Where do you find experts to consult?

It is not always easy to find collaborators or experts in your field.  We all need advice or at least a sounding board from time to time.

So, where do you look for advice and help in the surface finishing industry? 

We're throwing the question out there in hopes of hearing what you all use in this area.  It isn't easy finding sources and, while we can suggest some, we think you all have sources we haven't thought of.  Our short list includes:

• NASF membership and their website.
• Finishing.com.
• Surfacefinishing.com.
• Surfacecoating.info.

This list is meant as a starting place to stimulate the discussion.  We have our own ideas, but we want to hear yours.

Drop us a line in the comments section below or on our website at www.abrite.com.

The Finishing Expert

The People Who Work Here: Harry Hassell, National Sales Manager

You’ve never met anybody that loves people and his job as much as Harry Hassell does.

“I really enjoy calling on our customers,” Harry told us between customer meetings. “Whether it is hearing about the latest from a long-time customer or a cold call, I can’t wait to either be on the phone or sitting down with someone,” he said.

This joyful approach to life and work has certainly worked for Harry and for A Brite Company. As National Sales Manager, Harry calls on many clients himself as well as guiding the company sales team. Harry manages the sales of everything from equipment to chemistry to consulting services. And he does it by listening to his people and his customers.

A Brite Company is the leader in the metal finishing industry for process chemistry and equipment. A Brite is based in Garland, Texas.

A veteran of the steel and electronics manufacturing industries, Harry has been with A Brite for nearly 20 years. With each stop he’s learned something new to apply to the next step in his career.

“From the time I was in the US Navy through my time in the steel mills, I’ve learned that the strength of a company is in its people,” Harry said. “If you listen carefully and seek to understand, you will go a long way toward forging a relationship that will last,” he said.

“That is both inside and outside of a company,” he continued.

Harry and the rest of the A Brite family can be reached at 214-291-0400 or through the website at www.abrite.com.

The People Who Work Here: Jackie Frank, Chemical Purchasing Inventory Manager

When she was a girl growing up on a ranch in North Texas, Jackie Frank learned a lesson that she hasn’t forgotten to this day.

“When we were kids, my cousin was filling a tank on my grandparents’ ranch,” Jackie recounted recently. “However, she forgot to take the hose out after she was finished and the water in the tank was siphoned out by the unattended hose. The tank had chemicals in it that were toxic and the siphoned water polluted by grandparents’ well,” Jackie recalled.

“They had to dig a new well.”

That lesson of paying attention to detail has stayed with her. In the metal surface finishing business, a missed keystroke on order can destroy a customer’s system.

Jackie is responsible for the inventory and ordering a raw materials for A Brite Company. A Brite Company is the leader in the metal finishing industry for process chemistry and equipment. A Brite is based in Garland, Texas.

“We maintain a just-in-time inventory,” Jackie said. “I order raw materials based upon orders so that we can contain costs in the warehouse,” she said. Jackie also maintains stock of products of other manufacturers A Brite distributes.

And that’s not all Jackie does. “I arrange all of the prepaid and inbound freight for the company,” Jackie said.

Jackie is a veteran of the chemical and surface finishing business, having come over to A Brite in the ACI Chemicals acquisition. She has worked on the A Brite premises since 2004.

“I started as a temp and worked my way through the company,” Jackie said. “I love what I do and can’t imagine working anywhere else.”

Jackie and the rest of the A Brite family can be reached at 214-291-0400 or through the website at www.abrite.com.

The People Who Work Here: Craig Hassell, Customer Service Manager

Being a visual guy in a company full of chemists can have its advantages. Or so it is with Craig Hassell.

“I produced the first ad for the company that didn’t look like it came from our industry,” Craig said. “”While I understand the industry and have worked here for 15 years, I still have an ‘outsiders’ point of view.”

By ‘outsider’ Craig means he isn’t a chemist. He has a degree in Visual Communications. But he is a veteran of the industry because of his work at A Brite Company.

Craig is the Customer Service Manager at A Brite Company. A Brite Company is the leader in the metal finishing industry for process chemistry and equipment. A Brite is based in Garland, Texas.

“When I was first hired on by the company,” Craig continued, “they were looking for help designing ads and a website. I am proud to say we were the first company in the metal finishing industry with a website,” he said.

Since that time, Craig has served several roles with the company until being named Customer Service Manager in 2008.

“My knowledge of the industry and the company comes from having worked in quality control and as ad manager before taking on this assignment,” Craig said. “Thanks, to Frank, I’ve had the opportunity to build my skills and help the company.”

Frank is Frank Dunigan, the CEO of A Brite.

Craig and the rest of the A Brite family can be reached at 214-291-0400 or through the website at www.abrite.com.

The People Who Work Here: James Greer, Purchasing/Equipment Manager

The phone rings. It is a customer with a problem with his metal finishing process equipment. But wait, you sell process chemistry.

Hmmmm.

If James Greer is on the answering end of that call, the answer always starts with “How may I help you?”

James is the Purchasing and Equipment Manager at A Brite Company. A Brite Company is the leader in the metal finishing industry for process chemistry and equipment. A Brite is based in Garland, Texas.

“After more than 20 years in the oil fields of Texas and Oklahoma, I knew what a customer was asking for when they described their problem,” James told us recently. “I found I also understood when they asked for one part and the problem they were having was really needing another part.”

Being able to communicate with the customer and then meet their needs quickly is James’ stock in trade.

“Our customers are dealing with real time,” he said. “If their line goes down, it costs them money. We have to react quickly by diagnosing the problem and getting them the part.”

While A Brite sells chemistry, it also provides solutions to their clients to make sure their lines are up and running. That’s where James comes in.

“I also know when to not sell them something,” James added. “We want happy customers and honesty is a part of what we do. Sure I can sell many parts, but if that’s not their problem, then I won’t,” he said.

James and the rest of the A Brite family can be reached at 214-291-0400 or through the website at www.abrite.com.

Metal Finishing Process Equipment

Finding metal finishing chemistry is one thing.  But do you have a source for the equipment used in the process?

Let's talk about the products and their categories in this segment.  This is the first post in a series to familiarize you with these types of equipment and what is commercially avaiable.

The high-level list reads like this:

• Anodes
• Anodizing
• Automatics
• Barrels
• Blowers
• Brightener feeders
• Buffs
• Chillers
• Coils
• Controls
• Compounds
• Danglers
• Filterpress
• Filters
• Grating
• Heaters
• Laboratory equipment
• Liners
• Magnets
• Mixers
• Polyballs
• Plastics
• pH meters
• Pumps
• Rectifiers
• Scrubbers
• Sand filters
• Saddles
• Spraynozzle
• Tanks
• Waste treatment

"The list is extensive," Dan Dunigan said. Dan is VP of technical sales and service for A Brite Company.  A Brite is the leading provider of process chemicals and services for the surface finishing industry in North Texas.

"We at A Brite have learned over the years that providing the equipment and service is just as important for our customers as is the chemistry," Dan continued.  "Maybe more so, in some instances.

For more information, please contact A Brite Company in Dallas, 214-291-0400.

Providing Answers to Your Finishing Questions: A Brite Company

A Brite Company is the leader in the process chemistry and finishing industry.  This blog has been created to provide information to you, our customers and colleagues, on a regular basis.

We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions.  Watch this space for regular articles that will help you understand our industry, improve the quality of your products and keep you informed about industry trends.

For more information, please contact Dan Dunigan at A Brite Company at 214-291-0400, or stop by our website, www.abrite.com.