The industrial machinery market has been a key contributor to Modean Industries’ success in the finishing industry. Lawn mowers, snow blowers, specialty trailers and haulers, pressure washers, and power generators represent just a small segment of the varied and numerous products and markets where Modean Industries and its affiliates and suppliers have made a significant impact.
Modean Industries, in cooperation with its supplier, ITW Gema as well as its other affiliates, has played a major role in the design and installation of powder coating systems in the lighting fixtures market for both commercial and residential applications.
Case Studies
- With Excellent Team Communication, System Is Up and Running Before Deadline
- Generac Power Makes a Sound Economic Decision
- Lippert Components Decreases Consumables and Optimizes Powder Consumption
- Precision Products Reduces Rejects by 67%
- Quest Manufacturing Eliminates Overtime on Powder Line
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With Excellent Team Communication, System Is Up and Running Before Deadline
The Client
Until its purchase by a German concern in 2004 our client was North America’s largest manufacturer of multiple brands of industrial, commercial and residential portable power washers. After the purchase, they are now the world’s largest manufacturer of power washers.
The Challenge
The Modean Industries marketing group was presented with the challenge of providing a new powder coating system for the client, based on a budget originally allotted for used equipment.
Along with budgetary constraints, timing was also crucial. The customer was in the midst of erecting a brand new manufacturing facility in Mexico. The facility would not only house the new powder coating system, but would be a major manufacturing center for the client’s products designated for worldwide distribution. Installing the powder coating system on time was more than just the desire of the client…it became a necessity. Due to its designated position within the plant, it was critical for the powder coating system to be installed prior to the positioning and installation of major manufacturing and fabricating equipment.
The Solution
After learning the client’s budget threshold, Modean Industries immediately searched their extensive portfolio of project histories to identify a previously designed powder coating system that was similar in size and capability to that desired by the client. The search yielded exactly what Modean Industries was looking for and with a little fine tuning, were able to provide the client a powder coating system utilizing not used but new equipment while working within the client’s budgetary constraints.
Benefit to Client
Not only was Modean Industries able to provide the client equipment that was new, warranted and within their budget, they also were able to meet the installation and start-up schedule. Being on time with equipment that needed no modification or refurbishing, and provides outstanding aesthetic appeal inside a brand new facility, negated a tremendous amount of worry and stress for the client.
An amazing development came about arising particularly out of the need to keep time spent to a minimum. All contact with the customer was made via the Internet, until Modean Industries’ first telephone conversation, which transpired just a few days before receipt of a purchase order. Online presentations, including references, photographs, a power point presentation and good old-fashioned question and answer sessions, were amply sufficient to gain the client’s trust and enthusiasm. Modean Industries finally met the client in person when the time came for reviewing and confirming the system engineering drawings. This may seem unusual for a nearly $1M project, but the time saved was significant for a client that already had a full agenda constructing, supplying and staffing a new facility.
Conclusion
After excellent communications between the client, Modean Industries’ engineering and mechanical groups, and additional local contractors, the new powder coating system was built, installed and running before the deadline. Nearly two years later, the system is performing extremely well and will continue to do so for many years. The customer has the space and is considering a potential second system.
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Generac Power Makes a Sound Economic Decision
Please note: The following Case Study has been prepared by ITW Gema, a supplier of Modean Industries, and is being reproduced with ITW Gema’s permission. Hani Azzam of Modean Industries supervised the design and engineering of several of the original Gema systems in the United States.
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The Client
Generac Power Systems, Inc. manufactures a full line of commercial and home generators, including the Guardian® Automatic Home Standby generator. Operating from three plants in Wisconsin and one in Iowa, Generac offers customers security and safety for home and business.
The Challenge
In 2003, the largest blackout in North American history left millions of people without power. This event, coupled with numerous natural disasters, led individuals and companies to realize their vulnerability to power failures and to seek solutions to protect themselves. Since then, Generac’s business has been steadily increasing, necessitating the upgrade of their powder coating system to increase capacity and meet market demand.
The Solution
Being a customer of ITW Gema for many years, Generac decided to stick with the proven record of reliability and service and chose to upgrade to Gema’s new OptiSystem.™ At their Whitewater, Wisconsin plant, Generac added OptiGun™automatic powder guns, OptiTronic™control units, and OptiFlow™ high-performance powder pumps to their existing line. For touch-up work, an OptiFlex™ manual powder coating unit was also included.
The Savings
Upgrading to the OptiSystem from ITW Gema has resulted in financial savings for Generac. The high performance of the OptiGuns has equated to a 25% improvement in transfer efficiency, while recoats have been reduced by 20%. “Having pre-programmed settings is really a plus for training new painters,” remarked Wayne Brown, Production Supervisor, “The control and automation of the new system, coupled with the efficiency of the OptiGuns has meant higher productivity, better finish quality, and lower operating costs.”
