Powder Coated Tough - Spring 2009 - (Page 36)

MAKING THE MARK MW Powder mostly uses thermoset powders such as TGICs, urethanes, polyesters and hybrids, about 25 percent of which are low-temperature cure powders, according to Brand. “We are working to increase that percentage in the near future. We also use thermoplastic powder for some parts that need the outdoor protection and chemical properties for flexibility and to withstand the elements,” he says. Since installing its own powder line and launching its own powder coating business, Mid-West has maintained a 0.00075 percent return parts ratio and a 0.0005 percent internal rework ratio. The company also reduced its utilities usage from 2007 to 2008. Brand says electric is down 21.2 percent, which was achieved by going to four 10-hour days and changing the lighting to more efficient fixtures. Gas is down 14.7 percent—again by going to four 10-hour days and by insulating its heated wash tank and adding back stage-two water to stageone heated tank. Water is down 32.3 percent, which Brand attributes to adding stage-two water back to stage-one since it has chemical overflow, and by overflowing stage two and three while they run continuously. “When we started the powder line, we started with a five-day turnaround on parts until we fixed our internal bottlenecks, and have since moved to a three-day turnaround on parts in the last year and a half, with some customers that just want whatever black we are running to get next day turns,” Brand says. The company also managed to save 54 percent on packing and shipping costs as well “by doing some creative thinking,” Brand says. Despite these gloomy economic times, MW Powder started a third shift at the beginning of February. “We picked up additional work from an existing powder coat customer, in addition to a couple of large orders from a new customer to Mid-West for manufacturing and powder coating,” according to Brand. He says the new customer is very pleased and excited about Mid-West’s capabilities and output and is looking to add additional orders soon. He says the powder coat customer has been working with MW Powder for about nine months and just made a commitment to send all of their work to MW starting immediately. “This will help stabilize our workforce for years to come” Brand says. 36 MW Powder started using the Mark in mid-2008. The company dons the Mark on its website, fliers and quote sheets. The company plans to incorporate it on their business cards and signage. Brand says the company gets about 80 percent of its powder through TCI Powder Coatings. He says his rep, Jim Allen, and powder technician, Mark Franklin, have helped him “since before the equipment was even set up.” MW also does business with DuPont, PPG, Sherwin-Williams, Tiger-Drylac, Plascoat and American Powder. “They have all been very aggressive and helpful to me and this facility, and are key parts in our success.” Brand says that MW Powder started using the Mark in mid-2008 and they are using it on their web site and on fliers and quote sheets. “In the future we hope to incorporate it on our business cards and signage and anything else we can think of as we believe it is a sign for quality in the industry.” Sharon Spielman is editor of Powder Coated Tough magazine. She can be reached at 847-302-2648 or via email at sspielman@powdercoating.org. For more on Mid-West Metal and MW Powder Coating, visit www.midwestmetal.com. To reach the companies mentioned in this article, visit their websites. Richard-Wilcox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.rwhardware.com Madison Chemical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.madchem.com Maxon Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.maxoncorp.com General Fabricators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.gfcfinishing.com Nordson Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.nordson.com Parker Ionics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.parkerionics.com Pollution Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.pollutioncontrol.com TCI Powder Coatings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.tcipowder.com DuPont Powder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.dupontpowder.com PPG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ppg.com Sherwin-Williams . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sherwin-williams.com Tiger-Drylac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.tiger-coatings.us Plascoat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.plascoat.com American Powder . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.americanpowder.com Powder Coated Tough http://www.midwestmetal.com http://www.rwhardware.com http://www.madchem.com http://www.maxoncorp.com http://www.gfcfinishing.com http://www.nordson.com http://www.parkerionics.com http://www.pollutioncontrol.com http://www.tcipowder.com http://www.dupontpowder.com http://www.ppg.com http://www.sherwin-williams.com http://www.tiger-coatings.us http://www.plascoat.com http://www.americanpowder.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Powder Coated Tough - Spring 2009

Powder Coated Tough - Spring 2009 Contents Stay Plugged In Powder Perspective Powder: A Fit Finish A Taste of Coating West 2009 Marking the Mark: Necessity Brings Powder In-House Custom Coasters Corner: Dialing Up Its Own Software Solution Tough Talk Talbert's Technical Corner

Powder Coated Tough - Spring 2009

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