What to look for in an electroless nickel supplier

Everyone wants the best product for the lowest possible price. But when it comes to choosing an electroless nickel supplier, what you need is more important than what you want. Here is where you begin. 

Start with teamwork, because it takes a group of trained professionals working together to develop the best products, sell them to the customer, install them on the line and provide the necessary technical support to keep them running at the highest level.

This is the strategy employed by JSA and Metal Chem. 

JSA has been supplying and servicing metal finishing chemicals and equipment since 1951. Metal Chem has been manufacturing and servicing electroless nickel chemistries since 1999. Now working as a team, the two organizations focus on the following values, principles, and programs to address the expanding needs of their customers:

• Honesty, reliability and availability
• Education and training
• Analysis, objectivity and solutions

Honesty, Reliability & Availability

“Every successful relationship is a partnership, with each partner working in the best interest of the other, with honesty at its core,” explains Mike Lindemann, JSA’s Business Development Manager. “A successful customer/distributor/supplier relationship is much the same,” he adds.

JSA and Metal Chem share their technical knowledge from years of installing and troubleshooting electroless nickel, and they depend on customer feedback regarding product performance to make adjustments that will maximize productivity. 

Maintaining product availability for customers is a full-time job. That’s why JSA has dedicated staff that manages inventory in three warehouses across the Midwest. JSA closely monitors customer consumption rates and regularly communicates forecast data with Metal Chem to ensure that products are always available. 

“Metal Chem has done an unparalleled job of fighting through supply chain issues, increasing raw material purchases and adjusting to manufacturing demands all while keeping costs and surcharges to some of the lowest in the industry,” Lindemann adds.  

Education & Training

Possibly the greatest struggle metal finishers face today is attracting and retaining employees. Employers are getting creative, but turnover is still much higher than they would like. Losing line operators means losing knowledge and experience. It also means re-training and all the growing pains a new operator brings to the position. 

“Partnering with customers means being there for them in difficult times and sharing our knowledge by helping educate and train new employees,” Lindemann adds. 

JSA and Metal Chem work as a team to run on-site training seminars at customer facilities for line operators, shift supervisors and upper management. Metal Chem also welcomes JSA’s customers to visit its home office and manufacturing facility in Greenville, South Carolina where it offers multi-day laboratory training for all electroless nickel products and analytical procedures. 

Analysis, Objectivity & Solutions

Solving problems is a key ingredient to the success of any supplier and to do it efficiently requires knowledge, resources, and objectivity. JSA technical salespeople are trained to troubleshoot all types of plating-related problems and they have a multitude of resources to tap into if things get complicated, including Metal Chem’s full-service laboratory. 

Metal Chem’s expert team provides a comprehensive work-up of the process bath samples they receive at no charge to the customer. Routine chemical analysis performed at Metal Chem reinforces customers’ lab results and helps detect issues before they begin to cause rejects. 

Regular customer visits by JSA’s and Metal Chem’s technical sales and support team, combined with their extensive knowledge and experience, make them a complete electroless nickel supplier. 

“When you’re looking for an electroless nickel supplier, consider how a team of metal finishing experts working in your best interests can help optimize your productivity and keep your line running smoothly,” Lindemann concludes.