This is Electroplating marketing research and can include information on the background, market structure, definitions, competitors, trends and developments of electroplating and is related to other topics such as plating and coating.

Table of Contents

[edit] Background

Italian chemist Luigi V. Brugnatelli invented Modern electrochemistry in 1805. Because Brugnatelli's inventions were repressed by the French Academy of Sciences electroplating was not used by the general industry until 30 years later.

As the science of electrochemistry grew the electroplating process became better understood and other types of non-decorative metal electroplating processes were developed. By the 1850s commercial electroplating of nickel, brass, tin, and zinc had been developed. Electroplating baths and equipment based on the patents of the Elkingtons were scaled up to accommodate the plating of numerous large scale objects and for specific manufacturing and engineering applications.

[edit] Market Structure

Electroplating establishments are primarily engaged in electroplating, plating, anodizing, coloring, buffing, polishing, cleaning, and sandblasting metals and metal products for the trade.

Included in this industry are establishments that perform these processes on other materials, such as plastics, in addition to metals. Firms in the electroplating industry engage in the following activities.

Anodizing metals and metal products for the trade Buffing metals and metal products for the trade Chrome plating metals and metal products for the trade Cleaning and descaling metals and metal products for the trade Coloring metals and metal products (except coating) for the trade Depolishing metals and metal products for the trade Electroplating metals and formed products for the trade Gold and silver plating metals and metal products for the trade Grinding metal castings for the trade Laminating metals and metal formed products without fabricating Pickling metals and metal products for the trade Plating metals and metal products for the trade Polishing metals and metal products for the trade Sandblasting metals and metal products for the trade Tumbling (i.e., cleaning and polishing) metal and metal products for the trade Additionally, those companies engaged in both fabricating and electroplating, plating, polishing, anodizing, and coloring products are classified in the manufacturing sector according to the product made.

There were two types of firms in the industry: small, private corporations and large, publicly held companies that were either subsidiaries or divisions of larger parent corporations. While larger firms were often more diversified in the number of electroplating and finishing processes they utilized, smaller firms tended to specialize in one or two types of finishing processes.

During the 1950s and 1960s, many companies established their own finishing operations, but with the onset of increased environmental regulation of the industry in the 1970s many manufacturing firms opted to subcontract for finishing services, thus avoiding the added costs of waste treatment. Later, the trend once again was for manufacturing firms to own and operate their own finishing operations, often integrating production and finishing processes.

The major segments within the electroplating market encompass metal finishing for automobiles, aerospace and other transportation equipment, appliances, hardware and industrial fasteners. The metals that are used in electroplating include zinc, nickel, copper and chromium. Electroplating serves a number of functions, such as protecting from corrosion and wear, decoration, and electrical shielding.

[edit] Industry Definitions

• Electroplating - the process of using electrical current to coat an electrically conductive object with a relatively thin layer of metal. The primary application of electroplating deposits a layer of a metal having some desired property (e.g., abrasion and wear resistance, corrosion protection, lubricity, improvement of aesthetic qualities, etc.) onto a surface lacking that property. Another application uses electroplating to build up thickness on undersized parts.

• Electrodeposition – Electroplating process that is analogous to a galvanic cell acting in reverse. The part to be plated is the cathode of the circuit. In one technique, the anode is made of the metal to be plated on the part. Both components are immersed in a solution called an "Electrolyte" containing one or more dissolved metals metal salts as well as other ions that permit the flow of electricity. A rectifier supplies a direct current to the cathode causing the metal ions in the electrolyte solution to lose their charge and plate out on the cathode. As the electrical current flows through the circuit, the anode slowly dissolves and replenishes the ions in the bath.

Other electroplating processes may use a nonconsumable anode such as lead. In these techniques, ions of the metal to be plated must be periodically replenished in the bath as they are drawn out of the solution.

[edit] Market Metrics

In 2001, there were a total of 3,241 establishments in this industry, with more than 70,000 employees and a payroll exceeding $2 billion. 55,652 workers were in production jobs, and shipments were valued at just under $5.9 billion. Employment was projected to rise to 77,000 by the mid-2000s, with shipments estimated to reach a value of nearly $7.4 billion.

Similar to other segments within the manufacturing sectors, by the late 1990s the industry was looking to consolidate and streamline production facilities. From the mid-2000s and beyond, the industry was challenged to remain competitive by the development and use of new electroplating techniques to streamline production, increase output, and cut costs. One promising development was the copper electroplating system called the Electra Cu Integrated ECP. Rather than requiring the use of more than one furnace and multiple production steps, this system allowed metal to be processed in one step.

[edit] Industry Players

St. Louis, Missouri company Siegel-Robert led the industry in 2001 with $487 million in sales and 3,100 employees. By 2006, it sales had increased to an estimated $523 million. Siegel-Roberts’ focus is on electroplating plastic for automotive components. The company is a leading maker of injection-molded plastic products for the automotive industry, as well as for a wide range of other manufacturers. The automotive division makes such items as door handles, emblems, radiator grilles, interior trim components, and side moldings.

The company's other units make items such as decorative faucet assemblies, embossed carrier tapes for integrated circuits, folding tables, light housings, pressure relief rupture discs, and texturized computer housings. Siegel-Roberts also offers chrome plating, painting, and assembly services for many of its products.

Additionally, the Northern Steel Castings Inc. of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania-based International Metals and Chemicals Group are other major player in the U.S.

The following are some of the key international companies involved in the electroplating industry.

           Arch Chemicals Incorporated
           BASF AG
           Cookson Group plc
           Dow Chemical Company
           Elementis plc
           GenTek Incorporated
           Grupo Mexico SA de CV
           Henkel KGaA
           Hercules Incorporated
           Hubbard-Hall Incorporated
           Indium Corporation of America
           International Specialty Products Incorporated
           Lucent Technologies Incorporated
           MacDermid Incorporated
           McGean Incorporated
           mg technologies ag
           Occidental Petroleum Corporation
           OM Group Incorporated
           Petroferm Incorporated
           Philipp Brothers Chemicals Incorporated		
           PPG Industries Incorporated
           Rhodia SA
           Rockwood Specialties Incorporated
           Rohm and Haas Company
           SIFCO Industries Incorporated
           Solutia Incorporated
           Technic Incorporated
           Total Fina Elf SA

[edit] Recent Trends and Developments

Throughout the 1990s many significant technical developments in the industry arose in response to environmental regulation. The Torrington Company of Connecticut demonstrated a method to recover cadmium and chromium from electroplating rinsewaters. In one study using the ion exchange method, both cadmium and cyanide were removed, sometimes to below detection levels, while the pH of the rinsewater remained constant. Following the exchange, cadmium was recovered and regenerated, while less cyanide was necessary for wastewater treatment.

In the 1990s pollution prevention methods often took the path of reducing the need to coat or plate at all, sometimes by using coating-free materials such as titanium, reinforced plastics, weathering steel, and aluminum alloys. In addition, alternatives to traditional coating systems were found in emerging technologies. Studies found promise in nonelectroplating methods, including electron beam-cured coatings, super-critical carbon dioxide coating systems, and radiation-induced thermally cured coatings. New developments in the electroplating industry include the replacement of pure zinc coatings with zinc/iron or zinc/magnesium products and a move away from the carcinogenic hexavalent chromium. It is possible that hydrochloric acid may be banned for health reasons. Electroless nickel has many advantages including wear resistance over electroplating despite being more expensive.

[edit] Sources

• U.S. Census Bureau
• Wikipedia
• Hoovers
• Factiva
• Britannica