How Does Electroplating Contribute to Reducing Manufacturing Costs?

In today’s highly competitive business climate, just about every manufacturer is looking for ways to reduce operating costs. Factors such as increasingly stringent environmental regulations and cheaper overseas labor make it more challenging than ever for manufacturers to turn a profit.

If you’re looking for cost-effective finishing methods for products you manufacture, electroplating deserves strong consideration. While you might view the electroplating process as an additional business expense, its benefits can actually lower your production costs and contribute to a healthier bottom line. Examples of the ways electroplating can reduce costs include:

• Lower material costs: If you’re like many manufacturing entities these days, spiraling material costs pose one of the biggest threats to your company’s profitability. Electroplating enables you to increase the surface thickness of a part or component without having to use extra materials. This can result in a significant reduction in material costs over time.
• Improving product quality: By using electroplating to increase your products’ strength, durability and corrosion resistance, you are improving their overall quality and longevity. Products will not have to be replaced as frequently, and you will experience fewer customer returns due to inferior quality or performance. When you consider that, according to the Federal Highway Administration, corrosion results in approximately $250 billion in annual repair and replacement expenses, electroplating can easily pay for itself in a short time.
• Affordable alternative for enhancing appearance: If you manufacture products that require maximum aesthetic appeal, electroplating can prove to be a cost-effective option. For instance, plating a surface with a thin layer of gold is much more affordable than making the entire product from gold or other precious metals.
• Improved functionality: Electroplating can provide a low-cost method for increasing the functionality of a product. For example, if you manufacture electronic components, plating with copper, an extremely inexpensive metal, can achieve your objective much more affordably than many other methods.
• Reducing coating costs: If you paint your products, electroplating can deposit a base coat that promotes the adhesion of the paint or top coating. You’ll be able to create the desired surface finish without having to apply multiple coating layers, which is another reliable way to lower your material costs.
• Improved customer retention: In most businesses, it costs more to bring on new customers than keep existing ones. By providing higher-quality products, electroplating can bolster your customer retention efforts and minimize the costs associated with customer acquisition.