individual company interviews - university of wisconsin-whitewater

Wisconsin Innovation Service Center Competitive Intelligence— Warhawk Technologies File #Sample

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Warhawk Technologies, Inc. Competitive Intelligence Report

Executive Summary ……………………………...…………………………………………………….2

Highlights of Competitor Interviews …………………………………………………….…………. 3-6

Conclusion…………………………………….……………………………………………………….…6

Competitor Matrix ………………………….…………………………...……………………….…7-10

Individual Company Interviews ………………………………………………………………...11-20

Research Notes ……………………………………………………………………………..……….. 21


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Warhawk Technologies, Inc. Competitive Intelligence

Warhawk Technologies uses metalizing technology to provide EMI/RFI shielding and

gasket solutions for electronic device designers and has positioned itself as a leading metalizing provider for medical electronic device enclosures and military electronic device enclosures. To meet the changing demands of their customers, Warhawk Technologies has created shielding and gasketing solutions that provide exceptional engineering with cost effectiveness that satisfies U.S. and European regulatory requirements. Warhawk Technologies can work with complex geometries of injection molded enclosures and recently announced the added technology of robotically dispensing a cured-in-place gasket or adhesive bonding of components to the EMI shielded or non-shielded plastic molded enclosure.

Warhawk Technologies is interested in strengthening its market presence in the plating

and metallizing industry by expanding capacity, diversifying operations or collaborating with other companies. In order to make more effective business decisions, Warhawk Technologies needs a better understanding of the competitive landscape. The purpose of this report is to help Warhawk Technologies identify its competitors, the markets they serve, and which companies may be interested in collaborating in the future.

Competitive Intelligence

Warhawk Technologies provided a sample of plating and metalizing service companies that the company considers to be direct competitors. In addition to this sample, WISC also identified other potential competitors using business database searches. Representatives were surveyed from the following twenty companies*:

Antioch Technology Unlimited, Inc. BG Vacuum Platers, Inc. Electrashield, Inc.** Thick-Coat Metallizing, Inc.** Metallic Thin Films Chikasauga Vacuum Metalizing Metal-Plastic Technologies, Inc.** Black Earth Coatings** Star-Vac Plastic Decorators, Inc.** King Finishing of Northern WI, Inc.

Riotek, Inc.** Technacoat, LLC. Spectra-Met, Inc. Metalcoat Technologies, Inc. Metal Depositing, Inc. Metal Coatings Plating and Metalizing Co. Inc.** A1 Metallizing, LTD. KP Metalizing , LLC.** B&C Manufacturing, Inc.

* In addition to these 20 companies, 9 other companies were contacted and either refused to participate or did not return calls and/or email. See the Research Notes section for details. ** Company names provided by client.


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WISC posed the following questions to company representatives:

What types of products and services do you offer?

What types of coatings do you typically use?

What markets segments do you serve?

Who are your typical customers?

Which market segment(s) are strongest or weakest?

What geographic regions do you typically serve?

What are the sales channels your company uses?

What types of promotional strategies do you typically use?

What industry trends are affecting business?

What is your company‟s core competency/competitive advantage?

How does your quoting process work? What is a typical turnaround time for a quote?

Do you currently collaborate with anyone in the industry or would you consider collaborating in the future if it made sense to do so?

Highlights of Competitor Interviews WISC interviewed presidents, vice-presidents, or sales managers of the sample

companies in order to gain a better understanding of their products and services, markets and geographic areas served, sales and marketing efforts, market trends affecting business, core competencies/competitive advantages, quoting process, and willingness to collaborate with others in the industry.

What types of products and services do you offer?

All of the companies interviewed offer a variety of services, including EMI/RFI shielding (6 companies), thin film vacuum deposition (4), spray coating (4), flow coating (3), magnetron sputtering (2), powder coating, liquid coating, and double coating. Other plating services that were mentioned by respondents include vapor disposition, rotary spray, acrylic chromeplating, thermal forming and evaporation, dip-die, electro-coat, Paralene coat, and roll-to-roll. Other non-plating services offered include hot stamping, pad printing, injection molding, screening, design, and assembly. What types of coatings do you typically use?

The metal most commonly used by respondents (XX companies) is aluminum. Other standard metals like tin, copper, stainless steel, and zinc were named. X companies use precious metals like gold and silver. Less frequently cited coatings were magnesium, titanium, nickel as well as various alloys. These coatings are typically applied to plastic, metal, and glass substrates. What markets segments do you serve?

The most common market segments that these companies operate in are automotive (X companies), medical (X), aerospace (X), electronics (X), telecommunications (X), hardware (X),


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industrial (X) lighting (X), and military (X). To a lesser degree, the cosmetics, household appliances commercial and recreational vehicle, agricultural including lawn and garden power equipment, sporting goods, and toy markets are also served. One company specializes in casket hardware. Who are your typical customers?

Most companies that were interviewed are small, independent, family owned businesses and did not wish to identify their customers. However, in a search of published information, one company cited John Deere and Caterpillar as typical customers. The website for another company cites Rockwell and Lockheed-Sanders, IBM, Ericsson, Motorola, Hewlett Packard, and NEC as customers. B&C Manufacturing serves domestic casket manufacturers, and Metalcoat serves domestic automobile manufacturers in the Michigan area. Which market segment(s) are strongest or weakest?

