SOUTH BEND, INDIANA: October 9, 2019 – Trion Coatings, LLC (Trion) announced today that it has partnered with Imagineering Finishing Technologies, LLC (IFT), a leading metal finishing consulting and process applications company that serves a wide range of markets around the world.
IFT will act as a Go-To-Market partner with Trion, where the two companies will collaborate on the commercialization and deployment of Trion’s SAFE ChromeTM technology across multiple market verticals around the world. As part of this partnership, Trion will be installing a commercial scale plating line at Imagineering’s Center for Metal Finishing Excellence, an 80,000 square feet facility located on Foundation Court in South Bend, IN. Trion’s exclusive Engineering, Procurement and Construction provider for SAFE ChromeTM, KCH Engineered Systems (KCH), built the plating line.
The plating line demonstrates SAFE Chrome for prototype industrial production applications. In parallel, Trion, KCH and IFT are engaging select group of corporations to introduce them to the immediate application opportunities for SAFE Chrome technology and the Trion technology pipeline.
Trion, which launched at Notre Dame’s IDEA Center, was formed for the purpose of developing an environmentally friendly alternative to hexavalent chromium in functional and decorative chrome plating processes. Developing a safe alternative to hexavalent chromium presents advantages in the market as the global regulatory environment becomes more stringent.
Trion’s patent-pending process uses trivalent chromium and a proprietary ionic liquid solution that offers faster electroplating speeds, improved wear resistance and higher performance results than traditional hexavalent chrome, while offering an excellent health and safety profile.
“We are thrilled that Trion Coatings has decided to work with Imagineering in a manner that jointly positions our companies to impact the industry in a revolutionary way, both from the perspective of introducing an enhanced metal finishing technology to the market and by providing a positive environmental solution to our customers,” stated Jim Hammer, CEO of Imagineering (IFT).
Doug Morrison, President of Trion added, “This partnership with IFT will prove to be invaluable to Trion as we continue to position our company to address the growing demand for our technology in this evolving industry. Further, we see this as a ‘can’t miss’ opportunity to work with an established player in our industry that has been a steward to the South Bend community and will continue to provide economic and social value to our region through this partnership.”
Trion, through its parent company, ILS-Trion, LLC, is majority owned by Middleburg Capital Development, a family office located in Middleburg Virginia. Also through its parent, Trion sold a minority equity position in the company to Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE). Nucor holds exclusive worldwide license agreement rights for the technology as applied to long steel products, and is working with Trion to commercialize the technology as applied to these products.
Founded in 1959 by entrepreneurial metallurgist David E. Huber, IFT has evolved to be a global provider of metal finishing consulting and process applications in a wide range of critical end-use markets. Our processing facilities are certified to world-class quality and environmental standards. IFT’s shareholders, management and highly skilled team of over 150 employees are committed to the principles of Total Quality Management and strive to maintain a synergistic relationship with each one of our customers. By employing these ultra – high-level quality systems it provides a competitive advantage for our customers to manage the supply chain. Anodizing, electroless nickel plating, passivation, phosphate coatings, chromate conversion, dry-film lubricants, specialty paints and non-destructive testing services – we provide metal finishing solutions beyond the surface.