Elite Metal Finishing Finds Success Through Customer Partnerships

When Dan Rose was looking for a new business opportunity in 1999 and asked one of his machine shop customers if he wanted to form a partnership to help grow the business, he didn’t get the response he was expecting.

With a career in the tooling industry under his belt, Rose was told by his friend that he might want to look at starting an anodizing operation in the San Diego area because the demand was so high.

“My first question was ‘What is anodize, and what is involved?’” says Rose, who a few months later opened Elite Metal Finishing in 2001.

Well Diversified Operation

Today, Elite in Oceanside, CA, is a bustling operation with 55 employees and two shifts performing Type II and III anodizing, electroless nickel, chem-film, paint, and powder coating.

“We are very well diversified,” Rose says, as his customers come from the medical, electronics, automotive, industrial lighting, golf, aerospace, and defense industries.

Rose’s trek to the finishing industry took a very circuitous route. He started in the metal distribution business out of college in 1977 with Kilsby Tube Supply in City of Industry, before a job transfer in 1985 took him a bit south to San Diego. He left the company in 1987 and started working for a cutting tool distributor, but two years later, he started his own cutting tool distributorship — Rose Tool & Supply —in his home garage and a year later leased a small industrial space.

Things took an unfortunate turn when in 1995, he merged his company with a local competitor, only having to leave four years later in what he calls mismanagement of company funds and unscrupulous business activities by one of the partners. 

Fast Growth and Expansion

President Dan Rose and Steve Parkhurst, Director of Quality and Facilities.

Searching for another business, that is when he inquired with one of his former machine shop customers if he would be interested in forming a partnership and letting Rose help him grow his business.

Once Rose figured out what the anodizing industry entailed, he formed Elite Metal Finishing in June 2001 and has never looked back.

In fact, three years after opening his business, he and his wife closed escrow on a new building for their business.

“It was 100% funded from the profits of our metal finishing business,” Rose says.

The success of Elite Metal Finishing is emblematic in the business’ motto” “Quality Never Compromised.” Rose says it all goes back to the three top issues they heard from their customers about previous finishers they worked with:

• Frustration with poor quality.
• Frustration with false promises.
• Frustration with lack of communication when problems arise with their order.

Partnering With Customers

“We do a great job of partnering with our customers starting with meeting with them to discuss their particular parts and strategizing together on the best ways to meet their requirements,” says Susan Russo, Elite’s General Manager. “We attract business from customer referrals in addition to daily inquiries through our website. It’s easy to retain business when you spoil the hell out of them.  It’s part of our culture.”

Steve Parkhurst serves as the Director of Quality and Facilities at Elite, and Francisco Bautista is the facility’s Production Manager.

Rose points out that two of the first three employees that started with him in 2001 are still with Elite: Rose Bautista and Eva Martinez.

“I hired Rose’s son Francisco as a shipping clerk in 2006 when he was 19,” Rose says. “Now, he is our production manager.”

Miles Chemical has been supplying Elite Metal Finishing for the past 15 years, and Dan Zinman, Miles’ Vice President of Sales of Marketing, says he is always impressed with how Rose runs his operations and manages his team. This includes business coach Jim Castiglia, HR service provider Insperity, a quality consultant, and bi-lingual employee training.

“I think what Dan has done real well and sets himself and company apart from others is utilizing professional resources for his and his organization’s development,” Zinman says. “Almost every time I visit Elite, I make it a point to sit down with Dan to hear what he is doing with these resources. It is impressive.”

Adding Black EN, CeraKote, Laser Engraving, Tumble Deburring

Frank Bautista, production manager; Suzan Russo, general manager; and Rose Bautista, customer service manager.

Elite has added process over the last few years, as black electroless nickel, CeraKote, laser engraving, and tumble deburring have been added. When the laser engraving room was added in 2016, Elite also expanded and remodeled their front offices too and added second-story offices, and a conference room.

