Since 2001, I have been working in the paint and coatings industry. I have seen paint production sites in a lot of countries and still wonder why this industry is so reluctant with innovation.
It would be unfair to generalize this; there are companies with a high level of technologies, efficient paint production processes and an open mind for new frontiers. But unfortunately, it is more an exception than a rule.
One of the reasons might be that the industry is over 140 years old and for such established companies, it is a hard job to manage change – I fully understand that.
But the other reason is the complexity of what the paint and coatings industry is facing with their products. Customer requirements, cost, environmental regulations, supply chains etc. are complex enough. But chemistry is even as complex and the interactions of different components are explored mainly by trial and error. When it comes to paint production, people rely on aged equipment that is sometimes adding variation to the products. And recipes are full of additives, which are due to historical incidents also in the paint production process. And their necessity is not questioned (“never change a winning team”).
What are the strategies to cope with this complexity?
Since I brought the idea of the Smart Paint Factory to the community, I have seen a lot of promising approaches by academia and industry. The idea of digitalization and data driven processes is attractive. Nevertheless, building digital twins or models of materials and processes is still a big challenge. Due to a lack of data, many ML (Machine Learning) algorithms can’t be developed to an acceptable level of prediction. And sharing data for the purpose of increasing the amount of data to a better level is a big challenge. At the Smart Paint Factory Alliance, we are trying to bring stakeholders together, but it is a long journey.
After I got to know my friends from Hemmelrath Technologies, I pursued another promising approach:
Reduce complexity.
Their approach to split recipes into modules and use an efficient method of dispersion and mixing is definitely an important building block for more efficient paint production. It is easier to control. The dispersing process together with the Jetstream Mixer is a brilliant idea and together with knowledge of how to implement this in paint and coatings, dispersions, printing inks and similar products is a milestone.
At their head quarter in Erlenbach, Germany, Hemmelrath Technologies built a new building with a sustainable design. Inside, the production facilities look as clean as they looked on their first day of operation.
I feel honored to support Hemmelrath Technologies, because there is a clear and undeniable advantage for the customer.
https://metromation.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/qtq80-CyVAVF.jpeg14402160metromationhttps://metromation.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cropped-Metromation-Logo-Technology-Transfer-300x76.pngmetromation2023-12-13 18:29:162024-01-13 08:30:52Why is change so difficult?
Well, I was a little reluctant at the beginning and was careful with presenting products in a new format. But I wanted people to have fun exploring what Metromation can do and took advantage of some of the benefits of gamification. The starting point is a showroom for our partner Hemmelrath Technologies with a presentation and some basic technical information about different versions of the Modular Factory.
But there is also an exhibition hall, where people can explore more. My first presentations with the Metaverse format went well. This was carried out with a shared screen only, where I navigated myself. As a next step, we will invite people to explore the exhibition hall together with us.
For everyone who has experienced computer games, navigation is familiar: Use the arrow keys or a,s,d.w for moving. Alternatively, you can use the mouse.
Explore the showroom of Hemmelrath Technologies on our website, just click here!
https://metromation.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Metaverse-Metromation.png10272462metromationhttps://metromation.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cropped-Metromation-Logo-Technology-Transfer-300x76.pngmetromation2023-11-15 14:55:042023-11-15 14:57:46The Metaverse – New possibilities with Metromation
It was a really interesting and inspiring event. First time in Vegas, first time with the WCS and yet met two guys who I knew only from Teams meetings and the internet before.
On the picture, you see our CEO Ralph J. Woerheide, Huzaifa Batalawa and Artur Palazs. We had exciting talks and share a common mindset to work on a significant change of the Paint and Coatings Industry.
The picture was taken on Sunday before the event started, we had a great time. Still many people were in separate groups but it was a start to make first contacts.
The three days of the conference took place in the Paris conference center with excellent speakers, a great catering and quite an extensive exhibition.
One of the big topics were sustainability, which was kind of surprising for me. As having spent most of my time in Europe so far, I thought that this is a more European topic and the US wouldn’t care too much about that. It was encouraging to find out, that this is not true at all. The US might have a different and more balanced approach, but still sustainability is highly important.
I was able to gather even more contacts and was delighted by the openess and willingness for the ideas and prodcuts from Metromation. I was not used to it from Germany, where a more reluctant business approach is in place when it comes to new ideas and technologies. First I thought it’s because of the sun and all the fun. But in my follow-ups my impression of the open and progressive business attitude was confirmed more than once. Thanks to all the people who were so open minded, this is what we need in this industry!
https://metromation.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_3830-1-e1698608621453.jpg8961600metromationhttps://metromation.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cropped-Metromation-Logo-Technology-Transfer-300x76.pngmetromation2023-10-29 20:17:482023-10-29 20:21:04The Western Coatings Symposium in Las Vegas
Why is change so difficult?
