Probatch Leadership Kit Automating the Kitting Process in the Aerospace Industry
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ProBatch Leadership Kit Automating the Kitting Process in the Aerospace Industry Table of Contents I. Situation Analysis II. Application Basics III. Graco Solution IV. Return on Investment for Aerospace Customer V. Application Benefits VI. Ordering Information and Prices VII. Other Potential Kitting Customers Automating the Kitting Process in the Aerospace Industry I. Situation Analysis Companies that paint with less than 25 gallons per day and use multiple colors generally use kitting in their operation. Even though kitting is relatively easy there is a tremendous cost associated to this method of mixing paints. Companies pay a premium to have the luxury of mixing kits instead of doing the mixing themselves. Kits consist of two (2K) or three (3K) components that are purchased in separate cans and mixed together. The benefit is that the proportion of each material is correct, which reduces errors in mix ratios, but the user lacks the flexibility in how much is mixed. For instance, if a touch up job requires one pint of paint, the combination of three components may yield a total of 1.25 gallons or the waste of one gallon of kitted paint. The main components of kits consist of the following materials. 1. resin 2. catalyst 3. solvent For the purpose of this application leadership kit, the aerospace industry will include aerospace manufacturers, aerospace feeders and military bases. The aerospace industry offers the greatest opportunities for the ProBatch system because it is an industry that requires many small amounts of a very expensive paint and is accustomed to using kits. It is not uncommon for an aerospace manufacturer to waste up to 25% of their paint. The aerospace industry has high quality standards and is closely watched by environmental agencies, therefore, the reduction of waste is on everyone’s mind. II. Application Basics The resin generally consists of a one gallon can of color, which can carry a price tag of $50 to as much as $300 per gallon. The catalyst generally consists of a one-pint can at a cost of $95 per gallon. The solvent generally consists of a one-quart can at a cost of $25 per gallon. The kitting process generates a tremendous amount of unused paint, which also comes with a disposal cost for the cans. Not to mention the premium that is paid for the smaller containers of paint. a. Materials Used in the Aerospace Industry When calling on an aerospace company it will be found that many different material suppliers will be supplying material. It is not uncommon to have as many as five different material suppliers. For instance, one company may supply the primer, another the paint for interiors, another for the landing gear and so on. A list of the main suppliers is below. Supplier Industry Application Painted Part Typical Ratio Sterling Manufacturer, Feeder, Military, Primer, Interior, 2:1 Commercial Airlines (Urethane) exterior, engine, fuselage Deft Manufacturer (primarily Boeing) Primer All 2:1:4.5 (Water Borne) U.S. Paint Manufacturer, Feeder, Military, Topcoat Interior, 3 to 4:1 Commercial Airlines (Urethane exterior, and epoxy) engine, fuselage, edges Sherwin Manufacturer, Feeder, Military, Topcoat Interior, 3 to 4:1 Williams Commercial Airlines (Urethane) exterior, engine, fuselage Dexter Manufacturer, Feeder, Military, Primer, Landing Gear 3:1:1 Commercial Airlines Topcoat or 3 to 4:1 (Urethane) Desoto Manufacturer, Feeder, Military, Anti-stat Exterior 2 to 3:1 Commercial Airlines It is recommended that material suppliers be contacted before going into a potential aerospace customer in order to determine what paint is being used and if any material changes are foreseen. Many companies still use military specification. The common military spec that is used is mil spec 1011. Another interesting note is that the Sherwin Williams’ aerospace division does not sell to the military. Only the Chemical and Coatings division sells to the military. The aerospace division has no paint that meets mil spec 1011. b. Customer Type Both the aerospace feeder and manufacturer are similar in their painting requirements and material used. The main difference is that the aerospace feeder will have many more colors in stock due to the fact that they supply multiple manufacturers. Some feeder plants may use up to 60 different colors in one day. The aerospace manufacturer can use up to 30 gallons of primer each day and 30 gallons of topcoat per day. The primers are generally 2K and the topcoats can be 2K, but 3K are more common. In humid environments solvent is used to increase the potlife time. Military bases have the same needs as commercial airlines, where touchup and repainting is required. The important thing to know about selling to the military