When we first spoke to the Production Manager at Granada, he expressed his frustration regarding the low opacity of the yellow topcoat and the slow application speed of the low-pressure spray equipment they were using.
Having to apply two coats of primer and up to three coats of topcoat was significantly time-consuming for their large fabrications and often made it difficult to meet their production schedules. Having a crane in the workshop for several days during the painting process also limited their capacity to take on more work as the company grew.
Assessment of all aspects of the coating process
We identified that by changing over to a high-pressure spray system, more viscous and higher-build coatings could be applied, and at a significantly faster rate. The use of a high opacity primer/finish coating was also agreed to be the most time-efficient product to use. In addition, we offered to match the yellow shade used by the European manufacturer of the crane drive units, in order to create a more uniform finish for their customers.
Assisted product trials and system evaluation
Equipment trials were carried out, using a high-build primer/finish coating: Conseal TU manufactured by Jotun Paints. Granada found they could achieve their desired level of protection from one application.
The excellent opacity of this product, even as a strong yellow with lead chromate-free pigments, applied directly to the steel, enabling the true shade requested to be consistently achieved with minimal labour costs.
The material costs were also calculated to be lower, in comparison to the multi-coat system Granada had been using.
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Assisted an increase in productivity
From follow-up visits to Granada, we learnt that the new process had dramatically increased their productivity. Jobs that would have previously taken four days to complete had been finished in one morning!
Their confidence in the benefits of the system led them to purchase a second high-pressure spray pump to further increase their output on larger projects. This has enabled them to take on a higher volume of work in recent months than previously would have been practical.