XX companies chose not to disclose areas of the market where they perceived growth or retraction. Of the remaining respondents, medical devices was cited most frequently (X) as a growth segment, followed by military (X) and cosmetics (X). Small recreational vehicles including motorcycles, and casket hardware were also named. Steady market segments were automotive (X) and hardware (X), aerospace, and telecommunications. Lighting was considered by one company to be a weakening market segment. What geographic regions do you typically serve?

X companies said that their business was international. XX companies claimed their

business served the U.S. and X companies said that their territory spanned North America. When asked to further specify their market region, X companies said that they served

Canada and X companies each served Europe, the Far East and Mexico. Domestically, X companies operate mostly in the Midwest, and one company each serves the East Coast and the West Coast.

Specific states cited included Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan (X), North and South

Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas. Other regions cited were Puerto Rico, Malaysia, Brazil, U.K., Europe, and the Far East. What are the sales channels your company uses?

X companies use inside sales only; X employ both inside sales and manufacturers reps. X companies use only manufacturers reps, and X do not have any sales representatives.


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What types of promotional strategies do you typically use? XX companies find that word-of-mouth is their best promotional strategy. XX companies

use websites. In addition to referrals, some companies also attend trades shows (X), are listed in business directories (X), advertise in trade journals (X), send email, e-newsletters, or direct mail, visit customers, and one company has its own delivery trucks. What industry trends are affecting business?

Half of the companies cite foreign competition as the main industry trend affecting business because Asian countries such as China have the ability to process high volumes of product at low cost. However, according to a few representatives, lower quality of Asian parts is an issue which may have a positive impact on local business. X companies cited reasons other than foreign competition such as higher raw material costs, technical challenges, and aftermarket replacement parts. X companies claim that their business had not been affected by any industry trends. What is your company’s core competency/competitive advantage?

The top three answers to this question were: customer service (XX responses); superior

processes (X); and quality work, (X). Other competencies cited were job turn-time, delivery, variety of materials, attention to detail, flexibility, shipping, and price. How does your quoting process work? What is a typical turnaround time for a quote?

Most companies work from drawings and prototypes. Some companies can and will start with a verbal description of the product, but usually require a drawing or prototype to complete a quote.

XX companies quote within 48 hours, and Xquote within 24 hours, and X did not provide a

specific quote turnaround time. The remaining XX companies take 2 to 3 days, 3 to 4 day, 1 week, and up to 10 days.

Do you currently collaborate with anyone in the industry or would you consider collaborating in the future if it made sense to do so?

XX companies indicated that they are willing to collaborate in the future, X companies said

they may be willing to collaborate in the future, X companies indicated that they do not collaborate, and X companies were not specific in their answer. X companies currently collaborate. Of these, X companies were not specific about with whom they collaborate, X collaborate with competitors, X works with roll-to-roll suppliers, and X works with their parent company. X representatives indicated that companies “talk to each other”, and another representative was not aware of any collaboration taking place between competitors.


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Who else would you recommend we speak with?

XX companies cited companies that WISC or the client had identified as potential key player contacts, including Warhawk Technologies, Black Earth Coatings, Antioch Technologies, and KP Metalizing. One company alerted WISC of the Society of Metal Coaters Exhibition and Conference that will be held April 28 to May 1, 2007 at the Kentucky International Convention Center and Marriott Louisville Downtown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. One company indicated that there is EMI/RFI shielding information on General Electrics‟ website, www.ge.com. Other companies and resources include the American Metalizing Society (AMS), American Contract Manufacturers Show website at www.amconshows.com, SavCor, American Car Coating, Mr. G‟s Enterprises, Midwest Tungsten Services, and Sherwin-Williams.

Conclusion

Most respondents offered a variety of metalizing services, but only one-third appear to be direct competitors providing EMI/RFI shielding services. X coating services were named in this report; the most common were spray coating which was provided by X companies and flow coating which was offered by X. Standard metals, chiefly aluminum, were the most commonly reported metals used. The most common industry segments served were automotive, medical devices, electronics, aerospace, telecommunications and hardware. Medical devices were reported to be a growth segment, followed by military and cosmetics.

A few companies claimed to be serving international markets in Asia and Europe;

however, the majority acknowledged that their market was domestic and more regional in nature. Most companies utilize inside sales forces over manufacturers reps, although a few used both. Additionally, strong referral networks appear to be the preferred way to generate new business. The majority of companies also reported using their website as part of their promotional strategy. In their respective markets, competing companies say that their competitive advantages are customer service, superior processes and quality work. X companies will provide a quote within 24 hours and X will quote a project within 48 hours. Quotes are mostly determined from drawings and prototypes.

Business nationwide has been affected by foreign competition. Although countries like

China can do high volume jobs at low cost, the quality of this off-shore work is perceived by local companies as inferior, and occasionally off-shore plating jobs cannot be fulfilled in time. For these reasons, local businesses are already seeing some business return, or are expecting to see some business return as domestic companies provide re-plating of poor quality imports or perform rush jobs to fulfill overdue orders.

The plating and metalizing industry in the U.S. is relatively small and filled with many niche

companies. While communication among competitors is common, collaboration between these companies appears to be less common. However, many respondents appear to be interested in collaborating in the future as a strategy to respond to market pressures and take advantage of business opportunities.


