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BASF showcases new UV-drying finishes |
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Saturday, 01 May 2004 |
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The marketing people call them "dog and pony shows." The home office staff travels around the country to help the field staff explain to customers what's new and exciting about their products and services. BASF's annual show came to Los Angeles in March, and the 100 attendees enjoyed both a first-class meal and an exciting look at BASF's newest refinish technologies, particularly its new line of UV primers and clearcoats.
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BASF, which Fortune magazine recently called "the most admired chemical company in the world," has taken the lead in UV finishes that not only dry quickly but are fully cured using only a UV light. Jim Smith, BASF's regional manager for the western U.S., told the shop owners and paint jobbers that "UV represents a major change in refinish technology." Brad Richards, a BASF research chemist, demonstrated the UV drying process and explained its benefits for spot and panel repairs - especially flat panels - when compared to traditional refinishes: it dries and cures in literally minutes, there's no energy cost to heat up a spray booth, and its lower VOC makes it environmentally friendly. Richards also noted that because the paint is fully cured, there's no chance of die-back and, since you don't use heat, there is no chance of damaging plastic parts. Why globalization matters Moving on from UV technology, Richards explained why BASF's "globalization" is important to shop owners. "You want the best paint match. Globalization means that while all bases are produced in one location worldwide for consistency, there's a BASF lab in Germany to match the latest BMW colors and another one in Tokyo to make certain the Lexus colors are right on. That's why your Glasurit® products have a 'top shelf' feel - consistent and reliable." 
| Enjoying the evening are (l to r) Eddie Ranjbar, Roger Ranjbar, Garo Amirayan and (standing) "Larry from Color Time."
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Paint technology wasn't the only thing that BASF brought in its people to talk about. Charles "Chuck" Kelly, an automotive in-dustry veteran who earned a doctorate from Harvard Business School and retired from Ford Motor Company before joining BASF, brought the group up to date on BASF's extensive shop management program. He pointed out that BASF's low cost "20 Groups" program offers services that many expensive, private "20 Groups" don't, including in-person shop visits by BASF consultants and super-fast turnaround of a shop's raw operating data into useful "operating information." Kelly said his special projects team is constantly looking for new ways to measure collision repair operations so that "20 Group" participants can identify problem areas and improve the efficiency and profits at their shops. Little dings mean a lot BASF also took this opportunity to announce a new small damage repair program for California shops. The Glasurit small damage kit includes a Sata mini jet gun and enables a shop to make small dent/paint repairs on vertical surfaces without removing the clear coat. Tony Dyach, BASF Glasurit product mangaer, noted that an estimator can now "walk around a car and add $200 to the bill by suggesting repair of dings and scratches." Another suggested use was to close the sale on a drive-in estimate by offering to take care of a ding or scratch "at no extra cost." For more information, visit BASF's web site at www.basfrefinish.com. |
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