CoatingsPro Magazine

JAN 2017

CoatingsPro offers an in-depth look at coatings based on case studies, successful business operation, new products, industry news, and the safe and profitable use of coatings and equipment.

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42 JANUARY 2017 COATINGSPROMAG.COM have static on their body. "So many customers say they need an ESD floor, but they don't fully understand why they need an ESD floor, and they don't understand all the other components that are vital to helping that floor perform," Winters said. "If I have an ESD floor but someone walks in off the street in sneakers, jeans, and a polo, that ESD floor is not going to do squat." DeYoung added that watching what the workers wear will be crucial. He said he has trained clients, including workers at Dura, by allowing them to view their static discharge rate when using normal shoes followed by the use of ESD footwear. In many cases, he said, clients have seen their discharge fall from hundreds or thousands of volts to below 20. "It's important to understand how everything in motion in the room needs to be grounded, and that includes people, racks, and carts," Winters said. "A lot of people think that once they put an ESD floor down, the problem has been solved. It's not. at's why having a manufacturer's representative that under- stands how the total package works and can communicate that to the client is so, so key." Based in North Ridgeville, Ohio, Protective Industrial Polymers is a niche company, with all representatives doubling as trained ESD auditors. As a result, they've formed partner- ships with contractors like Michigan Specialty Coatings — and both sides insist that a close working relationship is essential to a job's success. "Only part of my job is to make the proper system recom- mendation," DeYoung said. "e other part is client education. It's tough because static electricity can feel invisible. A lot of times, we feel a static shock when we walk across carpet and touch a door handle, but at those voltage levels, that's often way higher than what it would take to damage a component." If the client understands how the ESD floor works in tandem with internal changes such as using approved footwear, the projects — like the one at Dura — are often a hit. "e biggest challenge is connecting the dots," DeYoung said. "A lot of times, clients will spend a lot of money to have the contractor install this great floor, but then they don't under- stand the other aspects. It's kind of like having the best seat belt in the world in your car, but then not putting it on." "e hardest part is the culture change, and getting workers to understand that even with the ESD floor, they can't just walk into that area without having the appropriate footwear on and being grounded. But when we get clients to fully buy in, the results are tremendous." Final Tests Before leaving the jobsite, Winters' team makes sure to certify the floor and ensure that it is hitting its required perfor- mance properties. "We know the manufacturer of the material will have already run quality control on it before it's sent out," Winters said. "But since the customer is paying for these properties, we always want to certify before we leave that everything tests out appropriately." In this case, the client's new plant manager was extremely pleased. "I had worked with [him] in the past and had done ESD work for him," Winters said. "He brought me over to this new facility because he was so happy with our company and our service. His comment to me when we were done is that it turned out even better than expected!" CP ESD Floor VENDOR TEAM 3M Safety equipment manufacturer 3M Center St. Paul, MN 55144 (888) 364-3577 www.3m.com BW Manufacturing Equipment manufacturer 3706 Mill Creek Ave. NE Cornstock Park, MI 49321 (616) 447-9076 www.bwmanufacturing.com Cabot Corp. Material manufacturer 2 Seaport Lane #1300 Boston, MA 02210 (617) 345-0100 www.cabotcorp.com Diamatic USA Equipment manufacturer 5220 Gaines St. San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 295-5505 www.diamaticusa.com Hilti North America Equipment manufacturer 3701 W Royal Lane Irving, TX 75063 (800) 879-8000 www.us.hilti.com Makinex Construction Products Equipment supplier 811 N Catalina Ave., Suite 1310 Redondo Beach, CA 90277 (407) 446-1966 www.makinex.com Protective Industrial Polymers Coatings manufacturer 7875 Bliss Pkwy. North Ridgeville, OH 44039 (440) 327-0015 www.protectpoly.com Ruwac USA Equipment manufacturer 54 Winter St. Holyoke, MA 01040 (413) 532-4030 www.ruwac.com Before leaving the jobsite, the team had to train the client how to "use" the new floor. Wearing appropriate footwear would help ensure that the ESD floor worked as expected.

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