Knowing When It's Time To Switch To Prepainted Metal

By Jim Dockey, National Coil Coating Association

In the face of new environmental standards, stringent health regulations and skyrocketing materials and labor costs, the coated coil industry continues to deliver streamlined and cost-efficient manufacturing solutions.

What’s more, intense competition in our global economy means manufacturers must focus on lowering costs and maximizing existing resources instead of raising prices. Coil coated metal can accomplish these initiatives, and a conversion to prepaint even reduces or eliminates the amount of environmental compliance paperwork and headaches associated with postpainting operations.

To help companies recognize when the time has come to consider switching to prepainted metals, the National Coil Coating Association has come up with a list of 10 indicators. They are as follows: 

1) In-house paint shop expenses are growing. When maintenance budgets are growing and plant capital expenditures are being made in order to comply with ever more strict EPA regulations, prepainted metal and aluminum is often a cost-effective alternative to in-house paint lines.

2) Need to lower internal operating costs. Many manufacturers are searching for ways to lower operating costs in order to remain competitive. Through outsourcing prepainted metals, factories can eliminate costly in-house paint operations and the associated expenses of manning the line and complying with EPA regulations.

3) Plant capacity must be increased. By purchasing prepainted metal, plants are actually outsourcing the painting process and can eliminate or greatly reduce the size of in-house paint shops, generating more floor space for other uses.

4) Coating quality needs to be improved. Coil coated metals are uniformly cleaned, pretreated and painted and cured as a flat surface, so that the edge to edge and side to side variability is virtually eliminated. The prepainted part often has two coats of paint, tightly bonded to the metal as compared to a post-painted part, which generally has only one coat of paint.

5) Downsizing and or combining of plants is taking place. A good time to consider using coil coated metals, is when other major manufacturing changes are taking place. Manufacturers can reduce expenses significantly and increase paint quality greatly by outsourcing the painting process.

6) New product models are being considered. Many times when design changes are being made, a prepainted metal can be specified and the new design can be more cost effective to produce.

7) Manufacturing bottlenecks are reducing productivity. Many delays in the plant are caused due to paint issues such as stoppage while parts are painted, dried, and cured before moving to the next stage of assembly. These bottlenecks can be eliminated with the use of prepainted metals.

8) Paint department equipment needs to be updated or replaced. Capital expenditures can be avoided and a long term cost savings enjoyed by choosing prepainted steel and aluminum, rather than refurbishing or replacing a paint line.

9) A strategy of outsourcing is being implemented. Purchasing prepainted metals is a cost-effective outsourcing option which actually improves the durability of the coating.

10) New fabricating or material handling equipment is being evaluated. When significant changes are made at the plant, it opens an opportunity to improve many aspects of the manufacturing process, including the use of prepainted metal.

So what is the first step to converting to prepaint? It starts with a phone call to NCCA, or a visit to www.coilcoatinginstitute.org. Here you’ll find helpful Tool Kits, Case Studies, Videos, Online Tutorials, and a comprehensive Supplier Database to help you find a prepainted metal supplier to meet your needs.

For more information about prepainted metals, visit www.coilcoatinginstitute.org or call the National Coil Coating Association at 216-241-7333.

Jim Dockey is Director - CENTRIA Coating Services, and president of the National Coil Coating Association.

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