Able electropolishing adds to its workforce.

Lingering aftershocks from the Great Recession still are making many employers wary of hiring new help, but Able Electropolishing Co. Inc. is among the few that are expanding its workforce. The Chicago, Ill-based electropolishing specialist has hired 14 new employees to help meet customer demand.

Able executives attribute the surge in demand to the firm's customer outreach efforts. "By providing educational materials to manufacturing and design engineers, we have been able to generate additional sales opportunities and at the same time we have helped OEMs improve their products," said Tom Glass, vice president of sales.

Electropolishing often is referred to as a "reverse plating" process. Electrochemical in nature, the process uses a combination of rectified current and a blended chemical electrolyte bath to remove flaws from the surface of a metal part. Able bills itself as the nation's largest electropolishing specialist, offering services ranging from passivation, titanium anodizing and deburring to brite passivation, titanium finishing and ultracleaning.