Several California plating operations, such as Aircraft X-Ray Laboratories, process parts for aerospace and defense OEMs. Justin Guzman, president of the Metal Finishing Association of Southern California and president of Aircraft X-Ray Laboratories in Los Angeles, says that CARB’s recently proposed hex chrome regulations will force many of those finishers out of the state and place a burden on the rest of the country for defense. In late April the California Air Resources Board (CARB) proposed aggressive deadlines for a hexavalent chromium plating to trivalent chromium transition in the state. While, hex chrome regulations are not a new challenge for surface finishers, this latest proposal would accelerate the timeline for plating regulations in California. Many platers are worried about their businesses and their livelihoods.