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Competitor Matrix *indicates information from websites

Company Employees/ Sales

Product/Service & Coatings

* Market Segments/ Customers/ /Market Growth

Geographic Regions Served

Sales Channels

Promotional Strategies

Current Industry Trends

Competitive Advantages

Quote Process & Quote Turn Time

Other Contacts and Key Players

Collaboration

Antioch Technology Unlimited, Inc/

X/$xM Thin film deposition of various standard/precious metals and alloys

Aerospace and communications/ No Answer /market growth is steady

USA, Europe Inside sales Customer visits None cited Superior processes, quick delivery

Part #, Qty, price & delivery; also application requests

BlackEarth Coatings

Willing to collaborate in the future

BG Vacuum Platers, Inc.

X/$x.xM Plating/ aluminum Automotive restoration/ No Answer/ No Answer

USA, Canada, UK

None Word-of-mouth, muscle car magazines, website

Aftermarket replacement parts

Repair and smoothing before finishing

Quote from drawings. Minimum order $50

Mr. G‟s Enterprises

Does not collaborate. Does process some aftermarket parts.

Electrashield XX/$xM Mainly plating and spraying; standard and precious metals

OEM‟s of electronics, automotive, aerospace/ RIM Blackberry, Tyco, Motorola, Alcatel, Nortel, Commscope; OEM electronics is main market/ No Answer

USA, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Brazil

Mfg reps in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, & Brazil

Electronic newsletters; Word-of-mouth is minor

Foreign competition (high volume jobs)

Offer a wide range of plastic-resins.

Quote from drawings within 2 to 3 days

Savcor Coatings Currently collaborate and willing to collaborate in the future

Thick-Coat Metallizing

XX/$x.x million

EMI/RFI shielding, double coat aluminum, thermal forming/ low-freq stainless copper,

Communications, medical, electronics, computers, military aerospace/ Rockwell, Lockheed-Sanders, IBM, Ericsson, Motorola, Hewlett Packard, NEC/ Medical and military

Mainly N. America; also Malaysia

Rep firms, Mfg Rep

Word-of-mouth, trade shows

Technical requirements of military

Quality Quote from drawings within 48 hours. Military contracts vary.

GE EMI/RFI resources on website

Division of Wave Zero.

Metallic Thin Films

x/$xxx,xxx RF/DC magnetron sputtering, thermal evaporation, roll-to-roll/ standard and precious metals

Aerospace, telecommunications, and medical/ No Answer/ Medical

USA Mfg Rep Word-of-mouth & website

None cited Delivery, job turn-time, quality

Quote from drawings; up to 1-week

Antioch Technologies; AVS.org

Collaborate with roll-to-roll providers


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Company Employees/ Sales

Product/Service & Coatings



Sales Channels






Collaboration

Chikasauga Vacuum Metalizing/

xx-xx/$x-$x.x million

EMI/RFI shielding/ standard metals

Hardware, reflectors, rush jobs/No Answer/ All segments are weaker

N. American except for California

No sales rep Word-of-mouth only; no website

Foreign competition, small competitive industry locally

Small company with excellent customer service

Quotes from drawings or prototypes within 48 hours or less

KP Metalizing; Midwest Tungsten Services

Currently collaborates locally. May be willing to collaborate in the future.

Metal -Plastic Technologies

xx/$x.x-$x million

EMI/RFI; standard metals and others by request

Mainly medical; also electronics, avionic/aerospace, telecom, toys./ No Answer/ Medical

Midwest; also international

No direct sales Word-of-mouth, trade shows, website

Technical challenges

Quality, 2-layer process, durable & robust

Quotes based on drawing and time studies. Fixturing varies. 3 to 4 days

SVC.org None currently. Willing to collaborate in the future.

Black Earth Coatings/

xx/$x.x million

EMI/RFI shielding, and various other process; standard and precious metals

Mainly military; also Aerospace, Electronics, Communications, Automotive, Medical, and Commercial/ No Answer/ Military

USA, Minnesota, Tennessee

Inside sales Word-of-mouth, website

Foreign competition

Quality, customer service, local specialization

Quote from drawings & proto-types (2K-130K pcs). Up to 2-days

AVS.org; other direct competitors (Thomas Register)

Does some collaboration and willing to collaborate in the future.

Star Vac Plastic Decorators, Inc.

Not Available

Vacuum metalizing & other services; mainly aluminum

Automotive, hardware/ No Answer/ Even growth

Mainly USA; also global

Inside sales Word-of-mouth, website

Foreign competition

One-on-one customer service; attention to detail; hands-on

Based on quantity and internal profit margin guidelines

None Does not collaborate

King Finishing xx/$xxxK est.

