ELECTROCOAT 2010: The Thoroughbred of Coatings!
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Ingersoll Rand Unit Achieves Production Milestone
Arecibo, PR Manufacturing Facilities- Thermo King’s Electrocoat Process department has been the model for its TPM program. This month, they accomplished the milestone of 400 production days (about 20 calendar months) without any kind of interruption to manufacturing operations. The Electrocoat Process department feeds directly to the assembly line and it is considered a critical process of its operations.
About 24 months ago, the department’s technical staff announced that their TPM program was fully developed and ready to roll. This included scheduled maintenance work orders according to each equipment manufacturer’s specifications, while taking into account the hands-on experience with such equipment. Work orders are scheduled at different intervals according to their scope; from daily autonomous activities like general cleanliness to more detailed maintenance duties every one, three, six or 12 months.
The electrocoat process protects the surface of the frame and other steel parts for the SB units. It also leaves behind the unscathed black finish on the frame and other steel parts. The process consists of a complex series of tanks for pretreatment, electrocoating and rinses, an overhead conveyor, bake oven and staging area. It manages the daily production for the whole plant.
Thermo King’s Electrocoat Process’s technical staff has been recognized for its dedication and continuous effort to push the plant to the next level of excellence.
“This is an amazing accomplishment when we consider the complexity that is involved in an E-coat system. Our system is composed of 17 tanks with different temperatures and chemicals, a reverse osmosis system, a propane oven to dry the paint, a conveyor to move the material through the system, a ton of sensors, valves and monitoring devices to help us manage the process and achieve the required quality and many more things that can go wrong. Achieving 400+ days without any interruption to the manufacturing operation is an outstanding achievement.” -Ivan Collazo, General Manager, Arecibo Manufacturing Operations.
For more information:
Thermo King de Puerto Rico
Call Box 144060
Arecibo , PR 00614
Phone: 787-878-1690
Fax: 787-880-0484
Web Site: www.thermoking.com
Conference Wrap-Up
ECOAT 2010 was held May 4 – 6, 2010 at the Louisville Downtown Marriott and the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville was magnificently decorated as The Kentucky Derby was the week prior to the conference.
The conference was scheduled a bit differently than in years past, hoping to help attendees curtail travel expenses while still packing in all the great keynotes, workshops, networking and exhibits that attendees enjoy with every conference. Jeff Oravitz, MetoKote Corporation, kicked off the event Tuesday afternoon with a stimulating keynote addressing issues confronting manufacturer’s in today’s economic environment. This well-received discussion also brought to light strategies that manufacturer’s can apply in determining their future in this tough economy. Wednesday opened with a thought-provoking keynote address by Matt Kirchner, American Finishing Resources, LLC. Matt discussed trends in the U.S. Energy Sector and the idea of Exponential Energy. He defined how these trends will affect e-coaters and how changes in technology and policy can be leveraged to reduce energy costs. Finally, Stephen Schulte, Hixson A/E/I, introduced Thursday’s sessions with his message of “Environmental Issues You May Have Missed!” Steve brought to light certain environmental issues receiving increased attention by state and federal regulators. He outlined their impact on e-coaters and practical steps for compliance.
Each day was also sprinkled with selections of workshop content including basics of ecoat, maintenance, pretreatment, corrosion testing, operational excellence, color control, lean workflow, roundtable and panel discussions on various topics, rounding out the attendees’ educational experience.
A bonus for ECOAT 2010 attendees this year was complimentary admittance to the Process Cleaning Expo’s special events and exhibit floor. Coach Rick Pitino, University of Louisville’s Men’s Basketball Coach, was in the house at the KICC sharing his motivational message. It was a treat for all in attendance as he applied his experiences with players, other coaches, and his staff into “life lessons” about developing relationships with people, treating them with respect, and making each day a “good attitude” day!
