Methods We Use to Increase Yield
U.S. Paint works to find ways for OEMs to sensibly assess how their equipment will perform for their unique paint products. Our product must fit into their current process seamlessly while eliminating steps to enable leaner processes. Factors such as cost, space requirements, manpower, cleanability, ergonomics, safety, and reliability also have to be considered. It all starts with initial research and preparation before we launch, whether that launch is a new product, a new color, or a new paint line. We use a Launch Management System that is dynamic and developed from the years and years of line launch experience.
We perform extensive data-gathering exercises, or surveys, as part of our Launch Management System to fully understand the product, equipment, and process expectations and capabilities. We get to a final product by living our company’s quality policy: we are committed to satisfying our customers by designing, manufacturing, and servicing products that will exceed their expectations through innovation, partnership, and continuous improvement.
We perform line surveys that gather vital information on expectations, processes, and equipment. We do this because it is important to understand the needs of each OEM. We’re always working to improve our product and service offerings based on real data, not assumptions.
These line or lab application correlations are used in formula development and quality control. As your process manufacturer, we must be able to create, distribute and administer formulas, and ensure that batches conform to product standards — despite a number of variables, including seasonal variability, changing regulations, and availability of raw materials.
We provide multi-step quality control checks for each manufacturing batch that are measured and compared to previous batches and customer requests. During the early stage of paint product development, criteria on physical and performance properties were set based on the purpose and application of the paint product. Those agreed properties then became the test specification for the product development.
We are continually gathering real-time and have regular communication with applicators and end-users for current production, continuous improvement, and new developments. First-hand knowledge of our customers and their processes ensures a consistency not only in product but in a successful working relationship.
U.S. Paint has experienced field and lab personnel who have worked on most all types of liquid paint applications. Our team is comprised of some of the best, brightest, and most passionate people in the industry. Each team member has extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of paint. All of our customers get access to results of those efforts: laboratories of coatings specialists and state-of-the-art testing equipment, rigorous development and matching of paints and coatings to our customer’s exact specifications, and honest feedback and recommendations on everything from paint line design to environmental impact to logistics.
We are flexible from top to bottom, meaning we’re dynamic, being able to make changes on the fly to move with the customer. If we see something, we say something. That something might be a process change in conjunction with our product change. We’re not locked into the product, but can quickly tailor it, test it, and prove it out, to get to the next step of yield improvement we’re both looking for.
We also take the time to record and report on constraints, bottlenecks, and improvement opportunities as part of our Design for Manufacturability Process. We recognize that every painting environment is not the same, not even close. And during development, this is always kept well in mind. We don’t see resulting products simply as our own but as a culmination of our customer’s process and our own. We perform careful evaluations of the painting process and environment, and this information is incorporated into the development of the product, now designed specifically for that environment. We achieve this by reproducing our customer’s conditions in the laboratory.
OEMs can be sure that we’ll provide a consistent and critical evaluation of the product and the process. It is important to recognize that in order for us to compete in such a critical environment, we need to go beyond simple deployment of off-the-shelf inventory and implement an integrated product lifecycle management solution that enhances the entire product lifecycle — from concept to market. We enable companies to drive revenue growth and sustain a competitive advantage by speeding time to market, increasing R&D productivity, and integrating product development into the supply chain.