Liquid coat/powder coat/electro Antioch oat; aluminum, magnesium, others

Agricultural, industrial, electronics; John Deere, Caterpillar/ No Answer

Mainly upper Midwest, Wisconsin, Michigan, N and S Dakota, Arizona, Canada

Two inside sales, one Mfg Rep

Word-of-mouth, direct mail, e-mail, website

Foreign competition, soft market, has seen unexplained increase in business

Customer service, attention to detail, scheduling

Line density; part-per-hour

Sherwin-Williams

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Company Employee

s/ Sales Product/Service & Coatings



Sales Channels






Collaboration

Riotek, Inc. xxx/$x.xM Flowcoat, spraycoat, dip-die, & other services; various metals including aluminum

OEM automotive, hardware, fishing lures / No Answer/ Even growth

USA, Midwest & East Coast

Inside sales Word-of-mouth, delivery truck, website, registries

Foreign competition

Quality, customer service, shipping

Online form & hand quote from drawings & prototypes; up to 48 hrs

Warhawk Technologies

Willing to collaborate with others

Spectra-Met x/$xxxK Spray paint & lacquering, metalizing, sputtering; aluminum, copper, precious metals

Mainly cosmetics, also electronics, medical, hardware, appliances, automotive/ No answer/ Cosmetics

International Direct & outside sales rep

Word-of-mouth & website

None cited In-line metalizing & sputtering

Parts-per-week (e.g. 4-5 million); 24 hrs

None Talk to competitors, but do not collaborate

Technacoat, Inc. xx/$x.xM est.

Magnetron sputtering, Parylene coating; roll-to-roll; standard & precious metals

Mainly medical; also aerospace, industrial, optical, electronics/ No answer/ All especially medical

N. America, Europe, Far East

Inside sales & one outside sales rep

Trade shows, website

Raw material cost; heavy demand vs. ability to supply

Customer focus, custom design

Custom quotes; up to 48 hrs

SVC.org; USDC University o f Arizona

May be interested in collaborating in the future

Metalcoat Technologies, Inc.

x/$xxxK Basecoat (spray and flowcoat), vacuum deposition, topcoat; standard and custom finishes

Automotive, lighting, prototypes for aerospace & medical, aftermarket devices for military/ No answer/ No answer

Midwest; also Mexico

Inside sales Word-of-mouth, trade shows, journals, business registries

Foreign competition; also service work for out-of-production parts

Quick turn-time, low volume proto-types

Quote from drawings up to 24 hours. Special cases up to 1 week.

None Willing to collaborate in the future.

Metal Depositing

xx/$x-$xx million

Roll-to-roll, flexible substrates; aluminum and others

Window film, automotive, architectural, reflectors/ No answer/ No answer

Global, USA, Asia, India

Inside sales; sell to convertors

Word-of-mouth; no website

Foreign competition, primary material cost

Flexibility, custom jobs, fast switch over

Quotes are customer specific and application specific; 10 days or less

SVC.org; AmCon.com

Collaborates with two largest competitors; likely to collaborate in the future


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Company Employee

s/ Sales Product/Service & Coatings



Sales Channels






Collaboration

B&C Manufacturing/

xxx/$x.x million

Physical vapor deposition (VPD); mainly aluminum on plastic substrate

Mainly casket hardware / No answer/ Casket hardware

Mainly Midwest, but serve all of US

Inside sales Word-of-mouth, trade/shop shows, website

New technology, UV topcoat market

Customer service, special applications, metallization & topcoat expertise

Quote from drawings & prototypes within 48 hrs; additional time for modifications

SVC.org; SVC Exhibition and Conference (Louisville, KY)

Currently collaborate. May be willing to collaborate in the future.

Metal Coatings

x/$x-$x.x million

Metal-on-metal, acrylic chrome plating; aluminum, nickel, titanium

Automotive, motorcycles, hardware, helmets/ No Answer/ Automotive, motorcycles

Southern California, Texas, Michigan

None Word-of-mouth, website, trade shows

None cited Vapor deposition

Quote from drawings within 24 hours. (e.g. 60/pcs @ $400)

American Car Coatings

Does not collaborate

Plating and Metalizing Co

xx/$x.x million

EMI/RFI/ESD shielding using Elamet® process and standard metals including aluminum

Medical, telecom, electronics, industrial controls, automotive, lighting, computer, trophies/ No answer/ No answer

USA, Canada, Mexico

Inside sales Word-of-mouth, tradeshows, website

Foreign competition, cyclical business

Communication with customer, service

Work from drawings/prototypes; batch process; higher volume, lower price

Other competitors (Thomas Register)

Does not collaborate

A1Metallizing, Ltd.

xx-xx/$xx-xxM

Flow coat, powder coat, rotary spray; aluminum and others

Mainly cosmetics; some lighting/ No answer/ Cosmetic is growing, lighting is decreasing

USA & Canada Inside marketing


Foreign competition (lower cost)

Strip and replate

Based on quantity processed

Mississauga Vacuum Metalizing

Talk to competitors, minor collaboration

KP Metalizing

xx/$x.x million

EMI/RFI shielding; standard metals. Other metals and alloys upon request

Electronics, medical, telecom, recreational equipment, toys, trophies, electronic enclosures/ No answer/ No answer

USA Inside and outside sales


Foreign competition “Tight” market

Quality, quick turn, competitive pricing, customer service, delivery

Prefers prototype, but will work from drawings.

Other metalizers (Thomas Register)

Does not collaborate. Has not heard of others collaborating.

* Includes information from websites


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Individual Company Interviews Antioch Technology Unlimited, Inc. Janesville, WI Tel: 555-555-5555 www.antiochtechnology.com Mr. Nick Hille, Vice President; Technology Manager

Antioch Technology does research, development, short-run production of vacuum metalized film and thin film coatings, and passive thermal controls for spacecraft. The most commonly used coatings are aluminum, copper, and nickel. Aerospace and communications are the two main markets served and both markets are “steady right now”. The company does business mainly in the U.S. but also conducts some business in Europe. Sales and marketing is conducted through an inside sales rep and customer visits.

