ECOVISON™ - SHERWIN-WILLIAMS AUTOMOTIVE FINISHES (SWAFC) NOW MAKES IT EASY BEING ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY

November, 2008

Warrensville Heights, Ohio – EcoVision™… it’s The Sherwin-Williams Company commitment to being a recognized leader in the development of sustainable processes, products and activities that are profitable, preserve natural resources and contribute to the social environment.

It’s a company-wide initiative that encourages each employee to reduce the impact on the environment and increase revenue through innovation and efficiency.

“We’ve made it part of our EcoVision mission to be recognized as a leader in the development of sustainable processes, products and activities that are profitable, preserve natural resources and contribute to social improvement,” says Nick Bartoszek, SWAFC Director, Global Product Management. “It’s all part of a true ‘top-to-bottom’ approach to reducing the environmental impact without compromising performance, aesthetics or productivity for our customers.”

EcoVision is also consistent with SWAFC’s pledge through innovation to introduce and promote more sustainable products and practices. This includes providing advance technologies like SWAFC’s AWX® waterborne system, new HP Process® no bake system (which actually lowers the carbon footprint while increasing shop productivity), and ESP™, a fast bake, high-profit system that also cuts electrical and gas usage.

AWX – Waterborne Compliance without the Compromise

Body shop owners in California and Canada are switching over to waterborne finishes in droves, but collision centers nationwide also have a premium solution from a name they can trust –SWAFC AWX, an innovative waterborne basecoat/clearcoat system. Utilizing a proprietary resin system that behaves like the solvent borne systems of today, AWX is designed to meet even the strict VOC emissions limits adopted in California and Canada.

“The bottom line is AWX provides compliance without complications,” notes Bartoszek. “Our goal when we convert a shop to AWX is to get it right up front. We work through a comprehensive facility assessment and eliminate issues from the beginning. There are significant amounts of anxiety surrounding conversion to waterborne, but our trained technical representatives use a fail proof process to guarantee success. This is because AWX has solvent borne-like application properties, and collision shop technicians will be familiar and comfortable with the process already, requiring minimal training and start-up costs.”

The new system meets the need for an environmentally-friendly product alternative, and there are low capital investment costs in transitioning to AWX. According to Bartoszek, “One of the key benefits of our waterborne system is that it doesn’t require new or specialized equipment in order to use it effectively.”

With conversion imminent, SWAFC is committed to providing waterborne solutions that are not only environmentally-friendly, but also help collision centers maintain profitability and productivity. Sherwin-Williams maintains one of the largest teams of company trained technical representatives and is currently adding training facilities to meet the training needs of collision centers facing conversion.

The New HP Process™
Featuring Air-Bake™ technology from SWAFC, the new HP Process is another EcoVision initiative that combines the simplicity of yesterday’s automotive paints with forward-thinking, modern technology.

This patent-pending automotive paint process removes the need for baking to achieve a fast cure time. Instead, HP Process uses its proprietary Air-Bake technology to cure at ambient (70-75°F) room temperatures, allowing for same-day repairs. HP Process, which has received numerous certifications from OEM manufacturers, uses high-quality primers, basecoats and urethane clearcoats that produce a high quality finish - from start to finish. In fact, the HPC15 Clearcoat only needs an ambient temperature to achieve a 15-minute cure that can be sanded, polished or even delivered to the customer. This eliminates the downtime associated with temperature ramp up or cool down time.

The HP Process not only benefits the environment by reducing a shop’s carbon footprint, but it impacts the bottom line by helping paint more cars, faster. Because high-temperature baking isn’t required, any underutilized, properly ventilated, shop space can be converted into a HP Process area to service such painting jobs as bolt-on bumpers, superficial scrapes, door dings and more. The coating allows such jobs to move quickly out the door and keep the job flow moving. It’s also ideal for dealerships looking to quickly touch-up trade-in models for quick resale.

“The HP Process is a win-win for all concerned; shops can paint more cars and reduce its carbon footprint; that’s why the process is aptly named HP – higher productivity, higher performance, higher profit - all resulting in a healthy planet,” says Bartoszek.

HP Process requires only mainstream equipment and delivers the flexibility, speed and ease that have been associated with the automotive coatings of the past but offers modern durability and quality. Because no expensive ultraviolet equipment is required, HP Process eliminates the dark areas common with UV lights, as well as the special waste disposal techniques associated with UV technologies.

Besides increasing the potential for more rapid job turnaround and increased productivity, this new coating also significantly reduces energy requirements by eliminating the need for high-temperature bake cycles. Turning off the heat reduces carbon emissions, the dependency on fossil fuels used to heat the spray booth and, in turn, an automotive shop’s energy bill.


ESP (Extreme Speed Process)
Another new SWAFC technology is its Extreme Speed Process, known as ESP. This utilizes patent-pending technology to manage solvent inside a refinishing system, allowing collision centers to refinish vehicles faster than ever before. In fact, ESP considerably cuts the inefficient process of waiting for paint to dry or flash, which means dramatically improved cycle times (upwards of 50 percent!) and improved customer satisfaction.

That means more productivity and more profit – a lot more profit.

According to Bartoszek, the ESP breakthrough is linked to the technological advances of the new ESP clearcoat and a unique solvent management process during the repair. The ESP clearcoat, CC931, is a premium quality, high solids urethane clear designed to deliver industry-leading performance in air-dry and baking scenarios.

"CC931 cures in five to 10 minutes or less at 140˚F, thus making it possible to reassemble the vehicle in as little as 15 minutes. It can be applied in two coats, wet-on-wet with no flash time required between coats," says Bartoszek. "That means you're cutting booth wait times by at least 50 percent over previous technologies.

"The extreme speed process also allows lightning-fast refinishing times without sacrificing quality or having to add equipment. It does not reduce actual labor times, but dramatically speeds booth wait times. With ESP, we have been able to significantly shift the repair paint cycle time down to 30 minutes or less," he continued.

With ESP, however, there’s not only a productivity story, but also an environmental one as well: In addition to amazing sales growth potential, there are also significant electrical and natural gas savings. Cutting booth times not only decreases operating expenses but also decreases a shop’s carbon footprint.

In addition to the above new environmentally-geared products and system innovations, SWAFC has also instituted new techniques in its manufacturing processes to minimize waste byproducts and implemented energy-efficient manufacturing methods in many operations. “Another important environmental focus is that we’ve streamlined our distribution process, an initiative that not only conserves fuel, but also energy and other natural resources,” added Bartoszek.

For more information about SWAFC’s EcoVision, its new HP Process, AWX, ESP or other SWAFC products, visit www.sherwin-automotive.com or call 1-800-SWULTRA (1-800-798-5872). For more information on EcoVision, visit www.sherwin-williams.com/pro/green/ecovision.

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The Sherwin-Williams Company, founded in 1866, is one of the world's leading companies in the manufacture, distribution and sale of coatings and related products to professional, industrial, commercial and retail customers. Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Sherwin-Williams Company, manufactures and distributes a complete line of advanced technology paint and coating systems for automotive and fleet refinishing industries.