Coating company PF reports sustained growth

PHOENIX (Nov. 14, 12:10 p.m. ET) — PF Technologies Inc. of Phoenix continues to grow despite the absence of a sales staff or trade show exhibits.

General Manager Bill Rice projects 30 percent higher sales in 2011 vs. the previous year. However, the provider of robotically applied functional and decorative coatings withholds details of financial results.

The company can coat plastic, metal or glass. It can perform shielding to prevent electromagnetic or radio-frequency interference, graphics decoration, vacuum metalizing, decorative coatings, scratch-resistant ultraviolet-light coatings, silk screen printing and pad printing.

At one time, PF processed millions of cellular telephone handsets monthly, but that production moved offshore, Rice said.

Now, about 25 percent of the business involves medical instrumentation such as blood-analysis equipment, vitreo-retinal surgery systems, heart monitoring devices, diabetes testing modules and insulin and infusion pumps, Rice said. Other markets include appliances, electronics, automotive, solar and telecommunications.

PF operates seven Fanuc robots, with six of the fully automated upstream and downstream systems in separate paint spray booths among nine booths in the plant. Two portable clean rooms and one rigid unit meet the Class 100,000 standard.

Customers praise PF performance.

Marine electronics specialist Navico Inc. selected PF in 2009 after an Asian firm abruptly closed its Tijuana, Mexico, plant and moved the operation back to China.

PF has “done an excellent job for us” with high-end cosmetic customization on Lowrance-brand high-definition-system and Simrad-brand plastic housings for the outdoor marine environment, said Brendan Steinacher, Navico global commodity manager in Tulsa, Okla.

“PF is a true business partner,” said Jim Arrowsmith, senior medical account manager in Flambeau Inc.’s Phoenix facility, previously operating as Mastercraft Cos. “I never look at them as a vendor. Their many core competencies bring value to our product but, more importantly, bring business to Flambeau.”

Arrowsmith noted, “Our customers look at Flambeau Phoenix not just as injection molders, tool builders and an assembly house, but rather a place they can come to have painting, pad printing, [electromagnetic interference] shielding, vacuum deposition and labeling. This is due to our strong relationship with PF.” Flambeau is based in Baraboo, Wis.

PF Technologies started as Precision Finishing Inc. in 1981 and changed to its current identity in 1990. PF occupies 40,000 square feet and employs more than 100. Prior to starting the business, Vince Perla, owner and president, worked with GE Plastics marketing with a focus on painted plastic parts.

Coating company PF reports sustained growth