For Christopher Pletcher, the millions of parts that Allegheny Coatings finishes and sends out the door to its customers are more than just a successful transaction.
“We also understand the important characteristics that finishes provide to metal parts,” says Pletcher, the president of the company, which has operations in Pennsylvania and Indiana.
“They are a critical aspect of every component that is purchased, and in many cases are life-protecting solutions,” he says. “We recognize this importance, and it has become a major pillar of our company’s culture.”
Pletcher hails Allegheny Coatings’ flexibility, as they provide services to customers supplying any industry that requires corrosion protection solutions of nearly any size of program.
Their coatings — which include zinc-flake, dry-film lubricants, high-temperature resistant coatings, and other specialty coatings — are used in the automotive, general industry, wind/solar energy, military/defense, heavy truck/trailer, and appliance industry, among others.
New President, Aggressive Growth
Christopher PletcherPletcher was named president of the 200+ employee company in 2020 after serving as vice president for two years. Prior to that, he was general manager at Assured Testing and spent several years working for the Dow Chemical Co. in their chemicals and plastics division.
The new president knows Allegheny Coatings’ role is in the market, and the company has established an aggressive growth strategy with his promotion as the new president. All of their Pennsylvania operations are expected to be consolidated into a new purpose-built facility three miles from the original location within the next few years.
“Companies don’t always come to us for the lowest cost solution,” Pletcher says. “They come to us because of the quality, expertise, support, and customer experience we provide.”
Scott Brown, General Manager of Allegheny Coatings’ Pennsylvania facility in Ridgway, says rack spray processes have been their strength since the company’s inception, with a total of eight automated spray lines operated between their Indiana and Pennsylvania operations.
“Each line has specialized features,” Brown says. “Our Indiana facility has in-line alkaline washers, which make it a suitable destination for critical machined components such as ball studs and brake rotors. Our Pennsylvania facility has a large-scale, custom-engineered overhead spray line, perfect for larger stamping components.”
Offering Dip-Spin Coating Processes
Alkaline cleaning prepares parts.They also offer dip-spin coating application processes at each location, which focuses on small to mid-size part geometries and mid-sized volume of programs. Jeff Hall, General Manager of the Indiana facility in Fremont, says these dip spin lines are designed to be nimble for quick and frequent changeovers of materials.
“All of our equipment is custom-designed in-house by our automation and engineering team,” Hall says.
Allegheny Coatings began in 1985 in Ridgway, which is the heart of the powder metal industry. The company’s first major contract was to coat steam-treated powdered metal ABS rings with zinc flake coatings, a solution that replaced stainless steel ABS rings and continues to be used today.
The company’s reputation grew over time, and its coating services were requested for a number of different automotive components — primarily brake rotors and ball studs — which led to the eventual geographic expansion into Indiana in 1996 and into Canada in 2000 in Ingersoll, Ontario.
Allegheny Coatings sold both the Ingersoll and Indiana operations to Curtiss Wright Surface Technologies in 2006 and focused its attention on growing its Pennsylvania plant operations, which it did remarkably well by increasing sales by 500% over the next 11 years.
Reacquiring Indiana Facility
Ball studs are coated.In 2017, Allegheny Coatings reacquired the Indiana facility, reuniting with former management and positioning itself for major growth in the years to come.
Pletcher says part of that growth plan was adding dip-spin to Fremont in 2019, which was part of a multi-year, multi-million dollar equipment investment made by the company to upgrade the Indiana location after it was reacquired.
“Since then, we’ve added a number of different processes to expand our finishing offerings,” says Brad Guy, Allegheny Coatings’ Corporate Sales Manager. Among the additions were black oxide, barrel zinc-nickel, rack dip-spin, and powder metal impregnation, all to their Pennsylvania location.
Guy says Allegheny Coatings strives to build partnerships with each of their customers by providing high-quality finishes and creating an exceptional customer experience.
“Our company has a high focus on response time, from our sales team quoting new business to our customer service team acknowledging order status, to our logistics team coordinating shipments,” Guy says. “We’re highly flexible and are able to accommodate expedited requests if customers are going to miss critical lead times.”
Open Communication and Follow Up
Pletcher says one key to success is that they keep regular lines of communication open with their customers and follow up to ensure they’re happy with their current service.
“And we are continually investing in new equipment and broadening our scope of finishing services,” he says. “It provides us with more solutions to customers’ finishing requirements.”
Allegheny Coatings also has strong ties with its suppliers, including working closely with suppliers such as Doerken Coatings North America, Atotech, Yuken, NOF Metal Coatings North America, Magni Coatings, and others.
Pletcher says the future is bright for Allegheny Coatings, as their core business as a zinc-flake coating applicator continues to grow steadily. With the full suite of rack spray, dip-spin, and now rack dip-spin processes available, they have effective coating solutions for any component.
“The development of complementary finishing processes such as black oxide, zinc-nickel, and powder metal sealing allows us to meet additional segments of metal protection needs,” Pletcher says. “And it solidifies our standing as a premier metal protection applicator in North America.”
