Products Finishing magazine is the No. 1 industrial finishing publication in the world. We keep our readers informed about the latest news and trends in plating, painting, powder coating, anodizing, electrocoating, parts cleaning, and pretreatment.
Issue link: https://pf.epubxp.com/i/589968
18 NOVEMBER 2015 — pfonline.com PLATING P L A T I N G "John and I decided used would better fit their budget," Pontarelli says. "Then it was a matter of finding the right equipment. There is nothing wrong with used equipment, as long as it is the 'right' used equipment." When Rowe got a lead on a used line that was available at a closed plant, he and Pontarelli went to look at it, though Pontarelli would not give his seal of approval for Monroe to take the line and move it back to their location. "It was out in Connecticut," Pontarelli says. "I told him we really needed to go out and evaluate it, and so we did. I told John I just didn't think it would have made sense, and it just wasn't the right line. The line was old, in poor condition, and the tanks were beyond their life expectancy." Because PKG not only builds new lines, and they spend a great deal of time servicing and rebuilding existing lines, Pontarelli advised Rowe to walk away. That advice came from years of experience, honed from Pontarelli's father, Sam, who started PKG Equipment in 1969. Back then, Sam started with three employees in a small, 2,300-square-foot space where they fabricated metal tanks and racks for the plating industry. National Finishing in Buffalo was PKG's first customer, but Sam grew the business with other customers such as Eastman Kodak, Xerox and Bausch & Lomb. PKG started fabricating plating equipment using thermo- plastics during the 1970s. In the early '80s, Sam bought plastic welding and forming machines from Europe to expand their plastic fabrication capabilities. PKG was one of the first compa- nies in the U.S. to have that type of technology. Expansion To More Equipment Purchasing that equipment enabled PKG to begin offering turnkey plating systems. In the 1980s, PKG started expanding into other indus- tries by custom fabricating several types of corrosion resistant process equipment, as well as making pharmaceutical skids, tanks for the chemical manufacturing industry and dry process equipment for material handling. The additional services grew PKG and enabled the company to buy a 25,000-square-foot building in 1990 to expand, and a few years later it added another 10,000 square feet as demand for its services grew even more. Sam's children—Stephen, Maria and Carla—now own and operate PKG with more than 30 employees. In 2014, PKG invested more than $1 million in additional space and equip- ment for its now 50,000-square-foot facility. "We knew this line very well because we had worked on it, and it helps to know the history of the line if you can." Excellence for industrial coating. Stay informed with the WAGNER Industrial Newsletter! www.wagner-group.com/wsi/ www.wagnersystemsinc.com 800-473-2524 info@wagnersystemsinc.com