destruction. (OK, this may be an exaggeration.) But how about David fighting Goliath as a more believable simile? We assumed, correctly, that their process was superior and,
WWIN.metalfinishing.com
incorrectly, that their frightening, unbelievably low job plating prices were justified. The end of our dominance in the job shop business was envisioned along with the end of our profits. After a year of fighting their low prices, we decided to become a licensee if we could also simultaneously eliminate them as competitors. Next in our continuing series you will find out how we eliminated King Kong Kanigen's competition by becoming one of his little gorillas while transitioning into a publicly owned corporation. Were getting a license and becoming a public corporation smart business moves? Can you stand the tension? My next column in the October issue of Metal Finishing will provide the answers and relieve your trembling anticipation. BID
Bert j. Sherwood, M.S. in Ch.E.) is a consultant who has provided business and technical counsel to surface finishing and manufacturing companies for more than 20 years. He can be reached at [email protected]. September 2008 I metalfinishing I 71
T
he two previous columns in this series related the early history of electroless nickel (EN) discovery and the subsequent formation of Chemplate Corp., one of the nation's first job shops to process parts for industry. The initial investors ran out of money and the company was in grave danger of being shut down by the sheriff at the request of the creditors. And so the story continues.... The wagon train was put in a circle and the industrial EN pioneers vowed a fight to prevent the sheriff's Indians from killing the business. Scouts were sent out to find enough money to fight off the braves and keep the wagon train going. Serendipity prevailed, once again, when the experienced president/owner ofa steel company, headquartered in southern California, listened to our story and subsequently made a proposal to buy out all of the stock from the initial investors and assume the liabilities of Chemplate (CP). His conditions for purchase were tough: he paid the investors 50% of their initial investment, but nothing to repay the past operating expenses. But he did assume the company's liabilities. The two business interns, Ed Zorn and yours truly, were offered equivalent Draconian conditions to continue on in the business and retain their stock. September 2008 I metalfinishing I 64
We were asked by the potential investor: "Just how much do you believe in this company? Enough to work with no compensation until CP becomes continuously profitable? Also, will you accept my decisions and orders as final?" The two pioneers now had an offer from a new Indian chief with much wampum. The questions condensed down to: Just how much did we believe in this venture becoming profitable? Furthermore, how long could we survive with zero income? Ed Zorn had no problem with deciding to accept. He was an unmarried salesman who, like all good salesmen, religiously believed in his product and accepted the offer as quickly as a knee-jerk reflex. I, in sharp contrast, had many soulsearching sessions alone and with wife Joan, to decide whether we could survive with zero income, for an indefinite period, to pay the expenses of our G.!. house, our oneyear-old son, and all of our additional living expenses, including minor ones such as food. Well, you know the answer; we hunkered down behind the wagons and accepted the deal like two kids who didn't know enough to refuse the lollipops. It turned out, fortuitously, that our new stockholder (we'll call him "Steel") was not only a money man and owner of a major manufacturing company, but he was also a terrific manager, teacher, and a tough, unyielding, disciplinarian. He became de facto president and gen-
eral manager with myself as production manager and Zorn as purchasing agent/salesman. Strict limits were put on expenditures, with Zorn given a small maximum dollar amount that he could use without Steel's approval. Well, having the stereotypical salesman's disregard of complying with rules and regulations, Zorn failed to get authorization from Steel to buy $5,000 worth of nickel salts that were urgently needed. Steel, not one to allow deviations from his direct orders, tore up the purchase order, gave the fragments to Zorn, and said, "I didn't authorize this purchase, so now you pay the $5,000 for the nickel; CP will not. And, since you can't be trusted, all purchasing will now be done by Bert, who will now assume the duties and responsibilities ofgeneral manager." Affluent and busy Steel couldn't afford the time to be at CP more than one visit per month. We would meet at his office in San Marino monthly to review operations and financial statements. Recognizing bur minimal knowledge of business, Steel hired an accounting/management consulting firm to set up the accounting procedures and give me the equivalent of an MBA with experience. It was on-the-job training at its finest. The training was not without its perils because the assigned trainer/procedure-system installer became romantically involved with our beautiful new secretary, thereby creating all sorts of problems with which I had little experience. Anyway, I received a terrific education in business procedures and the distractions of office romances. While all my training was continwww.metalfinishing.com
