Your coating supplier should take your business seriously. Do you need specialized service attention? Ideally, your coatings supplier should be going above and beyond to meet your specific needs. Your supplier is an important partner to help meet your revenue and growth goals. The best coatings suppliers assist manufacturers by providing superior coatings and tech service for each product line and process.
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Custom formulators and their technical support staff are people you count on for a level of service and expertise you may not get when buying off the shelf options from larger vendors.
1. Attention to Technical Needs
Let's face it, every manufacturer comes across coating process issues from time to time. Whether the problem arises because of customer requests, factory application equipment, operator, or process changes, manufacturers need their coatings supplier to respond to their urgencies. A top-level coatings supplier should respond to their customer's changing business and technical needs in a professional and timely manner.
For example, it is common for manufacturers to need a quick response from the coatings supplier to supply a trial sample, or make a specification adjustment, or even to develop a new color. Manufacturers do not have time to chase down a supplier and play tag. Instead, coating suppliers should be quick and efficient in responding to their customers' issues.
2. Laboratory Resources Available
When manufacturers work with larger national coatings suppliers, they may struggle to receive on-site assistance from the supplier's laboratory. A coating supplier in tune with its customers will make lab resources available as needed. This allows the production process to run much more smoothly. Examples of resources that coatings suppliers should have available are:
- Capability to develop and implement standard and creative tests
- Capability to audit the process for efficiency improvements
- Personnel familiar with the variety of application equipment
- Personnel familiar with plant operating conditions
- Lab and technical ability to simulate end user conditions
- Lab and technical ability to simulate different types of environments
- Representatives who know and respect your staff
- Suggestions to keep products and services competitive
Coating suppliers have years of experience in their plants, and especially in their labs. Why not use that capability to your advantage?
3. Ease of Doing Business
Coatings suppliers should make doing business as simple as possible. That way, manufacturers can focus on keeping product lines running. Set your own production timeline without worrying about coatings issues. An easy-to-do business coatings supplier should always provide:
- Accurately processed orders
- Timely shipments
- Paperwork handled
- Special orders and responsiveness
- Flexibility to adapt the coating formulation
- Regulatory support
- Safety and operational support
- Partnership in training and quality methods
- Announce and respond to current and forecasted industry trends
Take a minute to step back and look at these items and ask yourself the question: Does your current coatings supplier provide these necessary elements for you?
4. Environmental Expertise
When it comes to environmental expertise, your coatings supplier should understand the various governmental regulations, including federal, state and local. This way, your coatings are developed according to quality, spec, and the law. The following capabilities are essential to your manufacturing success:
- Proper labeling
- Flexibility in communication through label instructions
- Proper safety data information
- Proper DOT and shipment paperwork
- Well-controlled storage conditions, dispensing and housekeeping
- Proper training in PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)
- Proper disposal of excess materials, and empty containers
- The ability to help you keep your facilities, customers and employees safe and beyond compliance.
An example in this category includes custom labels. Depending on where the end product is being used or sold, there may be unique labeling requirements in order to be in compliance with government regulations. Your coatings supplier should take care of this necessity, without hassle or headaches added to the process.
5. Flexibility & Creativity
Think about all the different things you do to help your customers solve their issues. You should expect no less flexibility and creativity from your coating supplier. You should expect your coating supplier to anticipate and meet your product and business needs. Your coatings supplier should be willing to think outside of the box to discover creative solutions for your specific product lines.
In the end, every manufacturer strives toward creating efficient output and higher ROI. These five items are suggested as a start to furthering your company's success.
What else should you expect from your coatings supplier? Please feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
The coating drum continues to gain traction as a way to meet specialized product requirements in industries working with granular bulk solids; through the addition of a coating drum to an existing production line, producers can improve their ability to control handling characteristics, product performance, and even modify the chemical composition or formulation of a material.
As such, the coating drum is quickly becoming an essential tool in the production of catalysts, chemicals, and especially fertilizers and soil amendment products. And while coating drum technology is not new, many producers struggle to know what to look for in selecting a suitable supplier for their specific coating application.
What follows are five essential factors to consider in selecting a coating drum manufacturer.
Coating Drum Process Development Capabilities
A coating drum is often straightforward in operation and often does not require extensive development work to obtain an effective machine. However, when efficiency, product quality, or specific processing conditions are a priority, process development capabilities are critical to the success of a project.
This is often the case when working with a costly coating material, producing a product where expert application and uniformity are key to product performance, or when a specific retention time is needed to achieve a reaction or bond between the coating and its substrate. Testing is especially valuable when the producer knows the result they are looking for, but not the process parameters they need to reach those results.
In settings like these, facilities like the FEECO Innovation Center, where coating drum design can be tested and refined, are essential.
Here, producers can not only confirm feasibility of the intended process, but also have the opportunity to work out and fine-tune process variables in order to consistently produce a product to exacting specifications. Through testing, producers can identify and hone-in on key process parameters such as:
- Spray nozzle type, location, and angle
- Material and coating temperature
- Drum speed and slope
- Retention time
- Material and coating feed rate
- Material bed action
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Contact us to discuss your requirements of coating production line. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Coating drum testing in the FEECO Innovation Center
Opportunity for Custom Coating Drum Design
Similarly, depending on the project requirements, a high level of customization in the design may be necessary. This is typical in coating roofing granules, as the effectiveness and longevity of asphalt shingles depends significantly on granules being consistently coated to specification.
Producers looking to purchase a coating drum should be aware that not all coating drum manufacturers can provide a customized solution; many offer standardized units and select the closest fit for a given application.
This approach is not always a problem, but when producers want to optimize their coating drum for efficiency and performance, a custom solution is a must.
Various aspects of a coating drum and its surrounding process can be manipulated to consistently achieve specific results. This might include the use of the following:
- Drum liner
- Tumbling/Agitation flights
- Advancing flights
- Dams
The design of the spray system also has a significant impact on coating effectiveness and uniformity and is therefore a very customized aspect of the overall design.
Proven Experience
As with any capital investment, buying from a reputable supplier can save significant headaches and expense in the long run. Look for suppliers that can provide proof of their past successes through project profiles, testimonials, and references.
Further, look for a supplier that can advise not just on coating drum design, but also on system integration and other important aspects of the project to minimize friction as well.
Parts & Service Support
Select a supplier with a robust parts and service program for post-sale support. This might include assistance with start-up and commissioning, provision of spare parts, routine maintenance, annual inspections, and process audits.
The ability to provide process support and testing are also valuable in the event that process or material conditions change, leading the system to perform poorly or at a lower-than-rated capacity.
While there are many rotary drum service companies on the market, support from the OEM typically offers the best solution, particularly when dealing with a customized drum, as they know the equipment best.
High Quality Standards
A coating drum represents a significant investment, so it's important that the coating drum is built for longevity (not all rotary drums are). Several factors can affect the quality and life of a coating drum, including materials of construction, welding techniques, fabrication practices, and more.
Select a manufacturer with stringent and proven quality standards at every step in the engineering and production process. In addition to documentation on quality control procedures, project profiles and references are helpful here as well.
Conclusion
As more producers look to incorporate coating drums into their production lines, identifying a manufacturer that can provide testing and development services, a custom solution (where needed), parts and service support, as well as proven, high-quality results that stand the test of time, is essential.
FEECO coating drums not only offer a coating solution optimized for efficiency and performance, but have a proven track record in reliability and longevity as a result of their superior quality. Our testing facility gives producers the confidence they need to invest in a commercial-scale coating drum, and our Customer Service Team provides the support needed to keep coating drums performing in top condition. For more information on our coating drums and related services, contact us today!
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