Top Shop Pivots With Industry Demands

When the small powder coating shop now known as Andrews Powder Coating Inc. (APC) opened for business in 1980, powder coating was so new that it was not yet well known. But through the years the coating technology has caught on across many industries and continues to do so today. However, it has survived through volatile market trends since then, adapting to changes and learning to be flexible.

Initially serving the car and motorcycle industry, and especially bearing fruit through the motorcycle boom of the early 2000s, the coatings shop in Chatsworth, California, could not have predicted that the business would be affected when CARB (California Air Resources Board) regulations abruptly transformed the market in the mid-2000s. 

“CARB prohibited motorcycle builders from registering more than one custom built motorcycle in a lifetime, unless it was a serialized Harley Davidson frame and motor,” explains Sandee Andrews, APC COO/CFO. “The industry basically changed overnight, and it forced finishers that were heavily into those markets to switch gears.”

This is when APC decided to take a new direction toward the architectural and aerospace markets, which is where it is today. Since then, the company has expanded to three buildings, invested in a lot of equipment as well as put in the hard work to obtain certifications such as ISO 9100 and architectural-grade certifications.

“It has been a difficult journey, but an exciting and rewarding one,” Andrews says. She started with the company in 2000 and, as a long-time, dedicated employee, she recognizes and appreciates APC’s success.

Quality shop creates quality products

Luckily for this Products Finishing 2024 Top Shop, Andrews is not the only long-time employee. The majority of its 15-employee staff has been with the

company since its beginning, providing the experience and skills necessary to achieve high-quality work. In fact, Andrews attributes earning the Top Shops recognition to the team.

“Without them, their collaboration, their ideas, and the way they care, we would not be where we are,” she says.

This powder coating team sets high quality standards for itself, which shows in its less than 1% reject rate (annual). APC works hard to ensure its customers are satisfied as well. Andrews says she asks customers for quarterly report cards so they can give feedback on the projects the shop has completed for them.

High quality can only be achieved with reliable equipment. Therefore, the shop has invested in a number of new machinery and tools. With its relocation six years ago to a large building that needed to be filled, Andrews says except for a couple of items, everything was newly purchased then, including a pretreatment tank, two ovens and two spray booths.

Then, last December it replaced the air compressor that runs throughout the shop and installed a humidity controller. Its powder coating application guns were also upgraded at that time.

“We want our people to have the latest and greatest tools so they can do their job as well as they can and not have to deal with archaic equipment that would hinder their performance,” Andrews explains.

Technology trends

With technology quickly advancing, businesses like APC need to respond quickly so as not to fall behind the competition. The powder coater is doing this with both its digitization of the shop as well as with its customers’ needs.

“Everything is digitizing,” Andrews says. “We are trying to go paperless. We’re trying to automate and get everything controlled by software. All our equipment is cloud based, so we can monitor 24/7 and provide these reports to our clients so they are sure that everything is working in good order.”

Because robotics has become more popular, especially in the medical device industry, APC has been forced to insert itself into this market because it has been working with companies in that industry for so long. It has already implemented medical-grade coatings into its processes that conform to those standards. But it is also attempting to market to the robotics companies, which has been challenging.

Not only is robotics a big market segment that the company is beginning to service but the company would like to integrate robotic methods to help automate its production floor. Andrews says she’s actively researching ways to do this without spending $1 million on a robot.

Zirconium as a safe alternative

APC is also cognizant about its sustainability and environmental impact, especially because California is a national leader for environmental standards, Andrews says. For instance, the company’s new pretreatment tank is used for pretreating aluminum as well as other substrates. Although using a chromate conversion is common on aluminum, she says those chemicals are harmful and toxic to the environment.

“When we installed our pretreatment facility, we really went a different way and started to investigate zirconium,” she explains. “Zirconium is safe for the environment, the applicator, and it has met or exceeded anything that a chromate conversion coating can do, so why not use it?”

Consulting services

Besides its powder coating business, APC provides consulting services for customers around the world. These services offer basic powder coating project management for those interested in starting up a business. APC aids them in deciding on the equipment needed, and recommends an ideal setup for maximum process flow on minimal square footage as well as performing the install.

So far, the consulting business has opened powder shops in the U.S., Mexico and one on the Caribbean Island of Tobago. Sometimes, these installations take the team a couple weeks.