Press release:
Globally active customers expect a very great deal from their coating suppliers: Those coatings need to be available in every corner of the world and must always be in the right colour and the right quality. This is a complex task in terms of technology and of logistics. However, FreiLacke is able to pay to its strengths as a medium-sized company.
A great many mechanical engineering companies from Germany now also manufacture in other countries. Those manufacturing sites then give rise to networks of suppliers, contract coaters and service providers. However, the visual appearance of machines needs to be identical, regardless of where they are produced.
Just how complex this requirement can be is demonstrated by this example from a mechanical engineering company based in southern Germany. This company involves around 300 companies worldwide in the coating of its components. On an annual basis, FreiLacke Emil Frei GmbH & Co. KG from Bräunlingen supplies this company with about 300 tons of powder coating and 150 tons of liquid coating materials.
Within Germany, in the majority of cases, these coatings are delivered the day after an order is placed. “These are stock items, and our dealers abroad also have them in stock”, explains Frank Berger, the person responsible for international business development at FreiLacke. He explains that things tend to get a little more complicated with special coatings, but “these can also be pushed through within a fortnight”.
The FreiLacke range of system coatings means that the specialists for powder coatings and liquid coating now have to work together. “If a customer wishes to have a special system coating, we start off by developing the powder coating. The liquid coating experts have to work from the powder coating, not from the RAL chart”, states Berger from experience. In this way, it is possible to achieve coatings with precisely matched shades of colour.
Based in Mehren, apra-norm is one of the major suppliers for the machine manufacturing sector. The company supplies cabinet frames, side panels, top covers, front panels and complete cabinet systems. FreiLacke delivers directly to the Mehren site because the components that arrive at the machine manufacturing plant are already fully coated. . “We use liquid coatings as well as powder coatings”, explains Harry Dahlem, Head of Surface Technology and Digital Printing at the supplier. Fundamentally, apra-norm uses powder coatings. “We use liquid coatings for rework tasks. These two system coatings are so closely matched that you can scarcely tell the difference”, he continues. Another scenario for liquid coatings involves components that are not suitable for powder coatings.
This means that the specifications require continuous further development. “Historically, the mechanical engineering sector has always used liquid coatings. Today, most specifications still reflect that fact”, reports Berger. However, suppliers now use powder coatings in the vast majority of cases. To bring these two worlds together, FreiLacke and its customer have revised the specifications for liquid coatings to enable them to work effectively with both types of coating. There is now virtually no visible difference between them – an ideal outcome.
