ANO-TALK: All Things Anodizing

Ever felt overwhelmed by a vague customer call? You're not alone. Let's dive into the detective work behind troubleshooting! Tag someone who needs to hear this! 🔍 In the world of anodizing, customer calls can feel like a riddle. They often come with vague issues that require a deep dive to uncover the root cause.  You have to ask the right questions and piece together clues like a detective on a...

Summary The ANO-Talk hosts sit down with Barb "the cleaning lady" and Ed Kanegsberg of BFK Solutions LLC   at the Aluminum Summit in Atlanta Georgia. The conversation explores various themes related to the anodizing industry, including personal anecdotes, resilience in business, the importance of education and training, regulatory challenges, and the significance of employee safety. The speakers e...

Summary In this engaging outdoor podcast, the hosts discuss the importance of safety and workforce issues in the aluminum industry, featuring insights from Jeanette Courtney, Director of Environmental Health and Safety at Bonnell Aluminum. The conversation highlights an upcoming joint workshop focused on safety and HR, the achievement of three years without recordable injuries at Bonnell, and the...

In this episode of ANO-TALK, the hosts discuss the upcoming AAC Regional Forum, highlighting its purpose, accessibility, and the exciting tour of the Aacron's Anodizing facility. Michael McGinty shares insights on the event's structure, including technical presentations and networking opportunities, emphasizing the importance of collaboration within the anodizing industry. The conversation also to...

In part two of a two part series, Mark, George & Tej sit down with Anne Deacon Juhl and discuss the anodizing industry, exploring her journey, visionary perspectives, unique expertise, and the challenges and opportunities within the field. We delve into the importance of education, sustainability, and customer relations, while also addressing misconceptions and defining what makes a world-class an...

In this conversation, our hosts, Mark, George & Tej discuss the implications of the Republican trifecta in government, focusing on regulatory changes, energy policy, and the anodizing industry. Joined by Charlie Simmons, a legal expert, provides insights into the expected executive orders and cabinet picks under the new administration, emphasizing the potential rollback of previous regulations and...

In part one of a two part series, Mark, George & Tej sit down with Anne Deacon Juhl and discuss the anodizing industry, exploring her journey, visionary perspectives, unique expertise, and the challenges and opportunities within the field. We delve into the importance of education, sustainability, and customer relations, while also addressing misconceptions and defining what makes a world-class an...

In this episode of ANO-talk, the official podcast of the Aluminum Anodizers Council, hosts George, Mark & Tej give us a detailed preview of the upcoming 33rd Aluminum Anodizers Council Annual Conference in Cleveland October 1st-3rd. This years exciting theme, "Anodizing: The Rockstar Finish," ties into Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Gain insights into ths years program's lineup, including...

George Oh & Judy Runge  join Jason Weber of the AEC to discuss their upcoming Anodizing Essentials Workshop at this years ET'24 event in Orlando. For more details visit: ET In-Conjunction Workshops | Aluminum Extruders Council (aec.org) AAC Anodizing Essentials Class 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Fee: $495 AAC members / $895 nonmembers Instructors: AAC member anodizing experts Anodizing Essentials is part...

Tin Electrolytic Coloring with Pinakin Patel  Electrolytic (or two-step) coloring is one of the most durable metal coloring methods on the market, even outperforming paint. Electrolytic coloring is primarily used on extruded aluminum parts for the architectural (store front), and automotive trim industries due to its durability. Our hosts Tej Patel of Techevon LLC and George Oh of Quaker Houghton...

Pinakin Patel on Mid-Temperature Sealing  Our hosts, George Oh of Quaker Houghton and Tej Patel of Techevon, talk with anodizing industry expert Pinakin Patel, owner of Techevon LLC, a global anodizing chemistry supplier in Chicago, IL. Pinakin explains what mid-temperature seals are, the types of mid-temperature seals, his patent on sealing of aluminum oxide, nickel-free mid-temp seals, types of...

2023 Anodizing Conference Preview George Oh of Quaker Houghton and Co-Chair of the AAC Education Committee, Tej Patel of Techevon, and Mark Spencer of AaCron Anodizing talk with AAC President Jeff Henderson about what to look forward to at the 32 nd  Annual Anodizing Conference & Exposition, October 9-12, 2023 in Bellevue/Seattle, Washington. Listen to this episode to get a feel for what to expect...

