A
market survey conducted by Greg Hanson, President of Old Country Millwork,
Inc. (O.C.M.), a Los Angeles coil coater, indicated a need for a supplier
of custom color coil coated products in small to medium size orders. Hanson
located an old vertical paint line that had prospered while serving the
aluminum awning industry. The line was still operable and capable of
producing print coats, a holdover from the awning market, but still
popular today. This type of coating line had the versatility to
accommodate the type market that he identified but required upgrading. The
line was modified to meet current quality standards for warranted coil
coatings. According to Hanson, this market segment could not be adequately
serviced, at an affordable price, by the high volume lines currently in
operation. although the total volume is sizable, it was generally referred
to by some coaters as a "Nuisance Market". Realizing this as an
opportunity, Hanson launched his operation in 1992, but a major hurdle in
penetration the market was finding a dependable and cooperative paint
supplier. The larger paint manufacturers avoided this market for the same
reasons as the "big" coil coaters - low volume, high coat, low
profit. At this point Old Country Millwork formed a strategic alliance
with Dura Coat Products, Inc. who agreed to supply small quantities of
custom coil coatings on a quick turnaround schedule. In order to assure a
smooth flow, all OCM coatings are formulated to accommodate the forward
(direct roll) coating process. Their orders cannot be lifted (supplied)
from regular production, which is formulated for reverse coating. To
meet this unique challenge,
Dura Coat provides technical support on a
regularly scheduled weekly basis. Technical service representatives from
the paint manufacturer conduct periodic quality assurance seminars on
paint technology, formulation and application characteristics.
Troubleshooting on the line to identify and correct application problems
is a significant part of the weekly sessions, which are presented in both
English and Spanish. All O.C.M. Employees are included in the quality
Assurance Program. The
37.500" wide line can run aluminum in thicknesses from .008" to
.062" and steel can be run as heavy as 18 gauge. The line operates at
speeds up to 40 FPM for .050 to .060 aluminum and as high as 100 FPM with
.008 light gauge aluminum. With 24 gauge steel, the line operates at 45
FPM. When running 18 gauge steel, line speed is approximately 28 FPM.
Hanson estimates that annual production for aluminum and steel ranges
somewhere between 10 and 12 million pounds for each. A
feature of the O.C.M. line is it's two finish coater heads allowing for
the coating of multiple finish coats in a single pass, and quick color
changes "on the fly" O.C.M.'s
coil line utilizes a four-stage dried-in-place pretreatment system from
BetzDearborn. The system consists of two cleaning sections with
BetzDearborn's Kleen 4010 which is an oil release cleaner that enables
O.C.M. to remove free oils on an ongoing basis aiding in extending bath
life. following the cleaner stage, the strip moves through a water rinse
and then is treated with dried-in-place Permatreat 1500, a chrome-based
conversion coating. For
the pretreatment phase of the process, BetzDearborn has provided its
Accutrak conductivity controller that monitors the concentrations by
conductivity. This tells O.C.M. how much to dilute the pretreatment for
various substrates and provides accurate metering and coating weights with
various gauges and metals that the line runs. O.C.M.'s
facility also has two embossers, one of which is inside the paintline.
This is a unique feature of the line which permits the company to paint,
emboss and recoil all in a single pass. They also have a slitting
operation where they can apply a PVC "peel" coating on the strip
for protection when handling coils. Another
feature of the O.C.M. line is that it has two finish coater heads allowing
for coating of multiple finish coats in a single pass and quick color
changes "on the fly". Part of the customized service results in
colors being matched and delivered in a period of five days. This
versatility and service is an exclusive feature of O.C.M's dedication to
remain the leader in customized small order response with no sacrifice in
quality in finish product for either commodity or warranted coil coatings. Old
Country Millwork customers, the building components manufactures, must
supply the same quality finished product, in both polyester and
fluorocarbon as the primary building contractor. In compliance with this
requirement the company has qualified as a certified applicator of Durapon
70, Dura Coat's 20-year warranted fluorocarbon-coating system. To
qualify as a certified applicator, the coater must run a series of trial
runs, maintain a log of line conditions for each run and document that all
quality control procedures have been followed. Test runs are recorded on a
checklist, which includes cleaning and type of pretreatment of substrate,
testing for proper cure, and color control from coil to coil. O.C.M.
maintains the same quality assurance program for all of their coated
products whether it is commodity items or warranted building products. Painted
coil is run through one of the two embossers in the plant. One of the
embossers is inside the paint line, a unique O.C.M. to paint, emboss and
recoil all in a single pass. "Service
and versatility is the key to growing the business", says Greg
Hanson, O.C.M. President, when asked about his success in competing with
the "big guys". an example of both of the keys, O.C.M. recently
completed a unique project for installation at Los Angeles International
Airport (LAX) using Durapon 70 PVDF. Unique because the specification
required a triple coat application, consisting of primer, a white
fluorocarbon color coat, and a clear fluorocarbon topcoat. Working closely
with Dura Coat Products, O.C.M. was able to accomplish this in a single
pass, and maintain color control, provide improved mar resistance, and a
cost effective finished product. Most coaters would require a second pass
through their line to meet this specification, and that is expensive. To
further establish their position as a leader in the market to supplying
custom coil coated products in small and medium size orders, O.C.M. has
installed a Dura Coat intermix paint system for both fluorocarbon and
polyester warranted coating systems. Numerous
custom color coil coated samples lines the walls of the company's custom
color room. Mr.
Hanson proudly points out that both Old Country Millwork, Inc. and Dura
Coat Products will continue to work as a team to further penetrate this
growing and demanding market. |