Astral Technology offers quick delivery, and superior processes. Part numbers, quantity, price, and delivery time are used for quoting, and quotes can be created from application requests specifying material, price, and delivery. Other recommended contacts and/or key players included Black Earth Coatings. The company is not currently affected by any industry trends. Some collaboration takes place currently and the company may be willing to collaborate with others in the future.

BG Vacuum Platers, Inc. Beloit, WI Tel: 666-666-6666 www.bgvacuumplaters.com Mr. Josh Herman, President

The primary business of BG Vacuum Platers is restoration of automobile parts such as dashboards, trim, and other parts for auto enthusiasts. Occasionally requests for props and trophies for the movie industry are fulfilled but “this is a minor portion of our business”. Typical coatings are aluminum, and urethane clear coat. BG Vacuum Platers serves mainly the U.S. and Canada with a minor market in the UK. The company does not have an inside sales rep and relies heavily on word-of-mouth advertising, but also places some ads in muscle car magazines.

BG Vacuum Platers strips, repairs, and cleans parts before plating to ensure a quality finish. “We find that other companies do not do this”. Regular quotes are typically done through a pricing catalog while custom jobs are quoted from the actual parts. The biggest trend affecting BG‟s business is aftermarket parts that are inexpensive and easily replaced. Other recommended contacts and/or key players included are Mr. G‟s Enterprises. BG does not collaborate with others in the industry, but occasionally receives aftermarket parts for additional processing.


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Electrashield Eagle, WI Tel: Sales 222-222-2222 Mfg 999-999-9999 www.cybershieldinc.com Mr. Riley Barnes, President

Electrashield does plating and spraying of copper, nickel, gold, tin, and others metals as requested. EMI/RFI shielding for OEM‟s of electronic devices is the main market, but the company also does some automotive and aerospace work. Sales are mainly the U.S., but the company also does business in Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Brazil. They use manufacturing reps in all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. E-newsletters are the main promotional tool for the company. “Referrals make up a relatively small percentage of our business”.

The company is unique in that they work with a wide range of plastic resins that competitors cannot or will not work with. Quotes are done most often from customer drawings and usually take up 2 to 3 days to process. Foreign competition is the biggest threat to business right now. “High volume production has gone to the Far East”. Other recommended contacts and/or key players included Savcor Coatings. Electrashield currently does some collaboration and is willing to collaborate in the future. Thick-Coat Metallizing, Inc.; a division of Wave Four Elkhorn, WI Tel: 666-666-6666 www.thickcoat.com Sarah Polozzi

Thick-Coat offers EMI/RFI shielding, thermal forming, double coated aluminum, low frequency stainless copper mainly for the military, but also serves the medical industry. Other segments include telecommunications, computers, test equipment, and aerospace. The medical and military segments are experiencing the most growth. Most of Thick-Coat‟s business is in North America, but also has some business in Malaysia. Rep firms are utilized for sales and word-of-mouth is the biggest promotional tool. The company also attends trade shows which aids in attaining additional business as does the company‟s website.

Thick-Coat provides quality service to its customers and can provide quotes based on customer drawings within 48 hours. The big thing affecting business is the technical demands of the military; everything must be shielded and one device cannot interfere with other devices around it. Thick-Coat is a subsidiary of Wave Four, so collaboration exists between these two companies.


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Metallic Thin Films Delevan, WI Tel: 555-555-5555 www.metallicthinfilms.com Mr. Matt Hendricks, Co-owner

Metallic Thin Films (MTF) applies precious metals to flexible PTE and rigid plastic predominantly for the medical industry, but also serves the needs of aerospace and telecommunications in the U.S. The medical segment appears to be experiencing the most growth. An outside rep handles sales and most of MTF‟s business comes from referrals. The company does not attend trades shows or advertise in trade journals, but is listed in the Thomas Registry.

MTF‟s strengths are high quality, quick turn-time for projects, and delivery; however, “we are admittedly slow on the quoting process, which can take up to one week”. The company does not recognize any industry trends affecting business at this time. Other recommended contacts and/or key players included Antioch Technologies. Collaboration is currently done with companies who provide roll-to-roll substrates for processing.

Chikasauga Vacuum Metalizing Milton, WI Tel: 999-999-9999 No website Mr. Brian Daniels, President

Chikasauga Vacuum Metalizing does custom and production vacuum metallizing on plastic including EMI and RFI shielding. Aluminum, copper, and silver are the most commonly used coatings for point-of-purchase products, reflectors, and hardware products like door handles and plumbing fixtures. Chikasauga serves all of North America except for California and “all of our markets are weakening due to off-shore competition”. There are no inside sales or company website. Business is generated only through word-of-mouth.

Chikasauga is a small company and admittedly has the most expensive services in North America, but customer attention is superior. Quotes are done from drawings or prototypes and quotes can be done immediately over the phone, but typically take up to 24 hours; 48 hours at the latest for more involved jobs. Other recommended contacts and/or key players included KP Vacuum Platers and Midwest Tungsten Services. This is a small competitive industry that is served by many niche companies. However, Chikasauga currently works with a local company, MLVacuum Metalizing [Boonesborough, Ontario Canada]. If a service or job size cannot be handled by one company, then that service or job is typically fulfilled by the other company.