sherwoodonmanagement uing, the EN business was still stuttering because the big aerospace and electronic companies would not accept our CP process as a sole vendor, further complicated by the lack of military specification approvals. In addition, I attempted process improvement experiments in our mini lab on weekends, undisturbed by myriad day-to-day management problems. At home, things were getting difficult financially and maritally since Joan, baby Craig, and home were being neglected by my near 24/7 working conditions. It got to the point at which Joan and Craig could only see me if they came to the lab on weekends. Joan would sit in an office chair watching and kibitzing while Craig would be in the baby carriage complaining. In the meantime, the mostly working-class neighbors in our Lakewood, Calif., G.!. tract assumed and told us that we were
wealthy because we were company owner/managers. How wrong they were! Attaining the poverty level would have been a step up on the economic ladder. Finally, business started to improve to the point at which Steel had confidence in us and relented on his pronouncement: "no income until the company shows a profit." Steel allowed CP to pay us minimal salaries, just a little below the poverty level. He could see that we were very close to breakeven accompanied by personal deprivation and near starvation, and that we had demonstrated our readiness and belief in the business by our sacrifices. However, Steel was an outstanding businessman and recognized that his investment in CP would never be rewarding enough to justify his time, money, and energy. Our initial dream of being a huge nationwide company, plating the
interiors of pipes in the chemical and other industries, was not going to become a reality. Rather, it was developing into a comparatively modest enterprise that could be run profitably enough for two partners. Steel's outstanding character and generosity came through at one of our monthly meetings in which he offered to sell his stock for his initial investment. Payment was to be on an installment basis with only a nominal interest charge. In essence, the deal was just not big enough for him and he wanted out. What a wonderful man, I thought. All of his stock would be transferred after payment was complete. The two of us would again own 50% each. The new structure of CP was myself as president/general manager and Zorn as VP-sales/engineering. It remained that way for a very long time. Actually, the arrangement lasted until the disastrous "palace revolt." (That story will come later when I summon enough courage to
The powerto
finish firSt!
LJJYUTE _ ~ equipment frnm PEe llXIIITlp"'a 'Wngi_ quo ltv FIr lMII" 50 y&lII'lI. PEe hils been rTlIlOting domlnding I'llql.livncnlB W
Circle 043 on reader information card or go to www.metalfinishing.com/advertisers
www.metalfinishing.com
Circle 035 on reader information card or go to www.metalfinishing.com/advertisers
September 2008 I metalfinishing I 65
sherwoodonmanagement write about it.) As Steel had anticipated, we grew profitable as soon as the major aerospace customers and their subcontractors put the Chernplate process for EN on their list of approved sources. In addition, a military specification, MIL-C-26074, was adopted that allowed us to certify to a specification and eliminate the "sole source" obstacle of CP being the only vendor specified on the prints. A major step forward was in plating military aircraft parts, such as the P38 manufactured by, guess who, North American Aviation (NAA), my former employer. My previous employment with NAA was actually a detriment due to its concern over a conflict of interest with its employees, who might buy unethically on the basis of friendship and/or a financial arrangement. This was unttue because the accept-
ed full disclosure before they committed. No deals were made.
ance of CP and EN was based on intense engineering and service trials. EN became a replacement for hard chrome when the chrome was too porous to provide corrosion resistance and/or could not be deposited as precisely as EN. We were on the road to a business success resulting from the marketing and process improvements we and others, to a lesser extent, had developed. We became famous to the point in which several large manufacturers proposed licensing our process. We were overwhelmed by the limousine pickups in the eastern cities and meetings at 25-person executive boardrooms, seating VPs, lawyers, engineers, and scientists. We were complimented and flattered by their offers of purchase or licensing, but the conditions were unacceptable. The interested manufacturers want-
ACTUATED VALVES INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY BY CONTROLLING FLOW AUTOMATICALLY & SAFELY
COMPETITION
Sales and profits were booming for some time due to industry acceptance and the lack of serious competition from job shops. The party came to an end with the merging of Chern Research into Metal Surfaces, two plating job shops in Los Angeles. Fortunately, they were good competitors and actually helped us in that we no longer had to fight the battle of being the objectionable "sole source." Because it was a quality, well-financed company, it helped us build up volume and diversify the acceptance of EN. KING KONG DESCENDS ONTO THE SCENE
Then disaster came, or we thought it did, when the King Kong of EN, a
Continued on page 71
Surface finishing adds the value
Electric
Designed for durability &superior performance. NEMA 4X rating, ideal for corrosive atmospheres. Adaptable electronic control. Position and motor running lights. Thermally protected motor, manual override. 1/21/ through 2': 2-Way & 3-Way. Bodies in PVC, CPVC, Polypro or PVDF.
