Two Rivers plant coats more than 200 different parts

By: Charlie Mathews, Herald Times Reporter

TWO RIVERS — Brad Roberts is delighted that Mercury Marine chose his Classic Coatings Inc. to powder coat thousands of its boat propellers each week.

"But we're not going to put all of our eggs in one basket and will always (seek to) have a diverse customer base," said Roberts, who purchased Seal Fab in October 2007 and changed the name of the plant, 5024 Woodland Drive.

Roberts continues to operate the original Classic Coatings plant in Sheboygan he purchased in 2001.

But the desire for additional capacity spurred the purchase of the 65,000-square-foot facility in Two Rivers.

Powder coating, sometimes referred to as "dry paint," is a baked-on metal coating material. The purpose is to give the part corrosion resistance to extend its use.

For Mercury Marine, employees at Classic Coatings in Two Rivers powder coat up to 1,500 props per day after arrival from New Holstein where the castings were polished after initial foundry production in Fond du Lac.

After powder coating, the hubs are pressed into the props and then packaged complete for sale at Classic Coatings.

But different size propellers are just a few of the more than 200 parts emerging from the two powder coating lines at Woodland Drive.

James Braun, sales director, said quality is a given and customers expect excellent customer service with quick turnaround on bids and the actual projects, as well as a competitive price.

Braun and Roberts, and their approximately 40 employees between the two locations, strive to have Classic Coatings be perceived as their customers' one stop for fabricating and finishing needs.

The company has developed a network of custom fabricating job shops that assemble, stamp, tube bend, wire form or cast parts ranging from small aluminum brackets to large steel weldments.

Classic Coatings has intentionally decided not to go into competition with the fabricators but let them turn out quantities from a few pieces to thousands in metal thickness from 0.006 inches to more than three inches thick.

Classic Coatings powder paints valve covers on select Ford V-8 engines, Caterpillar diesel engines, water pumps, ammunition reloading devices and after-market accessories in lawn and garden.

'Green' investments

Roberts has made several capital investments since acquiring the Two Rivers plant to maximize efficiency and save money while creating more environmentally friendly operations.

The installation of Orion Energy Systems light fixtures (from its plant less than two miles away) has reduced electricity use. A new wash chemical system means parts can be cleaned at reduced heat, again saving energy.

"We also junked our powder coating equipment, even though it was only a year-and-a-half old," Roberts said.

He said the inefficient technology was replaced with new powder paint guns reducing waste and re-work.
Roberts said his Two Rivers plant has "a good, solid work crew that has been proving themselves and stepping up to the plate."

Brett Markowski is the plant manager who has been in the metal finishing business for three decades and powder painting for a dozen years.

He said the new chemicals are more environmentally friendly with research focused on powders curing at a lower temperature to lessen energy usage.

Markowski said employees at Classic Coatings need to be self-starters who are quality-conscious and flexible in taking on job assignments.

Roberts said Nathan Rucinski, 24, is one of his better painters who joined the business shortly after it opened.
"There is a lot to do and the day goes by quick," he said, noting painters get into a certain rhythm as they apply the powder.

He has helped contribute to Classic Coatings having growing revenue from its customers, with the majority from within 100 miles of the plant, including Manitowoc Tool & Machine, Shoto Corporation and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

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