is that it is essential to speak their language. For instance, you do not want to call on the purchasing manager--in the military this person is called the procurement officer. c. The Kitting Environment A typical manufacturer may run two shifts and have 5 to 15 painters per paint kitchen. There generally will be a paint crib attendant who will mix the batches for primer and color. These painters will get batches anywhere from 4 oz. to 5 gallons, but a typical batch will be a pint or quart. The problem is that when hand mixing is done by the paint crib attendant the batch sizes are generally larger and paint is often wasted due to expired pot life from too much material being mixed that amounts to at least 10% of the batches. Also, there is a delay when the production shift starts and the painters are waiting for the kits to be made. It is common to see painters waiting in line for 15 to 30 minutes. The result is lost production time and unwanted socializing. A painter will come to the paint kitchen 4 to 5 times per night. Another problem that was discovered is that with so many different material suppliers, there are also many different catalysts. It was found that when painters were making their own batches from kits, they often used the wrong catalyst, because they did not understand that there could be a different catalyst for each paint. When bad parts need to be reworked it is a tremendous cost to the manufacturer in terms of lost production. Wasted paint is expensive. Not only is the cost of the paint being incurred at a minimum of $50 per gallon, but there is also a cost associated to disposing of this unused paint that can amount to as much as $1,500 per 55 gallon drum. Average Average Daily Average Weekly Bad Paint Type Paint Cost Paint Waste Mixes Primer- Urethane $50 to $60/gal. 10% 5% Primer – Deft $100/gal. 25% 5% to 10% Top Coat $50 to $300/gal. 10% 5% PTFE $200/gal. 10% 5% Empty paint cans from kitting also is considered hazardous waste and must be disposed of appropriately. An aerospace company is required to wash out the cans, dry it and contain it in hazardous material containers, often 55-gallon drums. These drums are then shipped to hazardous locations at a hefty fee, along with a separate drum that contains the solvent used to wash out the cans. One manufacturer stated that they would have an eight month ROI on the ProBatch just from the cost of eliminating the labor and cost of washing and disposing of the cans. Every plant is reviewing their environmental emissions. The current method of recording solvent usage is by the amount of solvent that is left in inventory at the end of the month. The more wasted paint, the more solvent that needs to be reported. III. Graco Solution The solution to this wasteful process is to use the ProBatch, electronic batch dispensing system. This weight-based product is a cost-effective solution to the kitting process. ProBatch uses a scale to measure the exact amount of material required to make the perfect mixture every time. ProBatch offers the range of dispenses from as low as 4 oz. to 5 gallons. The system can handle up to 99 fluids, 6 maximum for automatic dispenses and 93 for manual adds. A total of 250 recipes can be programmed into the ProBatch through screen inputs or through PrecisionView AMR 2.0. The typical return on investment (ROI) for the ProBatch will range from 1 to 10 months. The benefits of the ProBatch in the aerospace industry is that it: 1. Improves Paint Quality 2. Reduces the Amount of Waste 3. Improves Production by Reducing Painter’s Down Time 4. Eliminates the use of Can Disposal 5. Reduces the Overall Disposal Cost 6. Frees Up Paint Crib/Kitchen Staff to Work on Other Projects/Tasks 7. Keeps the Material Fresh 8. Reduce VOC Costs When the ProBatch was introduced at Raytheon Aircraft Company in Witchta, KS, they were having bad batches on 10% of their hand mixed kits. When they installed the ProBatch and initially only dispensed the primer, they virtually eliminated their bad batches. The top coats that were not switched were still experiencing the 10% failure rate. How to Reach the Customer To find the right person at an aerospace company can be tricky, but the best person to contact is as follows. Company Best First Contact Aerospace Manufacturers Research and Development Environmental Person Aerospace Feeders President Paint Foreman/Supervisor Commercial Airlines Research and Development Environmental Person Military Procurement Officer, Corrosion Officers (Corrosion Control Department) or environmental engineers Focus on primer and only major colors, the ProBatch is not a tinting machine. IV. Return on Investment for Aerospace Customer The ProBatch system is an ROI sale. Most companies look for a return on their investment within one year, which in most cases is obtainable even with the feed system.