Sturdy Thermoplastics Designed for Long-Cycle Life
Air
Designed for durability &superior performance. Air xAir or Air xSpring (fail safe). l Sizes: 1/2" through 2", 2-Way and 3·Way. Bodies in PVC, CPVc, Polypro or PVDE
PLAST-e-MATIC VALVES, INC. CEDAR GROVE, NEW JERSEY
(973) 256-3000 • Fax: (973) 256·4745 www.plastomatic.com Circle 038 on reader information card or go to www.metalfinishing.com/advertisers
September 2008 I metalfinishing I 66
Surface Finishing . Shot Blasting Innovative solutions from the worldls leader in surface finishing
,.
RC~SLER finding a Deller way ...
roSLER _ I Finishing USA LLC. • 1551 Denso Rood· 80IfIe CreeIc· M/49037 Tel.: 269·441·3000· Fox: 269·441·3001· infoOrosIM.us
Circle O4S on reader information card or go to www.metalfinishing.com/advertisers
www.metalfinishing.com
UPCOMINGevents SEPTEMBER
Sept. 14-16 2008 Southern Metal Finishing Conference, Charleston, S.c. For more information, email Anna Levitsky at [email protected], or call (704) 995-2263. Sept. 14-16 21st Century Cleaning Technologies, twoday workshop on metal surface cleaning, presented by Dr. John B. Durkee, Charleston, S.c. For more information, or to register, visit www.surfacefinishingacademy.com. Sept. 15-16 International Surface Finishing Academy Powder Coating Course, Charleston, S.c. For more information, e-mail [email protected]. Sept.23-25 COATING 2008, Indianapolis, Ind. For more information, visit www.thecoatingshow.com.
OCTOBER
Oct.17-19 AESF 44th Annual Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference, Lancaster, Pa. For more information, contact Tim Baublitz at (410) 727-6770 or (410) 340-4884. Oct.28-29 5th International Congress ofNano-Bio & Clean Tech, San Francisco, Calif For more information, visit www.ianano.org.
Oct.28-29 High-Performance Electronics Assembly Cleaning Symposium, Rosemont, Ill. For more information, visit www.ipc.org. Oct. 28-30 parts2clean International Trade Fair for Cleaning within the Production Process, Stuttgart, Germany. For more information, visit www.parts2dean.dej. Kushner Electroplating School (Two-Day Programs) Oct.27-28 Houston, Texas. Oct. 30-31 Los Angeles, Calif For more information, e-mail [email protected] or call (408) 749-8652. Oct. 28-Nov. 3 TURKCOAT 2008 Paint Ingredients and Production Technologies Exhibition, Istanbul, Turkey. For more information, visit www.turkcoat.com.
NOVEMBER Nov. 5-6 International Surface Finishing Academy Powder Coating Course, San Diego, Calif For more information, e-mail [email protected]. Nov. 26-28 SFCHINA 2008, Guangzhou, China. For more information, visit www.sfchina.ner.
sherwoodonmanagement Continued from page 66 Fortune 500 company (General American Transportation) with the plating trade name Kanigen came into the picture in 1957 with two eastern plants to plate the interior of their railroad tank cars. (Recognize the name GATX?) They entered into the field with a blast of nationwide Kanigen advertising and what seemed like a zillion patents. We were afraid that this development would pur us our of business, with their local job shop being inside their valve-and-pump manufacturing facility (Fuller) in Compton, Calif. General American Transportation was setting up a nationwide list of job shops licensing their Kanigen process for EN. I experienced visions of them carrying us to the top of the Empire State Building (like Faye Wray) and throwing us down toward our destruction. (OK, this may be an exaggeration.) But how about David fighting Goliath as a more believable simile? We assumed, correctly, that their process was superior and,
WWIN.metalfinishing.com
incorrectly, that their frightening, unbelievably low job plating prices were justified. The end of our dominance in the job shop business was envisioned along with the end of our profits. After a year of fighting their low prices, we decided to become a licensee if we could also simultaneously eliminate them as competitors. Next in our continuing series you will find out how we eliminated King Kong Kanigen's competition by becoming one of his little gorillas while transitioning into a publicly owned corporation. Were getting a license and becoming a public corporation smart business moves? Can you stand the tension? My next column in the October issue of Metal Finishing will provide the answers and relieve your trembling anticipation. BID
Bert j. Sherwood, M.S. in Ch.E.) is a consultant who has provided business and technical counsel to surface finishing and manufacturing companies for more than 20 years. He can be reached at [email protected]. September 2008 I metalfinishing I 71