Page 15 - CFCM May-June 2021_Neat

Output ($1000) # of Surface Finisher Employers Employees (FTEs)
Ontario $ 1,371,489 368 7,855
Quebec $ 441,742 59 3,041
Alberta $ 404,236 120 2,258
British Columbia $ 216,378 92 1,145
Manitoba $ 49,222 22 331
Saskatchewan $ 49,403 9 303
Atlantic $ 53,283 26 89
Total $ 2,585,754 806 15,121

development, manufacture, and distribution of surface finished In addition to its primary objectives, CASF also exists to:
products. The surface finishing industry includes companies that use • increase representation of surface finishing members
a wide array of products to finish metal and plastic substrates. Electro- across Canada
plating, anodizing, coating, galvanizing, and heat-treating metal, • increase industry promotion
electroplating on plastic substrates and more, fall into this segment. • improve the public image of the industry

Background on the Surface Finishing Market The Importance of Surface Finishing
Surface finishing companies are generally located in clusters close to The Surface Finishing of products provides many functions but
where their main customers are located, where this is possible, and two primary ones – decoration and protection – are important to
also close to a source of qualified labour. This means that those industry. Without the surface finishing industry, product lifecycles
surface finishers focusing on the oil and gas market tend to be in would be shortened, and in some cases, safety performance would be
Alberta while those focusing on the automotive industry tend to be in reduced. Many products made for general consumption would
Ontario, as in many industries. not even be marketable due to performance degradation over
There are two types of surface finishers: Job Shops provide time without some form of finishing by this globally significant
surface finishing services to other manufacturers and end users, industry segment.
whereas the surface finishing department of a Captive Shop is an The surface finishing industry in Canada consists of raw material
intermediate stage in the production cycle before the final part is suppliers, raw material distributors, job coaters, as well as other
produced and sold by the company. The job shop surface finishers manufacturers who captively surface finish their parts during their
supply many end-use industries, for example the bright trim or internal manufacturing cycle. The approach of this study was to esti-
corrosion-resistant fasteners on vehicles. An example of a captive mate the economic activity in terms of output and the salary and
operation would be the hard chromium plating of shock absorbers as wages generated by employment for all surface finishing companies
a stage in the manufacture of suspension systems, or the plating of operating in Canada.
the copper traces on a printed circuit board on its way to becoming Surface finished products are used in many end-use segments,
an electronic component. It is estimated that roughly 50 percent of and specifically on metal or plastic substrates. In fact, almost all
the Canadian surface finishers fall into the job shop category and the manufactured products use surface finished parts. Thus, the key
other 50 percent are captive. drivers of the surface finishing industry are generally the drivers
of the overall Canadian manufacturing economy, which includes
About CASF automotive production, the oil and gas industry, construction,
The Canadian Association for Surface Finishing (CASF) is the prin- farming and agriculture, forestry, and forms a part of most indus-
cipal surface finishing industry association in Canada, established trial production.
many years ago to keep suppliers, finishers, professional service pro-
viders, and individuals connected, educated, and represented at all Types of Surface Finishes
levels of government. There are a wide variety of surface finishes and surface finishing
CASF’s goal is to provide a single unified voice for the surface processes. Each has its own unique applications, advantages, and
finishing industry in Canada – no other association exists to disadvantages but all result in improved asset protection. For
do so. CASF is a volunteer-based organization that relies on the example: increasing the service life of the part by strengthening it,
participation and experience of finishers, suppliers, and decision- and making it functionally better for its end use application regard-
makers within the finishing industry to help members and our ing hardness, ductility, wear resistance, lubricity and more. Much
industry succeed. surface finishing is also employed to improve the part cosmetics as
WWW.CFCM.CA CANADIAN FINISHING & COATINGS MANUFACTURING 15