40 | Powder Spec ushers in new coating era Powder Spec covers a huge range of products, from aluminium sheets and extrusions to fence panels, gates and wheels. Powder Spec T T Hugh de Lacy REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Demolishing its old plant to make way for a new powder-coating line that is unique to Powder Spec in the Waikato region meant shutting the business down for five weeks around June this year, but it’s paying big dividends for the Hamilton company. The new line came on-stream in July, replacing a 50-year-old system that was reaching the end of its life with a direct gas-fired oven, the most efficient means of reaching the 215 degrees C needed to cure the powder. The fully insulated oven is complemented by a spray booth four times the size of the old one, a Canadian-sourced conveyor line and pre-treatment tanks heated by steam from an Australian-sourced boiler, with the temperature in each tank being automatically controlled, thereby removing the human element. “The oven opening is 2.3 metres high and 800mm wide, and allows us to coat product that can be up to eight metres long,” Powder Spec general manager Matthew Keightley says. “The significance to the market is that we are the only in-line powder-coating plant in the greater Waikato, and we now have the equipment to coat with confidence for decades to come.” Powder Spec is part of the diversified Maisey Group, which has been a leading player in the Waikato metal-processing market since it was established by Charles Forlong and Robert Maisey in 1946. The group has seven subsidiaries in the sector, covering metal and plastic-related services, and also owns the 1800ha Wilden Station in West Otago. John Maisey, Robert’s son, took over the group almost 40 years ago when it was known as Forlong and Maisey, and rebranded it as the Maisey Group in 2015. That was the same year that the former FM Surface Coatings was also re-branded, as Powder Spec, to better reflect the type of business it was. Baked-on powder coating gives metals long-lasting protection against corrosion, and its durability against chips and cracks makes for an enduring and weather-resistant covering, while also giving the desired finish with a wide range of colour options. Powder Spec covers a huge range of products, from aluminium sheets and extrusions to fence panels, gates and wheels. “Anything that fits through the oven,” Matthew says. “Our clients come from a variety of industries, including infrastructure, construction, architecture, agriculture and horticulture, plus the numerous other manufacturing companies that require products to be coated.” The new plant is located in the same Vickery Street building as the old one, replacing a system prone to breakdowns that made it difficult to control quality. “In addition to this it was very inefficient from an energy point of view, using excess amounts of both gas and electricity,” Matthew says. Matthew is a fabrication engineer by trade, who has worked with the Maisey Group for more than 30 years in various management roles since completing his apprenticeship in 1996. Steve Clarke, who has been also been working for the Maisey Group for 30 years, is the operations manager, and brings a wealth of experience to the business. TRUST QUALITY INNOVATION Proudly Supporting Powder Spec 021 249 2626 www.graingerengineering.co.nz
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