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Metal-Plastics Technologies, Inc. Cambridge, WI Tel: 555-555-5555 www.M-ptinc.com Mr. Fidel Neiman, President

Metal-Plastics Tech‟s main business is EMI/RFI shielding for the medical industry, which is currently a strong market for the company. Other segments include electronics, aerospace, toys and games, telecommunications. Typical coatings are aluminum, copper, nickel, stainless steel, and various combinations or alloys as requested. M-PT is an international company, but the upper Midwest is the strongest market. Business is promoted through word-of-mouth, trade shows, and the company‟s website. Word-of-mouth works best. M-PT does not currently have inside sales.

M-PT uses a high quality, two-layer coating process that is durable and robust. Drawings

and time studies are used to quote jobs and quote turn-time is typically 3 to 4 days. Right now, technical challenges such as space constraints - due to manufacturers putting more parts into their plastic housing – is the main thing affecting M-PT‟s processing ability. “M-PT does not currently collaborate with anyone, but may be interested in doing so in the future. However, physical distance from competitors may pose some challenges”.

Black Earth Coatings Wales, WI Tel: 320-693-2868 www.blackearthcoatings.com Mr. Matt Crews, Sales

Black Earth Coatings offers EMI/RFI Shielding and other services such decorative and protective coatings. Aluminum, copper, gold, stainless steel, and other metals are applied to plastic, metal, glass, and composite substrates. The company‟s main market is the military and they also do jobs for medical and commercial vehicles. Other segments include electronics, telecommunications, and automotive. The segment with the most growth of late has been the military. Business is concentrated in Minnesota with a small portion in Tennessee. There is little else nationally. Inside sales are relatively new to the company and most business is generated through word-of-mouth.

Black Earth Coatings has a local, specialized market where the company provides high quality work, and excellent customer service. The preferred way to quote is from drawings, although quotes can be done from prototypes. Turnaround time for quotes is 48 hours or less.

For the past 5 years, foreign competition has been the main trend affecting business. But some of this business has been recaptured due to poor quality of overseas processing. Some companies will rework foreign parts or do rush jobs to fulfill overdue orders. Black Earth has received a few inquiries on this matter, but has not yet accepted any jobs of this type. Black Earth does very little collaborating right now, but would be interested in collaborating in the future.


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Star Vac Plastic Decorators East Troy, WI Tel: 888-888-8888 www.Starvac.com Contact: Ms. Amanda Thomas, Sales and Administration Star Vac Plastic Decorators offers a variety of services including decorative and functional vacuum metalizing, hot stamping, spray painting, and assembly. Aluminum is the main coating that is applied to products like automotive parts, hardware, and point-of-purchase products. Star Vac is a global company, but mainly serves the U.S. Growth has been even across our market segments. There is one inside sales rep. Word-of-mouth is the main way the company gains new business.

Star Vac‟s personalized customer service and attention to detail are the main competitive advantages. Job quotes are based on quantity and internal profit margin guidelines. [Note: the representative would not provide additional detail on these guidelines]. The main thing affecting business right now, for everyone, is foreign competition. Star Vac does not collaborate and are not aware of any other companies who do so.

King Finishing Pewaukee, WI Tel: 777-777-7777 www.kingfinishing.com Mr. Troy Crofton, Sales

King Finishing does powder coating, liquid coating, and electro-coating. Any of the most commonly used metals can be applied, but aluminum and magnesium are the most common. The main industries served by King Finishing are agricultural and industrial. An example of typical customers is John Deere and Caterpillar. The upper Midwest - Wisconsin, Michigan, and the Dakotas – is the main market, though we do business in Arizona and Canada as well. The company has an outside sales rep and two inside sales reps. New business primarily comes through word-of-mouth. Direct mail and email are also used for generating new business.

Attention to detail and customer service are two of King Finishing‟s strong points. “We are also good at scheduling”. Quotes are provided from drawings or prototypes and are based on line density; in other words, the number of part-per-hour that can be processed.

Vacuum metallizing is a “soft market” and is largely affected by foreign competition. Lately,

there has been an unexplained increase in our business which other companies have not experienced. King Finishing may be interested in collaborating in the future.


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Riotek, Inc. Rome, WI 54656 Tel: 666-666-6666 www.riotekinc.com Ms. Ashley Slatterly, Sales Manager

Riotek offers vacuum plating, injection molding, vacuum forming, and various other services. The company does not provide EMI/RFI shielding. This process is contracted through another local business. Typical markets include OEM, automotive, point-of-purchase, and fishing lures. All markets appear to be performing about the same. Riotek does business across the United States with the Midwest being the strongest region. The East Coast is also strong because Riotek‟s cost is lower than what many East Coast facilities can provide. Riotek has one inside sales rep and new business comes mainly from word-of-mouth. Additional inquiries are often generated when someone sees a Spartek delivery truck. The company also has visibility through business and government registries.

