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Over the past 60 years, chemical companies have been supplying automotive manufacturers state-of-the-art zinc phosphate conversion coatings which, when applied properly to a metal surface promote excellent paint adhesion and corrosion resistance. Phosphate conversion coatings have undergone many transformations over the years. Now some of their essential components and byproducts are being more tightly regulated under new environmental guidelines. The metal pretreatment industry is now challenged with the task to replace the traditional zinc phosphate coating with the next generation product. This paper will examine the advantages of a new generation conversion coating based on zirconium oxide. The performance and process cost savings will be discussed. This technology has been advancing over the past several years, and in 2007 several successful commercial line trials with this new conversion coating were conducted.