Metal Finishing in 2025: Meeting the Challenges of Traceability, COSHH and REACH
Metal finishing and surface treatments remain at the heart of modern manufacturing. From aerospace to automotive, electronics to medical devices, industries rely on coatings and treatments to enhance performance, protect against corrosion and meet customer requirements.
But in 2025, the biggest challenges facing finishing companies are not just technical. They are compliance, traceability and safety. Regulations like COSHH and REACH, combined with growing customer demands for transparency, mean that businesses must rethink how they manage their processes.
Why Traceability Matters More Than Ever
In the past, a job card and a paper log might have been enough to satisfy an audit. Not anymore. Today’s customers and regulators demand end-to-end traceability:
Which batch of chemicals was used?
Who carried out the treatment?
What equipment and settings were applied?
Can you prove every part in the batch meets the required specification?
Without this visibility, businesses risk failed audits, rejected parts or even costly recalls. Traceability isn’t just about compliance it’s about building trust. Companies that can demonstrate reliable, transparent processes are the ones securing contracts in highly regulated sectors like aerospace and defence.
The Realities of COSHH Compliance
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) regulations have long shaped the way finishing companies handle chemicals. Acids, solvents, plating baths and other substances must be managed carefully to protect workers and the environment.
The challenges are growing:
Ensuring every employee has the right PPE and training.
Maintaining up-to-date safety data sheets.
Storing and disposing of hazardous substances safely.
Monitoring employee health where exposure risks exist.
Enforcement is also tightening. Inspectors expect not only safe practices, but also proof of compliance, documented evidence that risks are assessed and controls are followed. Companies relying on outdated or paper-based systems often struggle to keep pace.
The Pressure of REACH Regulations
While COSHH focuses on workplace safety, REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) has transformed how chemicals are sourced and used across Europe and beyond.
For metal finishers, REACH brings several challenges:
Restricted substances: Chemicals once common in finishing processes, such as certain chromates, are now heavily controlled or phased out.
Supply chain disruption: A trusted supplier may suddenly withdraw a product due to new restrictions.
Cost and complexity: Alternative chemistries often require new equipment, processes or additional testing.
For smaller businesses in particular, navigating these changes can feel overwhelming. Yet compliance with REACH isn’t optional, it’s critical for maintaining market access and customer confidence.
Digital Solutions: The New Standard
As the compliance burden grows, more companies are recognising that manual systems are no longer enough. The industry is moving toward digital solutions to manage traceability and compliance:
Automated record keeping: No more lost job cards or incomplete logs.
Digital COSHH registers: Safety data sheets and risk assessments stored, searchable and always up to date.
Audit-ready reporting: Instant access to traceability data, reducing the stress of customer or regulatory audits.
Integration with suppliers: Linking process data directly to chemical batches, certificates of conformity and safety documentation.
The result is more than just compliance. Businesses gain efficiency, reduce risk and strengthen their competitive edge by showing customers they can deliver reliably, safely and transparently.
Conclusion: Turning Challenge into Opportunity
Traceability, COSHH and REACH are not going away, in fact, requirements are only becoming stricter. For metal finishing companies, these challenges can feel like a burden, but they also represent an opportunity.
By embracing digital tools and best practices, businesses can move beyond fire-fighting audits and instead position themselves as trusted partners to demanding industries. The companies that get compliance right are the ones that will secure long-term growth and customer loyalty.
