Engineering new business

摘要

Less money available today for R&D makes it tough on metal users and distributors that never had large research budgets to begin with. One result of fewer research dollars is the absence of technical innovation in new product development, "Change is generally discouraged due to risk and cost issues," says Rick Placenta, director of marketing at CFM Companies. "At the same time, margins are squeezed and revenues diminished by offshore competition." A subsidiary of Chicago Metallic Corp., which produces steel ceiling grids and systems, CFM provides a vertically integrated source of supply for coated and processed metal to all CMC divisions. In this dedicated role, CFM developed the know-how to meet the requirements of a large manufacturer of qualify- roll formed and stamped components. CFM has taken this expertise and expanded its market to offer customers a full range of coating options along with slitting, cut-to-length and embossing services. Available coating systems include polyester, siliconized polyester, Kynar, plastisol, acrylic, epoxy, urethane and phenolic. Among the more popular specialized coatings are electro-galvanized, heat resistant, anti-microbial and anti-fingerprint.