Ronatec President James Wetherald estimates that several years ago, only about one in 20 plating lines they installed featured automation with hoist systems and data logging.
Jim WetheraldThat number has surged to nearly 70% today, with customers increasingly opting for fully integrated, high-tech solutions.
“It’s been a huge jump toward automation,” says Wetherald.
Ronatec has acquired an additional manufacturing facility dedicated to building finishing lines to meet this growing demand.
Expanding to a 10,000-Square-Foot Facility
The new facility, located in Lake Elsinore, California—near Ronatec’s existing operations in Oceanside—adds 10,000 square feet of manufacturing space and plans to expand into a 5,000-square-foot unit next door. This expansion allows the company to increase production capacity while maintaining its current fabrication facility for welding, repairs, and waste treatment system development.
“We outgrew our plastic fabrication facility,” Wetherald says. “Now, we’re building all our lines in the new location while continuing other operations at our other sites.”
Increasing Installation Volume
Ronatec’s line installation division has experienced significant growth, installing around 30 plating lines in 2024 alone, including projects ranging from small two- to three-tank systems to large-scale installations.
“I believe our closest competitor installed about eight lines last year, so we’re seeing a major uptick in demand,” Wetherald says. “We’ve also completed some larger installations, like a 60-tank line and a 48-tank line in Florida.”
Expanded Testing Laboratory
Christopher Sakacs, Engineering Manager at Ronatec, says the expansion has enabled them to increase their in-house testing laboratory in all facets of our electrical, mechanical and chemical divisions.
“We have numerous PLC and PAC controllers along with HMI and UI systems varying over numerous brands where a majority of our automation can be vetted prior to shipment of our systems,” Sakacs says.
The added floor space has given us them space to build and test in house many of their one-of-a-kind mechanical designs related to automatic hoists, pumping and sparge systems, filtration skids, and others,.
“Basically any type of ‘one-off equipment for the plating, anodizing, waste treatment and other specialty industries,” Sakacs says.
The Demand for Single-Source Solutions
Many shops prefer a turnkey solution in which a single provider handles design, equipment, and chemical integration. Ronatec has positioned itself as a one-stop shop, eliminating the need for multiple contractors.
“You can buy tanks from one supplier, but they may not know which chemicals are compatible,” says Joe Zabielski, Technical Director at Ronatec. “Then you need another vendor for the hoist system, another for the boiler, another for ventilation, another for the control panel. Our customers don’t have to do that—we handle everything.”
As a manufacturer and distributor of specialty chemistries, Ronatec also ensures ongoing support post-installation, maintaining regular oversight of chemical performance, consignment inventory programs, and system efficiency.
“We do some distribution, but most of our products are made in-house,” Wetherald sats. “We’re now blending at four locations, which has expanded our ability to deliver products to most of the USA within 2-3 business days from order date.”
Automation’s Growing Appeal
With labor shortages and rising costs, more customers are investing in automation features they might have overlooked.
“In high-volume automotive production, automation has been around since the 1970s and 1980s,” Wetherald notes. “But for job shops, where the plating requirements change daily, advanced automation with customizable recipes wasn’t available until about eight years ago. Now, it’s transforming the industry. Some of our clients have over 200,000 recipes to handle the variance in the workload, which can change not just day to day but shift to shift.”
As automation continues to reshape metal finishing, Ronatec’s expansion ensures it can meet its customers' evolving needs, providing cutting-edge, fully integrated solutions for an increasingly automated future.
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