The Industry Awards Luncheon was held on Wednesday, May 5, to honor individuals in the industry for their contribution to the conference as well as to the industry. “The Best End-User Paper” award recognizes electrocoaters who devote much of their personal time and company resources to provide technical information for the Conference. The winner of 2010’s Best End-User Paper Award was Brent Swartz, MetoKote Corporation.
The George E.F. Brewer Award was presented to three recipients for their achievements in Development of Electrocoat Technology, Market Promotion of Electrocoat Technology and Application of Electrocoat Technology. David Myers, Luvata Electrofin was our first recipient of this year’s Brewer Award for his outstanding contributions and service to the Development of Electrocoat Technology. David has been in the electrocoat industry over 30 years in various management roles within both supplier and custom coater companies. He was instrumental in the founding of The Electrocoat Association and served as President of the Association for 2 consecutive terms as well as on many committees, in many conferences and many other industry roles.
Our next recipient of the Brewer Award was Jeff Oravitz, MetoKote Corporation. Jeff received this award for his outstanding contributions and service to the Market Promotion of Electrocoat Technology. Jeff has been involved with electrocoating for over 25 years. He joined MetoKote in 2005, and has served in various operational, sales and marketing roles. Prior to his tenure at MetoKote, he enjoyed a twenty year career with PPG Industries, Inc., where he served in a variety of technical, commercial, and management roles.He served on the organizing committee that formed The Electrocoat Association, where he held the position of Vice President. He has participated in numerous Electrocoat Conferences as a presenter, moderator and now keynote speaker as well as held many committee positions!
Our final Brewer Award recipient was Lyle Gilbert, awarded posthumously for his contributions and service in the Application of Electrocoat Technology. Lyle began his MetoKote career as Plant Manager in 1974, and was promoted to Corporate Sales Manager in 1976 and then to Director of Marketing in 1988. He was the Founder & Editor of the MetoKote News for 12 ½ years, with over 8,000 copies circulated quarterly. He served as director of sales and marketing for most of his 26 years at the company, retiring in March 2000. He was involved in promoting electrocoating technology throughout his career and continued as a consultant (LG Consulting) to the industry following his official retirement. Lyle moderated Product Finishing’s Electrocoat Forum and in 2008 became a columnist for PF Online’s “Electrocoat Clinic.” Over the years, he authored and presented several technical papers at various conferences in addition to several industry articles for trade magazines. Like the other recipients, Lyle was involved in the startup of The Electrocoat Association and served on its Board of Directors. He also lent a hand to other industry Associations including The Powder Coating Institute (PCI) and The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), where he gained their title of “Certified Engineer in the field of Coatings.”
The Exhibits portion of the conference is a great networking forum. Industry suppliers host a leisurely, relaxing venue to discuss products and services as well as respond to specific attendee inquiries. This year attendees were introduced to everything from Mimes to Magicians, Casino Might to Miniature Machines and everything in-between!
ECOAT 2010 ended with a networking reception at Churchill Downs. Beautiful, sunny 75° weather contributed to a great afternoon that included good food, drinks, and gaming to boot! “It was a great atmosphere for everyone to relax and network in a comfortable environment at the end of a rigorous conference,” states Karen McGlothlin, Executive Director. “We like to offer these types of events for our attendees, coaters and suppliers to get together and discuss casually the issues that impact our industry.”
The Electrocoat Association will continue its effort to promote members’ products and services and to be a strong voice in encouraging the use of electrocoating throughout industry. If you did not attend this year’s Conference, but would like to obtain the Conference Proceedings of all the technical papers presented, please call Anne Von Moll at 513-527-8800 or 1-800-950-8020, ext. 298.
Also available for your reference is Electrocoating: A Guidebook For Finishers, a comprehensive technical book for finishers using electrocoating technology. To purchase your copy, please visit https://www.electrocoat.org/books/ .
We hope you will join us for Electrocoat 2012!
For more information:
Karen McGlothlin
The Electrocoat Association
PO Box 541083
Cincinnati , OH 45254
Phone: 800-579-8806
Fax: 513-527-8801
Email: kmcglothlin@electrocoat.org