Since 2001, I have been working in the paint and coatings industry. I have seen paint production sites in a lot of countries and still wonder why this industry is so reluctant with innovation.
It would be unfair to generalize this; there are companies with a high level of technologies, efficient paint production processes and an open mind for new frontiers. But unfortunately, it is more an exception than a rule.
One of the reasons might be that the industry is over 140 years old and for such established companies, it is a hard job to manage change – I fully understand that.
But the other reason is the complexity of what the paint and coatings industry is facing with their products. Customer requirements, cost, environmental regulations, supply chains etc. are complex enough. But chemistry is even as complex and the interactions of different components are explored mainly by trial and error. When it comes to paint production, people rely on aged equipment that is sometimes adding variation to the products. And recipes are full of additives, which are due to historical incidents also in the paint production process. And their necessity is not questioned (“never change a winning team”).
What are the strategies to cope with this complexity?
Since I brought the idea of the Smart Paint Factory to the community, I have seen a lot of promising approaches by academia and industry. The idea of digitalization and data driven processes is attractive. Nevertheless, building digital twins or models of materials and processes is still a big challenge. Due to a lack of data, many ML (Machine Learning) algorithms can’t be developed to an acceptable level of prediction. And sharing data for the purpose of increasing the amount of data to a better level is a big challenge. At the Smart Paint Factory Alliance, we are trying to bring stakeholders together, but it is a long journey.
After I got to know my friends from Hemmelrath Technologies, I pursued another promising approach:
Reduce complexity.
Their approach to split recipes into modules and use an efficient method of dispersion and mixing is definitely an important building block for more efficient paint production. It is easier to control. The dispersing process together with the Jetstream Mixer is a brilliant idea and together with knowledge of how to implement this in paint and coatings, dispersions, printing inks and similar products is a milestone.
At their head quarter in Erlenbach, Germany, Hemmelrath Technologies built a new building with a sustainable design. Inside, the production facilities look as clean as they looked on their first day of operation.
I feel honored to support Hemmelrath Technologies, because there is a clear and undeniable advantage for the customer.
The Metaverse – New possibilities with Metromation
by Ralph J. Woerheide
Well, I was a little reluctant at the beginning and was careful with presenting products in a new format. But I wanted people to have fun exploring what Metromation can do and took advantage of some of the benefits of gamification. The starting point is a showroom for our partner Hemmelrath Technologies with a presentation and some basic technical information about different versions of the Modular Factory.
But there is also an exhibition hall, where people can explore more. My first presentations with the Metaverse format went well. This was carried out with a shared screen only, where I navigated myself. As a next step, we will invite people to explore the exhibition hall together with us.
For everyone who has experienced computer games, navigation is familiar: Use the arrow keys or a,s,d.w for moving. Alternatively, you can use the mouse.
Explore the showroom of Hemmelrath Technologies on our website, just click here!
The Western Coatings Symposium in Las Vegas
By Ralph J. Woerheide
It was a really interesting and inspiring event. First time in Vegas, first time with the WCS and yet met two guys who I knew only from Teams meetings and the internet before.
On the picture, you see our CEO Ralph J. Woerheide, Huzaifa Batalawa and Artur Palazs. We had exciting talks and share a common mindset to work on a significant change of the Paint and Coatings Industry.
The picture was taken on Sunday before the event started, we had a great time. Still many people were in separate groups but it was a start to make first contacts.
The three days of the conference took place in the Paris conference center with excellent speakers, a great catering and quite an extensive exhibition.
One of the big topics were sustainability, which was kind of surprising for me. As having spent most of my time in Europe so far, I thought that this is a more European topic and the US wouldn’t care too much about that. It was encouraging to find out, that this is not true at all. The US might have a different and more balanced approach, but still sustainability is highly important.
I was able to gather even more contacts and was delighted by the openess and willingness for the ideas and prodcuts from Metromation. I was not used to it from Germany, where a more reluctant business approach is in place when it comes to new ideas and technologies. First I thought it’s because of the sun and all the fun. But in my follow-ups my impression of the open and progressive business attitude was confirmed more than once. Thanks to all the people who were so open minded, this is what we need in this industry!