Anodizing business growing quickly

A Memphis, Tenn., native with 30 years experience in manufacturing has found a niche in the Flathead economy that has grown 80 percent a year over the past three years.

Craig Ruch, 46, says he started Armor Anodizing, on U.S. 2 near Columbia Falls, after seeing one manufacturer after another ship parts out of state for anodizing.

“I thought, what an opportunity. I make these things — why not coat them?” he said.

At the time, Ruch was operations manager for Compatible Manufacturing, a Kalispell company specializing in complex computer numerical-controlled (CNC) milling and turning. Today, Compatible Manufacturing and most other manufacturers in the Flathead Valley are his customers.

Anodizing is an electrolytic process that increases the thickness of the natural oxide layer on metal surfaces. The process increases corrosion and wear resistance.

Two years after he started his new business. Ruch snagged a sizable contract from Remington — at a high point, he was anodizing 15,000 gun barrels a month.

Ruch increased his work force from three to 12 employees over the last eight months and expects more growth.

“We hope to finish with a strong year,” he said.

Ruch has a strong background in manufacturing — generations of his family were in the metal stamping business in Memphis. But since he was a boy, Ruch longed to live in the mountains.

He moved to the Flathead 10 years ago after landing a job with Sonju Industrial in Kalispell as a manufacturing and quality manager. He later worked for Semitool. Along the way, Ruch got involved with the Montana Manufacturing Extension Center and became a third-party contractor for the center.

After about a year researching the anodizing process, and some trial and error, he perfected a level of quality that keeps his customers coming back. Giving local manufacturers a quicker turnaround is a huge benefit, he said.

When Remington Arms Co. acquired Montana Rifleman, a local company that produced more than 312,000 rifle and pistol barrels in 2012, Remington asked Ruch if he could handle the manganese phosphate coatings for the barrels. Ruch added a second building to handle the additional work.

“We’ve picked up several companies that use manganese phosphate, but (the second facility) is driven around Remington,” he said.

Armor Anodizing offers military-specification anodizing, a standard highly sought by manufacturers.

Ruch hopes to begin using alkaline electroless nickel boron, a common coating in the semiconductor and firearms industries.

“I want to add processes as I see the need for them,” he said.

The company’s custom-built closed-loop water purifying system recycles all but about 50 of the 800 gallons of water used daily in the anodizing processes.

“We’re green,” he said. “Nothing goes into the ground.”

Ruch hopes to eventually consolidate both facilities under one roof, preferably along U.S. 2. For more information about Armor Anodizing, visit online at www.armoranodizing.com or call 892-2423.