Companies in this industry engage mainly in one or more of the following metal treating activities: heat treating; hot dip galvanizing; enameling, lacquering, and varnishing; powder coating and electroplating; and etching. Major companies include AZZ Precoat Metals, and Valmont Coatings (all based in the US), along with Bodycote (UK) and DOWA Thermotech (Japan).
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE
Demand depends on the level of manufacturing production and construction activity. The profitability of individual companies is linked to manufacturing process efficiencies. Most companies are small and compete by focusing on a specialty customer niche within a local or regional area. The US industry is fragmented: the largest 50 companies generate about 40% of revenue.
PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY
Major services are metal surface finishing treatments including coating and engraving (about 50% of revenue); electroplating, plating, polishing, anodizing, and coloring (30%); and heat treating (20%). Other services include metal processing and metalworking contract and machine shop job work and job order repairs.