Riotek is an ISO certified company with high quality, excellent customer service, and offers local shipping. The company quotes from drawings, prototypes, or verbal descriptions, and cost is dependent on the process used, and the number and size of pieces. Foreign competition is the biggest challenge to the local industry. China offers lower cost, but also has lower quality. Other recommended contacts and/or key players included Warhawk Technologies. Riotek currently collaborates with a local business that handles EMI and RFI shielding jobs.

Technacoat LLC Watertown, WI Tel: 222-222-2222 www.spectramet.com Jasmine Fredrick, Sales

Technacoat can provide spray coatings, sputtering of metals on glass, metal, or plastic, but does not provide EMI, RFI, or ESD shielding. The largest industry served is cosmetics; other segments include electronics, medical, hardware, automotive, and appliances. Cosmetics is experiencing the most growth. Direct sales and outside sales reps are utilized. Very little business is generated through the company‟s website, but word-of-mouth is very effective.

Technacoat is the only company with a new in-line sputtering process that eliminates labor from about XX employees down to X employees. Prototypes, drawings, or verbal descriptions can be used to provide quotes. Typically quotes jobs are quoted by the number of parts-per-week. “We process millions of parts per week”. Turnaround time for quotes is XX hours. Business does not appear to be affected by external factors. Although the company does talk to competitors, Technacoat does not collaborate with them.


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Spectra-Met, Inc. 300 Lamberton Road Windsor, CT Tel: 860-688-2300 www.techni-met.com Mr. Mike Dallman, National Sales Manager

Spectra-Met provides magnetron sputtering of precious metals onto roll-to-roll substrates for the medical, aerospace, government, and industrial, and flexible circuits industries. All of these markets appear to be growing; especially medical. Spectra-Met serves North America, Europe, and the Far East with North American being the largest market. Word-of-mouth is the company‟s biggest source of new business which is handled by an inside sales rep and one outside sales rep.

All of Spectra-Met‟s projects are custom designed so there is an emphasis on customer focus and satisfaction. The company works mainly from drawings and can do custom quotes within x business days. Rising raw material prices and heavy demand versus ability to supply is affecting business right now. Supplier‟s substrates are coated by Spectra-Met and the company may be interested in collaborating in the future. Metalcoat Technologies, Inc. New City WI Tel: 555-555-5555 www.metalcoat.com Tyler Knox

Metalcoat Technologies provides prototype metallizing, show display parts, pre-production jobs, and low volume production using all standard and custom finishes. Prototypes have been done for aerospace, aftermarket military, automotive lighting, and medical industry customers. The most common market is the Midwest automobile manufacturers. The company uses inside sales and generates most new business through word-of-mouth and trade shows. The company is also listed in the Thomas Register, and they occasionally advertise in trade journals. Some of the company‟s strengths are prototyping, processing low volume jobs, and quick turn time. Metalcoat typically works from drawings to provide quotes the same day, up to 24 hours, or up to one week depending on the job complexity of the job. Foreign competition and service work for out-of-production replacement parts are the main factors affecting Metalcoat‟s business, and the company is open to future collaboration.


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Metal Depositing, Inc. Delafield, WI Tel: 111-111-1111 No website Mr. Zachery Schwaab, VP of Technology

Metal Depositing offers a sputtering service for roll-to-roll and flexible substrates, and can process materials up to 74 inches in width. Typical applications are window film for automotive or architectural needs, reflectors for lamps, and some displays. Metal Depositing is a global company with a heavy emphasis in the United States. The company has inside sales and “sells to converters”. Word-of-mouth is the only source fro new business. „We do not do trade shows because it is a big waste of time and money”. Metal Depositing is a flexible company that can meet a customer‟s needs by doing custom jobs, and can make changes or modifications relatively quickly. Quotes are customer specific and depend on application. Quotes are also affected if the material being processed is supplied by the customer or by the company. To some degree, foreign competition does affect business, but the primary factor is the rising cost of primary materials. Metal Depositing collaborates with our two largest competitors. “Everyone attends trade shows and conferences and knows everyone else. We talk to each other and collaborate on projects that are not strongly competitive”. Metal Coatings, LLC Sharon, WI Tel: 333-333-3333 www. metalcoating.com Miranda Lund, Owner

Metal Coatings does metal on metal coating for automotive and motorcycle enthusiasts in these two growing markets. “Other segments include mailboxes, helmets, and caps. The most commonly used coating materials are aluminum, nickel, and titanium. Most of the company‟s business is in Southern California, though there are clients in Texas and Michigan as well. Word-of-mouth is the most effective promotional tool for gaining new business.

Metal Coating‟s vapor deposition process is the company‟s main core competency. Quotes are done most often from drawings and are dependent on the number of pieces that can be processed in the chamber at one time. For example, XX pieces could run around $XXX. Typical turn time for a quote is one day. No one within the company is aware of any external threats to business. Other recommended contacts and/or key players included American Car Coatings. Metal Coatings does not collaborate with anyone.


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Metalizing & Plating Oconomowoc, WI Tel: 666-666-6666 www.metplate.com Scott Wade, Engineering

Metalizing & Plating and does spray-on conductive coating, hot stamping, sonic welding, and various other services. The company offers the proprietary Elamet® process that is favored by companies such as Hewlett Packard, Sony, Siemens, IBM, and BMW among others. M&P can do arc spray-zinc, copper, stainless steel, and aluminum. M&P serves many industries such as medical, telecommunications, consumer electronics, automotive, lighting, industrial controls, trophies. M&P serves only North America with the U.S. being the strongest market. The company relies on word-of-mouth for most new business but also attends trade shows and has a company website. Sales are handled by an in-house rep.

