Manufacturers that paint their finished products in house may see advantages to managing their own paint line, although many do not realize that a better option exists. Operating a paint shop to apply a finish coating on metal products for example, may just be the way it’s always been done. There are many reasons, however, why a manufacturer might consider eliminating their in-house paint shop.
Signs that It’s Time to Consider Outsourcing Your Paint Line
Manufacturers that receive their steel products prepainted with a coil coating operation can eliminate their in-house paint shop and realize many benefits. Outsourcing your finished surface coatings to a coil coater that delivers prepainted metal ready to form into your products saves manufacturing time, money, and headaches. Some reasons to evaluate your in house paint shop include:
An increase in paint shop expenses – if your in-house paint shop budget keeps growing it could be a good time to consider prepainted metal. Increased regulatory compliance could require an investment into capital equipment. This can be quite costly to equip a painting production line that handles solvent-borne coatings and industrial adhesives to retain compliance with ever changing regulations. Whether using liquid or powder coatings, compliance issues add to the cost of working capital which can be eliminated when receiving prepainted metal instead.
An increase in plant capacity is required – in-house paint shops require a large footprint to paint, dry and cure products. This can cause bottlenecks in the process and take up even more space. Manufacturers that outsource painting by receiving prepainted metal can free up their own floor space and labor to focus on what they are most uniquely positioned to add manufacturing value to rather than painting.
Poor coating quality is an issue – painting in-house can be challenging for manufacturers to maintain a consistent level of high quality. Prepainted, coil-coated metals are prepped and cleaned prior to the coating application, which is always very consistent with edge-to-edge coverage. Prepainted metal leaves less chance for blemishes, dust or uneven application of paints and coatings. Prepainted metal improves the quality of products with an even application of quality coatings. Coil coated metal products improve product quality and reduce in-house scrap rates with superior coverage that provides a beautiful finish and increased corrosion resistance.
New product lines are being introduced – when other manufacturing changes are introduced it is a good time to consider outsourcing with prepainted metal. Investing in capital equipment for new projects or upgrading existing equipment requires significant capital investment and still leaves manufacturers susceptible to quality issues and costs to meet regulatory requirements when purchasing, storing, and disposing of inventory.
UNICHEM Offers Coatings and Adhesives for Coil Coating Solutions
If any of these factors are affecting your in-house paint line, it might be a good time to consider outsourcing with prepainted, coil coated metal. Coil coated metals provide many benefits to manufacturers such as:
- Saving on paint, adhesives, and shop materials
- Reduced labor expenses
- Eliminate the need for capital equipment purchases or upgrades
- Eliminate the worry of meeting EPA regulations
- Frees up space and plant capacity
- Allows manufacturers to focus on their niche instead of painting
- Prepainted metal is easy to handle and work with
- Eliminates bottlenecks in production
- Improves product quality free from imperfections
- Increased corrosion resistance with prepainted metal
UNICHEM offers solutions to manufacturers that are considering outsourcing their in-house painting line. We work closely with our customers and coil coaters to provide superior coverage with coil coatings that meet and exceed your expectations.
Universal Chemicals & Coatings, Inc., UNICHEM, is a leading custom chemicals and coatings manufacturer with more than 50 years of experience. We offer in-depth knowledge of various industrial market demands and coating specialists ready to offer custom solutions. Contact us with any questions on eliminating your in-house paint line and learn the benefits of prepainted metal.