Getting Ahead by Finishing Well

Tanury Industries Relies on a Technological Edge to Stay Globally Competitive

By Dee deHaas

Tanury Industries of Lincoln, RI, has been a leader and innovator in the precious metal plating and finishing industry for nearly 60 years. Thomas Tanury, a native Rhode Islander, assumed management of his family’s business in the mid-1970’s. Since then, the company has grown from a 15-employee concern to a multi-faceted company with about 150 employees.

Tanury attributes much of his company’s success to superior customer service – and integrity. “In this business, as any, your reputation is built on your customer’s testimony that you do what you say you will do,” he said.

All the firm’s customers are manufacturers, affected by a variety of industry specific concerns and regulations. Tanury Industries has been especially challenged by the trend toward the outsourcing of manufacturing to such countries as China or India. It’s a trend that has resulted in the demise of the jewelry industry in Rhode Island, causing a decline in demand for some of the products that Tanury Industries relied on for its core business, a twistable watchband among them.

To make up for the loss, Tanury has aggressively pursued new markets, alternate finishes and high-tech plating processes. He travels to trade shows nationally and internationally to promote the latest in technology, new finishes, and how his company can add value to its new and existing customers.

Exceeding Standards

Tanury provides pre-finishing services including sandblasting, polishing and surface preparation. Aircraft parts, coins, electronics, eyewear, hardware, plumbing fixtures, fine jewelry and more can be plated with one of more than a dozen finishes, ranging from base metals such as copper and nickel to precious metals such as gold, silver, rhodium, and platinum. Depending on the customer’s specifications and the finishing requirements, there are probably over 100 variables in finishing results. One of the most popular would be the various shades of gold ranging in color from 14 karat to 24 karat, including rose gold and green gold. There are also several variations to satin.

As the company has grown, Tom, along with Michael Akkaoui, president and CEO of Tanury Industries and his management team, have researched new markets and heavily re-invested in the company. The company has been assisting in the development of industry standards, and recently achieved the latest worldwide standard of quality, ISO 9001:2000. The company has a state-of-the-art measurement laboratory with X-ray technology to ensure the integrity of their work, especially with extremely valuable precious metal applications. They also have a laboratory on-site to analyze their processes and the environmental impact of the plating and to maintain their exemplary safety and compliance record.

Cutting Edge Technology

In the beginning of Tanury Industries’ quest for PVD coatings, Tanury guided the company into the role of founding partner for the Foundation for Thin Film and Interface Technology. The Foundation’s research institute, a collaboration between the National Science Foundation, Brown University, the University of Rhode Island, the State of Rhode Island and 13 other member companies, has participated in projects leading to significant advances in metal finishing technology.

The latest research in high tech coating led the development of the Tanury PVD method of Physical Vapor Deposition, which involves the vaporization of coating material from a solid surface. The material, which produces color, is transported through a proprietary low-pressure gaseous environment and is deposited on adjacent surfaces as a thin, firmly bonded film. The PVD coating is resistant to corrosion and scratching and has superior wear resistance, making it a preferred coating process for plumbing, automotive and hardware items that are subject to repeated exposure to water, soap, abrasives and weather conditions. In addition to the lifetime finish, this process allows the finished product to have one of a large range of metallic colors including yellow, black, blue, indigo, gray and magenta or have a multi-colored finish.

A handful of companies in the US are taking advantage Tanury PVD. One of the latest product lines to benefit from it is the specialty car and motorcycle industry that uses multi-colored sport wheels.

Dee deHaas is the Assistant Director of the Chafee Center for International Business at Bryant University in Smithfield, RI. The center provides consulting services, market research, trade seminars, videoconferencing, webcast technology and offers a comprehensive trade database to assist companies in maximizing worldwide opportunities