Blanketing the Coatings Customer With Service
US Paint is always looking for opportunities. Opportunities can come from nowhere, meaning from an unknown, or previously unfamiliar prospect. Or, often, they will come from within a current customer, or maybe a customer’s tier supplier, or even from a customer’s competitor.
If a cold contact comes to us, it is most often someone who is trying to improve their appearance. We are in the business of very high appearance coatings. If an OEM, for example, is noting an inferiority to their competitors, or simply trying to raise the bar, we are contacted.
If an OEM is frustrated, seeking to improve their part or unit appearance, and are continually rebuffed, ignored, or let down by their incumbent supplier, it becomes a great opportunity for US Paint to help them. Once we are introduced, they are simply blown away by the overall attention, attention to detail, and the hands-on service they receive that ultimately exceeds their expectation. That is always US Paint’s goal.
Our customers tell us that big, cumbersome paint manufacturers often become deaf to their needs. There is little to no proactivity, and even less reactivity. The supplier becomes comfortable, setting their sights on increasing their own profitability. Well, we have a formula that is based on quality, service, speed, and flexibility. We understand that we grow through our customer’s success.
Opportunities also uniquely come to US Paint through flexibility. We have worked together with some of our customers to create unique technologies, and often unique processes that they have even patented. In these cases, we work together to create unique parts that cannot be done anywhere else in the world. Sometimes we can bring new business to these partners by bringing parties together.
When we are contacted, obviously we interview extensively to ensure understanding of their issue(s) and expectations. We work quickly to connect with the key personnel related to the issue(s) and the related processes. We want to “know them and understand them” and gain a level of trust with them, and they with us. We will weigh the potential solutions and outcomes. Upon agreement to proceed, we will launch our Design for Manufacturability Process.
This process involves extensive, diligent work to understand root cause(s), understand performance requirements and specifications, understanding application parameters and potential pitfalls, and then designing to exceed these expectations with the simplest application and widest workability. We will initiate initial appearance reviews followed by physical property testing. We are completing pre-process work internally, utilizing the same equipment and process. We might be performing circulation testing, robotic pathwork programming, or build studies. All this work is done with great effort to limit the impact on the customer’s production line. Now we are approaching the Go-Live phase where we will complete PPAP application testing and scale-up. During this phase we refer to as the feedback loop, we are actively engaged with the customer, openly and highly critical of the results and the process, seeking the best possible result right out of the gate. This might involve some tweaking and adjustments to the product ultimately proving our workability and results. Standards and additional test parts may be produced online at this point in anticipation of start of production, or SOP.
At SOP, we implement our Launch Management System. With this, we are blanketing the customer with service, ensuring a smooth and successful launch. We are there to support, audit, and troubleshoot, always working to optimize the appearance and the efficiency. We are working in the paint kitchen, in the booths, at the end of the line, in inspection, and at finesse, side by side with customer members. Our goal is to ensure the best-looking part, produced at the highest efficiency, and the highest yield for the customer. Beyond the launch phase and throughout, work to continually push the envelope regarding appearance and yield continues. This often leads to recommendations and considerations for newer products, or new revisions, as opportunities arise.
We’re happy to provide a customer-specific development and application process each time. As a U.S. Paint customer, expect to deal with high-quality professionals at every step. We demonstrate that customer service is critical to competing effectively. In the past, people chose which companies they did business with based on price or a specific service offered, but today the overall experience is often the driver. Our support team moves beyond just reacting to problems and toward anticipating customers’ issue(s). We are empowered to go above-and-beyond with customers to create a winning experience that helps them stand out from their competition. Ready for your coatings to look better, perform better, and deliver on ROI? Call 314-621-0525 today.
