As rising energy costs threaten to blow out bodyshop overheads, PPG says its low energy cure solutions provide readymade tools that drive sustainability, along with profitability.
When was the last time you looked at your collision centre’s energy bills?
The relentless rise in the price of both gas and electricity has made it a key industry talking point. However, although repairers can readily see the increase in cost, most are unsure of how that impacts the businesses bottom line, says PPG Sales Director Australia John Hristias,.
“The way energy prices have spiralled upwards can come as a real shock but it’s difficult for individual repairers to get a clear understanding of how that actually translates to cost per job. To get the answers, PPG’s MVP Business Solutions team conducted a comprehensive study across the local industry.
In it, they analysed over 50,000 individual repair jobs and found that the energy cost per job came out at about $31.00 per job. As those costs continue to rise, their mounting impact on business overheads is making energy usage an increasingly important factor in the repair process.”
PPG’s relentless focus on its own, in-house, global Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) program has actually influenced product development within the company Hristias says.
“PPG is currently running an award winning ESG program across the company and that is also influencing the product development pathway. It means that our company values are driving product direction and it seems that is also in sink with what our customers’ needs. It highlights the fact that rising energy costs is now a significant aspect in many global markets, such as Europe, as well as locally. It’s about taking sustainability seriously which empowered our R&D teams to come up with effective, easy to use product solutions that really deliver by helping repairers lower there carbon footprint while, as the same time, working faster and more profitably.
“By tapping into these up-to-the-minute global PPG formulations, we can keep the local refinish market on the cutting edge of refinish technology. This has allowed us to launch a complete range of low energy cure solutions, as a part of the region’s most popular refinish system, ENVIROBASE® High Performance. Together, they mark a real step change in the paint shop that goes all the way from primer to the final finish. Each of these easy to use products can make a positive impact on a collision centre’s energy usage and, subsequently, the cost of running the business.
“And what has really blown people’s minds is that, other than choosing to use the actual low energy cure products, there is no equipment investment required – you can use your conventional spray equipment and application area. And while in the past these types of products typically came with certain downsides, these latest PPG product innovations are totally robust so they deliver their performance without weaknesses. For me, the big positive kicker is that this complete low energy cure range can easily be taken advantage of by a collision centre doing one car a day, right through to a large business turning out 20 or 30 cars per day.”
According to Hristias, the Envirobase High Performance paint system is already well known for its speed, colour strike and advanced colour matching tools but the introduction of a low energy cure range has added yet another string to its bow.
“The single biggest feature which has really made people sit up and take notice is the air-drying capabilities – we are talking minutes to cure, not hours with no reliance on factors such as humidity. At the same time, it gives repairers complete flexibility – you can run in air-dry mode to save on energy usage and, if a job needs to be pushed through quickly, simple choose the bake mode that suits your cycle-time/energy consumption requirements.
“The new low energy cure range comprises LVP565 Air-Dry Primer, along with LVC-177 Rapid Performance Clearcoat and LVC-131 UHS Clearcoat. With LVP565 you have a primer that can air-dry in just 30 minutes at 20°C and it’s not dependant on humidity. It’s fast, too, with a single visit application mode where absolutely no flash-off is required, as well as excellent film-build and a super smooth lay down that makes it extremely easy to sand. When it comes to clearcoat, LVC-177 also offers a game-changing air-dry mode where it’s dust free and ready to handle in just 20 minutes at 20°C. Alternatively, you can choose from the low temperature or high temperature bake cycle to suit your needs. It also features single visit application mode to help boost process speed.
“For all round performance, LVC-131 offers multipurpose application from a single panel to a full respray, different bake options and a fast, one visit application mode. Apart from the ability to make significant savings on energy, the air-dry options offer another big advantage. With the overwhelming trend towards plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles, the ability to use air-dry mode gives repairers an instant option to deal with these vehicles. By avoiding a bake cycle, it minimises the potential for heat to impact the battery cells.
“This trio of PPG low energy cure products slip neatly into the modern refinish process and immediately raise the game. Whether a collision centre is looking to reduce its carbon footprint to enhance its green credentials or whether it’s all about minimising their energy costs (or both!), this new range of options have really made repairers sit up and take notice. It has gotten people very excited about the possibilities. In fact, we had customers putting orders in for these products before they even left the launch events and that has gotten them off and running and enjoying the benefits already.”
For more information about PPG low energy cure products and the entire Envirobase High Performance range, speak to your PPG Territory Manager or call the PPG Customer Service Hotline on 13 24 24 (Aust) or 0800 320 320 (NZ).
For support to calculate your own energy cost per job, contact Greg Tunks, MVP Business Solutions Manager ANZ, on 0411 288 451