Rose says the future is very bright for Elite Metal Finishing, and he is amazed at how far things have grown in just 20 years.

“Our customer base is growing with substantially larger accounts due to our reputation for doing quality work,” Rose says. “I believe the complexity of work we will receive will be greater and will generate higher revenue for us.

The Voice of the Finishing Industry since 1936

Elite Metal Finishing Is One Of Top Finishing Shops In North America Products Finishing magazine names Elite Metal Finishing to its ‘Top Shops” list

CINCINNATI, Ohio – Elite Metal Finishing has been named one of the best finishing shops in North America, according to an industry benchmarking survey conducted by Products Finishing magazine, a trade publication which has covered the industry since 1938.

The magazine conducted an extensive benchmarking survey that analyzed hundreds of finishing companies in several different areas, including Current Finishing Technology, Finishing Practices and Performances, Business Strategies and Performances, and Training and Human Resources.

Only the top 50 shops were given the honor of being a Products Finishing magazine ‘Top Shop’ based on a scoring matrix in those four criteria.

“Elite Metal Finishing has established itself as one of the best finishing operations in the industry,” said Scott Francis, editor Products Finishing magazine. “The criteria we used was very stringent, and only the top finishing shops that excelled in all four areas made the list. Elite Metal Finishing is in rare air when it comes to finishing operations.”

Elite Metal Finishing is located at 2525 Jason Court, Oceanside, CA 92056 and offers Anodize Type II and III, Electroless Nickel, Chem Film, Passivation, Dry Film Lube, Powder Coating, Multi Process and Laser Marking.
“We are extremely excited and pleased to be named one of Products Finishing magazine’s ‘Top Shops’,” said Dan Rose, owner of Elite Metal Finishing. “Our employees and management team have worked very hard to be the best in the industry, and to provide our customers with quality service.”

Continuous Improvements Drive Elite Metal Finishing

Published on 4/1/2019

Elite Metal Finishing was singled out for Best Practices in the Products Finishing Top Shops Benchmarking Survey because of their extremely high detail to quality and customer communication.

Employees at Elite Metal Finishing in Oceanside, California, know that when they walk in the door each day, the same motto will be repeated to them.

“Our motto ‘Quality Never Compromised’ is instilled in every team member,” says Dan Rose, company president. “Quality and on-time delivery are at the forefront. It’s who we are. Our team members know that ultimately, our customers are the ones signing their paychecks.”

Elite Metal Finishing was singled out for Best Practices in the Products FinishingTop Shops Benchmarking Survey because of their extremely strong attention to detail in both quality and customer communication.

“Our customers are our business partners,” says Rose, whose shop had a very low order lead time of 2-5 days, and an on-time delivery rate of 99 percent.

“Two of our core values are continuous improvement and workmanship,” he says. “These business practices keep us focused on maintaining outstanding turn time, quality and customer retention. Great turn time without quality is nonproductive.”

Elite Metal Finishing also had an extremely high first-pass quality yield of 99 percent, which Rose says is a culmination of extensive contract review, strict tank maintenance, inspection throughout the job and operator training.

In addition, the shop has instilled several improvement methods to ensure high quality workmanship, including preventive maintenance programs to alleviate downtime; committing to cross-training to ensure staff gaps can be filled; and dedicated team members who are willing to work extra hours, split shifts and weekends to ensure they meet delivery requirements.

“Companywide continuous improvement is a frame of mind for us,” Rose says.

Being selected to the Products Finishing Top Shops list is proof that the management and staff methods are working and that, in essence, quality is not being compromised.

“It’s great to get an honor from a respected publication, and it makes for great advertising,” Rose says. “But, more importantly, it’s confirmation to our team members that, collectively, they are being rewarded for the pride they have in their work and a job well done.”

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ELITE METAL FINISHING IS ONE OF TOP FINISHING SHOPS IN U.S. - PRODUCTS FINISHING MAGAZINE NAMES ELITE METAL FINISHING TO THE "TOP SHOPS" LIST