I remember well my first site visit to an elevated water tank painting project. I was driving down the road with an older salesman who was pointing out all of the different styles of water tanks.

We saw fluted column tanks (large flashlights), standpipes (tall, skinny tanks w/ out legs), Taurus-bottom tanks (made famous being depicted as aliens in George Orwell’s War of the Worlds) and a couple of single pedestal tanks (golf ball on a tee).

I suddenly realized that the paint being applied to all of these tanks was not being applied very close to the ground. After getting over the first round of nausea caused by my deep rooted fear of heights, I started thinking about the “how” part of the equation, as in, “how the heck do they paint up there?”

Motorized pick-boards, baskets and Bozeman’s Chairs on rope falls were the answer. I then saw this cool invention. This motorized chair looks like a great way for our high-work customers to save time and improve worker safety. It also provides a very good reminder of just how much intestinal fortitude some of Induron’s customers have!

Founded in 1947, Induron manufactures high performance coatings that serve a range of industrial applications, including the wastewater, transmission and distribution and groundwater storage industries. Learn more about us at www.Induron.com.  

I have said before that Induron has old buildings. We do. And in thinking about the history of this company, I’m reminded of something else we have that’s old – our “batch books,” or log of production batches. Believe it or not, we still have the very first batch book. The original batch (batch No. 1) of paint we made was for 10 gallons of TT-P-86 Red and was recorded in pencil by my dad, Induron founder William E. Hood. We still keep batch books today, however, now they’re in electronic form.

That original batch of paint went through the same process we use on our paint today – it was recorded in the batch book and went through quality assurance. Every batch of paint we’ve made over the past 65 years has gone through the same process.

Each batch of paint we make is tested in our Quality Control Lab to verify that its properties meet the standards set for that product by its formulator and/or our customer. The results of the tests are recorded on a record card, on the original batch record and into the computer for statistical analysis. The documents and artifacts (draw-downs, color match data, sag charts, etc.) are attached to the batch ticket and filed away. That way, if we have need to question the field performance or properties of a product, we can go back to the original record to help resolve questions.

In addition to the above, we keep a pint of the paint as a “retain” sample. These “retains” are kept for a period of time sufficient to address any and all needs (about three years), so we can help resolve potential questions.

The only real change since Induron began 65 years ago is that records, batch tickets, color match verification and statistical analysis is computer aided today. It was important enough to do by hand in the past and even more so today, but we have the computer to lighten the load and give us more and better data to ensure our customers are pleased with the results of using our products.

Founded in 1947, Induron manufactures high performance coatings that serve a range of industrial applications, including the wastewater, transmission and distribution and groundwater storage industries. Learn more about us at www.Induron.com.  

I recently read this article in “Chemical Processing” about the salaries and overall happiness of chemical engineers, and I found it quite interesting.

Although this article is about one particular field (chemical engineers), it can apply to nearly any professional career. I particularly like the comments, “No job is worth having if you can’t enjoy most of it. There is no good job that you will enjoy every aspect of. That’s why they pay us,” and “Stay current, the field is continually evolving and there is a lot to learn.” Do those quotes sound like they could have been made by your peers and/or predecessors? I think they’re good reminders that we all need to maintain a positive attitude and continue to try to grow through learning.

I also found the statement, “Lack of recognition remains the leading downside most respondents identified about their jobs,” to be similar to ring true in my business. Simply put, people like to be recognized for their successes… I know I do!

Thank goodness baseball season is here. I absolutely love looking at baseball box scores first thing in the morning. I like following my team (The San Francisco Giants) through the inevitable ups and downs of a long season. I appreciate the intricacies of the game, like bunting a runner into scoring position, the hit ‘n’ run and the subtle shift in fielders’ positioning based on a certain hitter’s tendencies, as well as what and where the pitcher intends to pitch to him.

I was expecting the recent box office hit “Moneyball” to delve into these parts of my passion. However, what I got was an entertaining (thank you, Brad Pitt) business lesson. This article in QP (Quality Progress, which unfortunately requires site login) really digs into the statistical part of the movie and fleshes out some of the real lessons that Billy Beane and his Oakland Athletics learned over the years.

These valuable lessons are:

Focus on measurements to create a culture of success. Quite simply, measure what’s important, because people focus on what it is that’s being measured. In “Moneyball,” Beane focused almost exclusively on “On-base percentage,” instead of batting average and the beauty of a player’s “swing.” This leads to the second lesson…

Don’t be afraid of going against the grain or doing something different. Just because “We’ve always done it this way around here,” doesn’t mean that is the BEST way to do it. Because the other Oakland A’s employees did not immediately embrace Beane’s “new” way, Beane was forced to trade away players and simply override his scouts when they wouldn’t go along with him. Anyone who has ever been a new manager or replaced a well-liked retiree knows this feeling intimately.  When both of these challenges are met and you experience success…

Know that your competitors can and will use your methods against you. I am learning this about social media. So instead of getting angry that you’re being copied, accept it, move on and continue to innovate. It’s better to be the leader than a follower.

