Manufacturer Reaps Efficiency Benefits and Cost Savings with Prepainted Metal

     Nordyne, Inc., a manufacturer of HVAC equipment recently traded in its old internal electrostatic painting process for more efficient coil coating technology.

     Prior to the switch, Nordyne had a few concerns. “We were unable to find a coated material that could stand up to the outside elements, especially the salty air on the east and west coasts,” said Dodd Schimpf, plant manager. Nordyne has since made a complete switch to coil coating on all of their production lines and subassembly areas.

     During the transition, Nordyne altered its storage and handling methods to avoid scratching the pre-coated parts. The manufacturer also modified its coating formulations and dies in order to produce deep-draw parts that did not peel, crack, or chip. These improvements facilitated Nordyne’s move to coil coating and brought significant cost savings, quality and environmental improvements. Most importantly, improved customer relationships and satisfaction were achieved.

Six Reasons to Switch to Prepainted Metal
 
• Inventory: Nordyne has seen a 200% increase in raw material turns and reaped $1 million a year in inventory savings. The company has seen a drastic reduction of bottlenecks in the finishing process and excessive inventory has nearly been eliminated.

• Space: After selling its electrostatic system, the reduction of inventory allowed more space for manufacturing and more profitable uses.

• Quality: The improved quality and reliability of the coil coating resulted in an advantage over the competition and brought more customers to the facility. Unlike post-painted parts, pre-painted parts have two coats of paint, instead of just one, and the paints bond much tighter to the metal. In addition to an enhanced appearance, coil coating provides superior product durability and an extended service life.

• Environmental Compliance: Although Nordyne has always boasted clean emissions, its old post-paint system required tedious reporting to meet federal environmental regulations. By pre-painting its parts with EPA-approved equipment, Nordyne has completely eliminated this time consuming process. Coil coating is one of the most environmentally friendly processes known for applying finishes to metals.

• Customer Responsiveness: The coil coating process has allowed Nordyne to improve response time with its customers by increasing speed and flexibility and implementing Demand Flow Technology (DFT). DFT eliminates the fabrication department by integrating the work into production lines.

• Productivity: Through the combined processes of pre-coating and DFT, Nordyne has seen a 400% improvement in the work flow process. Many delays in the plant were caused by work stoppage while parts were painted, dried, and cured before moving to the next assembly stage. These bottlenecks are eliminated with the use of pre-painted metals.

     Once the conversion process to coil coating was complete, Nordyne ran more efficiently, effectively and economically. Coil coating is an ideal solution for any manufacturer looking to lower costs and improve productivity.

National Coil Association
www.coilcoatinginstitute.org
216-241-7333