Axalta Coating Systems proudly congratulates Axalta customers who are recognized as “Top Shops” by Products Finishing magazine. The winners of these awards were selected based on an online benchmarking survey conducted between December and January 2014 that garnered responses pertaining to finishing technology, operations, best practices and business operations.

Among the more than 25 Axalta customers who received the “Top Shops” award were two members of Axalta’s Star Coater program, Microfinish based in Saint Louis, Missouri and S&B Finishing Co. Inc. located in Chicago, Illinois. The Star Coater program is a program created by Axalta Coating Systems, Powder Coatings North America for its job coater customers who are dedicated to continuous improvement, learning and development.

“Products Finishing is the premier publication for the metal finishing industry in the U.S.,” said Bill Stocks, Microfinish Owner. “For Microfinish to be recognized by Products Finishing, as one of the 'Top Shops' in the country, is a tremendous honor for all of us at Microfinish.”

Hundreds of electroplating companies participated in the 40-question benchmarking survey that determined the “Top Shops” winners. The results from this survey were then compiled to form the Products Finishing Top Shops Benchmarking Report which was provided to shop owners. This report includes information about how their companies are performing against others in the industry. According to Product Finishing’s study, the “Top Shops” had significant statistical advantages over the other operations surveyed. For example, order lead time was found to be 5.0 days for “Top Shops” compared to 8.6 days for others. Additionally, Top Shops’ capacity utilization was found to be 83.4 percent in relation to the average 59 percent.