Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine November/December 2021 - 15

CASF NEWS
Robert Kuntz Jr. of Kuntz Electroplating receives the trophy for
Closest to the Pin from Richard Thibodeau.
prices have skyrocketed reaching a record US$43,355 in August
according to researcher Cox Automotive and this has resulted in a
shortage in the used car market and resultant record high pricing
there too. An interesting statistic out of Brean Capital in New
York, as part of a longer article on manpower, unemployment,
and trends in the U.S. marketplace during COVID, states that
at the end of August there were 83 unemployed workers in the
U.S. for every 100 jobs available and this is putting job seekers
in a relatively favorable bargaining position on wages. However,
the seemingly never-ending chip shortage, resulting in the
expanding global slowdown in vehicle production noted above, is
now causing a major reduction in OEM parts production orders,
which is translating into significant downtime for all suppliers
including many of our member companies.
Our new CASF.ca website is running smoothly. Between May
1 and September 12 there were 45,651 total visitors for an average
of 419 daily visits with an average monthly count of 12,568. These
numbers took us all by surprise but reinforced our belief in the
need for a more modern site and the hard work it took to get
there. Almost all of our golf tournament and membership signup
and renewal activity now happens seamlessly through the site
and this will continue for the upcoming online " Introduction to
Electroplating " course, (the pricing of which remains the same as
it was in 2018). If you've not had the chance yet to scroll through
the new site, please do! You will find all our activities and news
there and can browse back copies of our President's Newsletter
too, currently well written by our Graham Douglas. The best
websites are always a work in progress, as is ours, but it's a pretty
good place to be right now!
I have made it known to CFCM magazine and others that after
57 years in the surface finishing industry I have decided that it's
time for me to consider joining the ranks of the unemployed by
retiring. The date is still a little fuzzy but will likely be at the end
of 2021. Those of you who know me well know I have a long list
of things I want to do. Thanks to my wife's long, but now-ended
Top: Dave Paniati, MacDermid Enthone; Dave Kuntz, Kuntz
Electroplating; Glen Breault, MacDermid Enthone; and Robert Kuntz
Jr., Kuntz Electroplating.
Bottom: Randy Scott, Kuntz Electroplating; Richard Thibodeau,
emcee and Leadership Award recipient from Peerless Custom Rack;
Marc Vendette, Kuntz Electroplating; and Christine Rowe, Peerless
Custom Rack.
career at British Airways, we receive four free business class
round-the-world seats each year that we never use but will start
using now, and we have a condo in Florida that beckons. We must
decide whether I continue this column and we have discussed
at CASF making it a joint effort with contributing authors; we
certainly have the talent there to do so. I shall miss my life in this
industry and find it hard to believe I'm stepping down, but I will
leave with many great friends and memories that will last me a
lifetime.
Bob Smith is Past President and Membership Chair, Canadian
Association for Surface Finishing (CASF), www.casf.ca
November/December 2021
15
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Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine November/December 2021

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