Heavy Metal-free Dyes  Mahe Chandrasekaran, Chemical Engineer with Techevon, LLC, joins our hosts George Oh, R&D Senior Chemist with Quaker Houghton and Tej Patel, Director with Techevon, to discuss which heavy metals show up in the anodizing industry, heavy metal-free dyes, why use metals in dyes compared to metal-free dyes, which heavy metals are used in dyes for the anodizing industry, and the...

The Environmentally Friendly Anodizing Line Rob Pawson of Haviland Products talks with Mark, George, and Tej about creating an anodizing line that is environmentally friendly. PFAS regulations, dealing with other city, state and federal water regulations, the cost for installing scrubbers, and solutions for water discharge treatment are covered. Rob discusses how chemical manufacturers are continu...

Promoting Careers in the Anodizing Industry Kevin Janis, Business Development Manager for Reliant Aluminum Products, talks with hosts George Oh and Mark Spencer about his career path versus his expectations, challenges in hiring for the anodizing industry, what might attract young people to the industry, doing more to share information about the beauty of anodizing, and more.

Meet the Industry Figure: Kevin Janis, Reliant Aluminum Products Our podcast hosts, Mark Spencer, George Oh and Tej Patel, talk with Kevin Janis, Business Development Manager for Reliant Aluminum Products to learn more about his 25-year career in the aluminum finishing industry. Kevin's background as a lawyer, his love of college football at his alma mater University of Wisconsin, his experience w...

Dan Bishopp, Quaker Houghton, on Acid Etch Dan Bishopp, Regional Sales Manager for Quaker Houghton, discusses his start in the aluminum extrusion industry and his eventual move into the anodizing line in the 1980s with Bonnell Aluminum in Kentland, Indiana with our hosts Mark Spencer and George Oh. He discusses his career trajectory from line worker to Process Improvement Manager with Bonnell Alum...

Meet the Industry Figure: Rob Pawson Rob Pawson, Vice President of Haviland Products in Grand Rapid, Michigan, talks with our hosts about his company, the anodizing industry, the benefits of membership and committee involvement in the Aluminum Anodizers Council, as well as Rob's longevity in the industry.

Bill Zahner and Aluminum Anodizing President & CEO of A. Zahner Company, Bill Zahner, talks with our hosts to tell us a little about his background, and his company. The company, founded in 1887, is a pioneer in architectural metal fabrication, engineering and installation. Bill, a prolific writer, talks about the lack of knowledge of architectural metals during the research of his first book. The...

Sequel Anodizing Racks Get into the details about anodizing racking with Kyle and Peter Schumer of Sequel Anodizing Racks, a 35-year-old family-owned and operated racking company in Minnesota. Kyle and Peter talk with our hosts about their career paths and how they landed in the anodizing industry, their approach to sales, experiences at the AAC Anodizing Conference, idiosyncrasies of anodizing ra...

Tej Patel of Techevon, Mark Spencer of AaCron Anodizing , George Oh of Quaker Houghton, and special guest Pinakin Patel of Techevon talk about the differences between anodizing and painting aluminum and why anodizing is actually a superior coating . The guys discuss why paints are used instead of anodizing and vice versa, the durability of both methods, benefits and drawbacks for anodizing and pai...

Meet the Industry Figure – Dawn Purucker   Learn a little bit about Dawn Purucker, Environmental, Health and Safety Director for Bonnell Aluminum in Niles, Michigan, including how she started in the anodizing industry, her career and educational background, what she likes to do in her spare time when she's not leading the safety program at Bonnell Aluminum, how she feels about Charlie Brown, and m...

Safety in the Anodizing Industry   Dawn Purucker, Environmental, Health and Safety Director for Bonnell Aluminum in Niles, Michigan, talks with podcast hosts George Oh and Tej Patel, about safety - specifically in the anodizing industry. In this fun and engaging episode, Dawn discusses her approach to safety at Bonnell Aluminum and the success she has had with reducing injuries, the types of safet...

Non-Nickel Sealing   Pinakin Patel, Founder and President of Techevon LLC , with decades of experience in the anodizing industry, talks about the different anodizing sealing methods – and focuses specifically on non-nickel sealing – in this episode of ANO-Talk: All Things Anodizing. He talks with our hosts, George Oh, Mark Spencer and Tej Patel about this mid-temperature range (180-200 degrees F/8...

Scott Walker is Regional Vice President for Products Finishing magazine and a Professional Member of the Aluminum Anodizers Council. Hear how Scott got his start in the metals industry publishing world and where his career took him before he landed at Products Finishing. Tej Patel and George Oh talk with Scott about AAC, his involvement with the Council, and what Products Finishing offers the anod...