This is an exciting time to be working in the powder coating industry. Whatever your role, from operations director to factory manager to engineer, you will be aware of a major market evolution as tightening environmental regulations and an increasing focus on sustainability shift demand from liquid to powder coatings.
Harnessing the opportunity presented by this uptick in demand will require a streamlined, efficient, future-focused production system, which is where a new collaboration between leading suppliers Kemutec and Baker Perkins comes in.
Two sister companies, one integrated vision
Kemutec is known as a leading supplier to the powder coating industry through its KEK Centrifugal Sifters and PPS Easy-clean Air Classifier Mills, while Baker Perkins has a long heritage in supplying market-leading extrusion technology.
When the two firms came together in 2020 as part of the Schenck Process Group, one of their first strategic action items was to combine their unrivalled strengths in powder coating technologies to develop a revolutionary new offer for manufacturers in this sector.
Since then, Kemutec and Baker Perkins have invested considerable resources into optimising and configuring their equipment, systems and processes in tandem. The aim has been to develop the ultimate, seamless, end-to-end powder coating production process that fully addresses customer and market requirements.
This new offering is already starting to have an impact right across manufacturing firms.
Peace of mind for the CFO
Investing in new technology involves more than the obvious CAPEX cost. Any inefficiencies in the process that lead to downtime can raise the total cost of ownership above predicted levels, impacting profitability. By investing in high-quality, industry-proven equipment that has been designed with seamless integration in mind, overall outlay is reduced.
Fewer headaches for operations staff
Small niggles can turn into big headaches when you are trying to maintain uptime and maximise efficiency, all while meeting challenging production targets. The collaboration between Kemutec and Baker Perkins smooths out production wrinkles with automated, turnkey processing systems and customer support from a single source.
What’s more, Kemutec’s new PPS Easy-clean Air Classifier Mill can speed up cleaning time between different colours or batches by up to 300%. That is an enormous potential increase in production capacity on campaigns that require regular cleans. When you factor in the easy-to-clean designs of the broader range of extruders, cooling conveyors and centrifugal sifters, the benefits multiply.
Good news for factory, manufacturing and production managers
Kemutec and Baker Perkins are putting their joint powder coatings experience into designing unique, innovative equipment to help lower energy costs, maximise production capacity, achieve high-quality results and minimise waste in powder coatings production processes.
The end-to-end range includes:
- Powder handling
- Mixing
- Volumetric and gravimetric feeders
- Twin-screw extruders
- Cooling conveyors
- Air classifier mills
- Classifier cyclones
- Centrifugal sifters / flat deck screeners
- Filter receivers
- Filling / packing
These leading technologies are designed to be simple to operate, maintain and clean; and the recent addition to the range of cooling conveyors (for cooling and flaking) affords a fully end-to-end system. These conveyors are matched to the performance and output of the extruders, for seamless integration of machines.
Furthermore, the status of all major components of the system can be monitored via a single, touchscreen Human-Machine Interface (HMI); while a single point of control offers fully automated start-up and shutdown at the touch of a button for increased efficiency. If any adjustments are needed or software updates are due, engineers from Kemutec and Baker Perkins can access the technology remotely, giving valuable time back to the on-site team.
Plus, wherever you are in your Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) journey, the team has you covered, with extruders that are Industry 4.0 ready as standard.
Practical support for R&D engineers
Dedicated Test and Innovation Centres allow powder coating customers to trial and introduce new end-products and processes with minimal impact on live production. New product lines can be launched more quickly, and the facilities at the centres can be used to optimise both new and existing equipment and system configurations.
An easier life for procurement and purchasing teams
Buying equipment from a single source streamlines communications, admin and contract management processes, and reduces risk. Everyone involved in equipment purchase and maintenance will benefit from more time and less effort spent on supplier management.
Step into a seamless future
This joined-up offering comes at an exciting time for the industry. The sector’s first truly end-to-end service covers design and installation, through to aftermarket services which come with a lifetime support guarantee. The combination of expertise and technologies from Baker Perkins and Kemutec is already streamlining the powder coatings production processes for customers around the globe.
To find out more about how a raft of industry-leading manufacturers are benefitting from this new collaboration, please email [email protected] or visit our website www.bakerperkins.com/coatings