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Lippert Components Decreases Consumables and Optimizes Powder Consumption
Please note: The following Case Study has been prepared by ITW Gema, a supplier of Modean Industries, and is being reproduced with ITW Gema’s permission. Hani Azzam of Modean Industries supervised the design and engineering of several of the original Gema systems in the United States.
The Client
Lippert Components, a Drew Industries subsidiary, manufactures specialty trailers at their Milford, Indiana plant that are fully customizable for hauling a wide variety of items.
The Challenge
In the past, Lippert had been a liquid coating operation. They turned to powder coating to achieve a better finish that was both environmentally friendly and cost-effective and decided to place an automatic powder coating line at the Milford plant. Quick color change and low powder consumption were significant factors for the installation. Since Lippert is a spray-to-waste operation, transfer efficiency was a very important consideration.
The Solution
Lippert’s Milford facility chose an automatic line from ITW Gema. A 20,000 cfm Diamond™ booth contains sixteen OptiGun™ automatic powder guns, OptiTronic Plus™ control units, and OptiFlow™ pumps. The system also includes an AutoTracker™ Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) and Chameleon™ Color Management System.
The Savings
The combination of OptiSystem™ components, along with the AutoTracker and Chameleon, has enabled Lippert to realize greater application efficiency than they had experienced in the past. Since they do not reclaim powder, achieving the best coverage with the least waste is very important. Decreasing consumables and optimizing powder consumption have resulted in a highly cost-efficient operation, factors that have contributed to a payback in 24 months.
“High transfer efficiency and savings on consumables has really made our new system pay off.”
— Cliff Boyer III, Lippert Components
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Precision Products Reduces Rejects by 67%
Please note: The following Case Study has been prepared by ITW Gema, a supplier of Modean Industries, and is being reproduced with ITW Gema’s permission. Hani Azzam of Modean Industries supervised the design and engineering of several of the original Gema systems in the United States.
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The Client
Precision Products, Inc. is a member of the Gleason Group of companies, and is proud to be a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty lawn and garden equipment.
The Challenge
With aging and obsolete equipment, Precision Products realized that they would not be able to achieve significant production increases without an upgrade. Not only did they need newer technology to become more efficient, but they also had to demonstrate cost efficiency and powder savings to justify the investment.
The Solution
Precision Products purchased two OptiBasic™ systems from ITW Gema. The OptiBasic is a value-oriented system that couples the intelligence, integration and automation of a full OptiSystem with a stream-lined design. Each system included eight OptiGun™ automatic powder guns, OptiTronic™ Control Units and OptiFlow™ powder pumps.
The Savings
Precision Products began to see results right away. They have been able to reduce their powder usage and are now saving about $1,000.00 per week. Downtime for repairs has been eliminated and rejects have been reduced by 67%. With these and other factors considered, Precision Products achieved a payback in only 9 months.
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Quest Manufacturing Eliminates Overtime on Powder Line
Please note: The following Case Study has been prepared by ITW Gema, a supplier of Modean Industries, and is being reproduced with ITW Gema’s permission. Hani Azzam of Modean Industries supervised the design and engineering of several of the original Gema systems in the United States.
The Client
Quest Manufacturing, Inc., a leading manufacturer and marketer of quality air cylinders and fabricated parts, produces three main products: reservoir tanks used for storage of compressed air, air receiver lines that drive pneumatic construction tools, and a specialty line of miscellaneous tanks.
The Challenge
Quest was working with very old powder coating equipment. Their existing powder coating booth and guns, purchased from one of ITW Gema’s competitors, were inefficient and expensive to operate. In order to grow their business and earn new customers, Quest knew they had to upgrade their powder line to stay competitive.
The Solution
Fortunately for Quest, a neighboring business had recently upgraded to a new system from ITW Gema. Quest visited the plant, observed the new system and discussed their results. They were so impressed, that they requested a demonstration from ITW Gema. In the end, Quest purchased an OptiBasic™ system, including six OptiGuns™, OptiTronic™ control units and OptiFlow™ pumps.
The Savings
According to Dan Kastrup, Production Manager, “ITW Gema promised us a 33% reduction in powder costs. What we actually got was 40 to 50% savings!” The new system has reduced Quest’s reject rate to almost nothing. They not only eliminated 20 hours of overtime per week, but have reduced overall labor costs by 5%. Quest had anticipated that the system would pay for itself in 7 months, but achieved payback in only 5!
“The improvement in maintenance is night — and — day, and we’ve eliminated 20 labor hours of overtime a week. We expected a 7 month payback on this project, but hit it in only 5.”
— Dan Kastrup, Quest Manufacturing, Inc.
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