M&P is a small company that offers excellent service and communication with its customers. Quotes are done from files or prototypes and quoted by batch; higher quantity leads to lower cost per part. The biggest trend affecting business is foreign competition. XX percent of Metalizing & Plating‟s business is decorative caps and automotive. Lower cost in foreign countries takes business away, and higher shipping costs bring business back. M&P is currently seeing an increase in business. M&P does not collaborate, but does keep in contact with competitors. A1 Metalizing Ltd. Waukesha, WI Tel: 444-444-4444 www.a1metallizing.ca Vanessa Murphy, Marketing

A1 Metallizing coats plastics and metals using flow coating, rotary spray, and powder coating. EMI/RFI prototypes are done rarely. The company mainly serves the cosmetics industry which seems to be improving, and the lighting industry which appears to be slowing. The company is located in Canada where it does some business, but the U.S. is the main market. A1 Metalizing does not have a sales rep, but does have a marketing department, and marketing is done entirely through word-of-mouth and the company website.

A1 Metalizing offers excellent service and is the only company to provide a stripping and re-plating service. Customer quotes are based on quantity, and the quantity for the flowcoating service must be relatively higher than the quantity for other services. Foreign competition is the only thing that is seen affecting business right now, and it seems to be affecting almost everyone in the industry. A1 Metalizing occasionally collaborates with Chikasauga Vacuum Metalizing, and may be open to future collaboration with others.


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KP Vacuum Platers LLC Fontana, WI 53948 Tel: 888-888-8888 www.kpvacuumplaters.com Mr. Ian Crenshaw, Sales/R&D

KP Vacuum Platers does functional and decorative coatings using common metals such as aluminum, tin, and steel. Other coatings are available by request. The company‟s main markets are the lighting and point-of-purchase industries in the U.S. The company has an outside sales rep, but inside sales is used most often. Promotion is done mainly through word-of-mouth. KP Vacuum offers quality, quick turnaround time and delivery, competitive pricing, and excellent customer service. Quotes can be done by the piece, but are typically done by lot size. The physical size of a piece will affect the price. Foreign competition is the only major trend seen as affecting business. Competition is “tight” in this industry; they are not aware of anyone collaborating with others. B&C Manufacturing Walworth, WI Tel: 222-222-2222 www.b&cmanufacturing.com Mr. Alec Duerson, Sales Manager

B&C Manufacturing mainly supplies aluminum coated plastic for the casket hardware industry; this is approximately 98 percent our business. Seventy percent of B&C‟s business is in the Midwest, but the company also has clients nationwide. The company only has inside sales. Typically the company promotes through manufacturing trades shows, plastics trade shows, job shop trade shows. A couple of examples are the National Plastics Expo, and American Contract Manufacturers Show (AmCon).

B&C has expertise in metallization and top coat, special applications, and is a small company that can quickly adapt to customer needs. Drawings and prototypes are typically used for quoting jobs. The more information, the better we can quote. Quotes may take up to XX hours and may be modified afterwards as customers submit changes, modifications, and additional information.

Foreign competition is negatively affecting business while new technology and processes are positively affecting the industry, allowing for improved product quality and ability to do custom work. Typically, the company works with an injection molder, EMI/RFI service, and chrome plating service. In response to foreign competition and in the interest of keeping things local, B&C Manufacturing is willing to collaborate in the future.


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Research Notes The following companies were contacted but would not participate in our research. Company Name Location Telephone Web (http://www.) Hohman Plating & Mfg, Inc. Dayton, OH xxx-xxx-xxxx hohmanplating.com Ionedge Corp. Fort Collins, CO xxx-xxx-xxxx ionedge.com Mat Vac Technologies Daytona Beach, FL xxx-xxx-xxxx mat-vac.com Mueller Corp. East Bridgewater, MA xxx-xxx-xxxx muellercorp.com Providence Metallizing Co, Inc. Pawtucket, RI xxx-xxx-xxxx provmet.com Regal Finishing Co. Coloma, MI xxx-xxx-xxxx regalfinishing.com Seleco, Inc.* Indianapolis, IN xxx-xxx-xxxx seleco.com Thin Film Technology Buellton, CA xxx-xxx-xxxx thinfilmtechnology.com Wave Zero, Inc. Sunnyvale, CA xxx-xxx-xxxx wavezero.com * Company name provided by client.

The following companies and organizations were identified by company representatives as

potential sources of relevant or related information.

Company Name Location Telephone Web (http://www.) American Car Coatings information not found AmCon Salem, Ma xxx-xxx-xxxx amconshows.com AVS New York, NY xxx-xxx-xxxx avs.org General Electric ge.com Midwest Tungsten Service Willowbrook, IL xxx-xxx-xxxx tungsten.com Mr. G‟s Enterprises Fort Worth, TX xxx-xxx-xxxx mrgusa.com SavCor Coatings Irving, TX xxx-xxx-xxxx savcor.com Sherwin-Williams sherwin-williams.com SVC Albuquerque, NM xxx-xxx-xxxx svc.org University of Arizona arizona.edu

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