Adam Thomas, Vice President of the family-owned company R.J. Thomas Manufacturing. is a Cherokee, Iowa, manufacturer of Pilot Rock park equipment that was founded in 1959.

The addition of an upgraded powder coating system has been on R.J. Thomas Manufacturing’s to-do list for some time, and especially since business has been growing for the last several years.

The company has been designing and manufacturing the Pilot Rock brand of park, street, and campsite equipment since its inception. The outdoor park equipment includes campfire rings, grills, benches, picnic tables, and trash receptacles, which are used in parks, campgrounds, or someone’s backyard.

Read more at https://finishingandcoating.com/index.php/powder-coat/2585-r-j-thomas-mfgs-new-pilot-rock-powder-coating-system-makes-finishing-a-walk-in-the-woods

Jo’Van Wiggins is the Chief Operations Officer of EMI Quality Plating in Evansville, Indiana, a 50,000-square-foot business that is central to many manufacturing operations in the U.S.

EMI specializes in silver, gold, and nickel plating; certified welding inspection; and additional specialty plating processes, including palladium, diamond coatings, low-, mid-, and high-phos nickel, as well as electroless nickel.

“We have a lot of choices and options for potential partnerships with different companies,” Wiggins says. “And we are only using about 25,000 square feet, so we're ready to expand and open up. We also have real estate around our facility, so we're able to build on and open up the capacity even more if need be.”

Founded in 2005, the company was acquired in 2016, and President Jake Stocks took ownership and rebranded it with a more modern look and vision. The list of industries they serve is as extensive as the number of processes they offer: military defense, medical, automotive, RF/microwave, laser, cellular, consumer electronics, optics, HVAC/refrigeration, computer, aerospace, and telecommunications.

Visit https://emiplating.com.

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