The first issue of the year is always somehow special for MFN. Most of the editorials for the incoming year have already been planned and advertisement agreements have been signed. Furthermore the January issue is published two weeks later than usual to avoid getting it lost in the bulk of New Year mailings. And that bit of additional time usually allows MFN to take a closer look at its organization. This time MFN would like to share the results of this scrutiny with its readers.
When MFN published its first black & white issue with a total of twelve pages and mailed it to around 700 addressees, there was not much of an organization needed. One person could handle the job easily. However, around eight years later, MFN has eighty full color pages and distributes over 5400 copies to sixty-seven countries. In addition, it maintains a training organization for different processes which are taught in up to eight languages. This is supported by thirteen offices and a total of forty-three members from as many as seventeen countries. Furthermore, MFN has access to three permanently-available training centers. Over the years, MFN has gone into partnerships and cooperation agreements with various organizations established worldwide and can benefit from a global network which is unique in the metal finishing industry.  It is obvious that this level of involvement and success cannot be achieved without a strongly-motivated team. For the contents of the publication, the Chief Editor can count on the support of eight Contributing Editors, who either write their own column, submit articles or restructure incoming text according to the magazine’s needs. They are the backbone of the publication and without their help the magazine would not exist.
As far as the training is concerned, the responsibility lies in the hands of three Course Directors Worldwide, who are globally in charge of course contents. They are supported by local Course Directors who take care of courses in a particular language and make sure that all changes and improvements are integrated into the different translations. To teach these courses, a qualified team of over thirty trainers has been recruited from the industries. The trainers themselves are supported by MFN’s Scientific Advisers. All of the Scientific Advisers have a Ph.D. degree and are able to answer the more complex questions coming from either trainers or participants. In order to promote the courses as efficiently as possible, Training Coordinators help to organize at a local level. They play a very important role in turning an event into a success, because without local people who know their industries and their territories well, it is difficult to keep up the required contacts.
And of course there is still a group of people at MFN that is less visible. They help in administration, marketing, advertising, proof reading, and web design. Altogether there really are a lot of people involved who go all out to turn MFN into what it is today!
Well, MFN would like to wish its readers and its team a healthy and successful 2009!

Best Regards
Andrzej Wojtas

Author: Andrzej Wojtas