As we near our national holiday of Thanksgiving, there is much to be thankful for here at Mass Finishing. We expect to close out 2022 with record sales, and that is only because of our great employee-owners. Being part of an organization that is 100% employee-owned means that every single person at MFI, and our parent company Innovance, has a hand in serving our customers and giving each one a great experience. While we are always looking for ways to improve our products and services, the frantic pace of business tells me we must be on the right path.
To our suppliers and vendors, I say thank you! This year has been challenging for all of us, and we have received tremendous support from our supply chain to produce our products. Of course, none of this means anything without our customers. So far this year, MFI has been able to provide surface finishing systems to 13 different industries. We get involved in some interesting applications from surgical components that will be used as joint replacements to precision aerospace parts that help propel large aircraft, and everything in-between.
As I look back at the year, here are a few items that come to mind that are worth mentioning.
- The IMTS Tradeshow. The MFI team was pleased to exhibit at this huge tradeshow in Chicago back in September. We talked to so many great companies and had a chance to meet up with a few of our dealers as well.
- Dealer Summit. Speaking of MFI Dealers, this past summer we held the first ever MFI Dealer Summit in Minnesota. Nearly one-third of our equipment orders come through our Dealer channel, and we are so appreciative of all our Dealers who represent MFI equipment across the globe.
- Largest order in MFI history. Its hard not to look back on this year and not mention the largest single equipment order in our company’s 25-year history. This one will be hard to top.
- HZ-175 new product. In 2022, MFI launched a new size of barrel and whole new piece of equipment in the HZ High Energy Centrifugal Barrel Equipment line. The HZ-175 can take on some larger and longer parts, which some of our customers had been asking for.
- The Shot Show. All the way back in January, MFI Exhibited at the largest event for sport shooting, hunting and the outdoor industry. MFI equipment does a lot of surface finishing in these areas related to component parts for a wide variety of applications. We are planning the January 2023 show which will be here before we know it.
- Cole speaking at Rapid Show. This past year, Cole Mathisen, MFI Sales & Marketing Manager was asked to speak at the event. Cole presented on Optimization of Post-Processing 3D Printed Parts. The session and the show itself were a big hit.
- Lou-Rich 50th MFI is part of a larger organization called Innovance, and this past year our flagship company, Lou-Rich celebrated its 50th year in business. All Innovance employees enjoyed an evening of festivities that included food, games, live music, and raffle prizes. The following day all Innovance employees got a paid day off too.
As we look to close out 2022 soon, and dive straight into 2023, MFI has much to be thankful about. We will continue to look for ways to help our customers solve parts finishing challenges. Here’s to a great 2023 for all of us!
Marci Theisen
MFI General Manager