Each of these lessons played themselves out in the movie and can either work for you or against you in your daily grind, regardless of your chosen profession. If you haven’t seen “Moneyball,” I recommend it as a baseball fan AND as a business man!

Founded in 1947, Induron manufactures high performance coatings that serve a range of industrial applications, including the wastewater, transmission and distribution and groundwater storage industries. Learn more about us at www.Induron.com.  

Induron would like to wish the American Coatings Association (ACA) a Happy 125^th birthday! The ACA is a valuable organization to all of us in the paint manufacturing business (and, to be truthful, a whole mess of other businesses that use paint). It’s an organization that Induron Coatings has supported for a long time.

The chair given to William E. Hood for his service as ACA President

We haven’t been at it 125 years like the ACA, but William E. Hood, our founder and president, was in fact the first Industry President of ACA (formerly known as the National Paint and Coatings Association – NPCA) in 1960 and 1961. He served two one-year terms and is, to the best of our knowledge, the only individual to ever serve two terms as NPCA or ACA President. CONGRATULATIONS to the ACA!

Induron Coatings is happy to see the GREEN Initiative making its way from architectural paint into the industrial coatings realm. As this article from Paint Square describes, infrastructure projects from water lines to bridges to wastewater treatment plants are going to have a new green measuring stick, thanks to Paul Zofnass, a Harvard alumnus and longtime strategic and financial advisor to CEOs in the engineering/consulting industry.

Induron’s line of 100% solids (VOC & HAP free), ceramic epoxies are some of the greenest products on the market. It also helps that they are among the most user-friendly plural component products available today.

This green movement will be good for our nation and the coatings market too, if lifetime costs analysis are part of the equation. A product might be “green,” but if it’s no good and you end up having to paint a structure more often, where is the value, much less the green advantage? For the green Initiative to be considered a success in infrastructure projects, the products used have to be not only green (low VOC, HAP free, sustainable materials, etc.), but they have to be high quality as well.

At Induron, we welcome the green Initiative to the Industrial Coatings market, because we have user-friendly, ceramic epoxies that have stood the test of time and add value to infrastructure projects.

By Davies Hood, Induron Executive Vice President

Back in January, Induron Coatings held our first Management Retreat, with the goal of crafting a Mission Statement, set of Core Values and Goals. Although we are a 65-year-old company, we pride ourselves on staying nimble, and are in the process of transitioning to the third generation of family ownership.

I asked my team to put together a mission statement, values and goals. What occurred was nothing short of magic. Instead of coming up with a whole new way to run a successful organization, we ended up focusing on what got us to our 65^th birthday. It turns out, reinventing the wheel really is wasted time.

Unlike many other regional paint manufacturers that have gone out of business or been gobbled up by our giant publicly traded competitors, Induron Coatings – previously Indurall Paints and Industrial Paint Manufacturing Co. – has remained in business because of the time-tested values that our management team came up with.

These simple but very real values are: Integrity, Respect, Reliability and Innovation. Each stands alone in value for our company, our employees, our suppliers and, most importantly, our customers. However, when all four are honed day-in and day-out, their combined results can only mean one thing: Success.

The Induron management retreat team consisted of key department heads, including sales, manufacturing, accounting, pipe sales, executive staff and our technical director. We visited a remote destination so everyone could be free of their daily interruptions and distractions (and maybe even our Blackberries). I’m certain that all of us had different expectations and/or fears about the retreat. Our process was to agree upon a measureable goal for the entire Induron team, then come up with a “few” core values, move into an overall Mission Statement and culminate the meeting some steps we could take to implement these new values.  

During the meeting, I asked each individual for their input. As is usually the case with most businesses, our team is made up of several different personality types, and everyone’s experience in the industrial coatings business is a little different in terms of both duration and responsibility. However, I was very proud of the interaction, sharing and general consensus of the group during our discussion. No one individual dominated the floor, and there were some back-and-forth discussions regarding “Integrity” vs. “Respect” during our Values section. We ended up compromising and selecting both!

I am very proud of our “new” company values, and would like to break them down a little more:

• Integrity – Do what you say you will do, and don’t make excuses; it’s what I want from all Induron employees. It’s also what I expect from my children, wife and mostly myself.
• Respect – Honor your co-worker, supplier and customer at every turn. We view this almost like the Golden Rule.
• Reliability – If our customers don’t get what they are expecting, then we’re not holding up our part of the bargain. This value certainly is a main reason why we’ve made it 65 years!
• Innovation – In the complex chemical business, if we can’t come up with a better mouse trap than our competitors, we lose. This one is an absolute necessity, but a good, consistent reminder that we can never rest on the success of our current products.

Upon completion of our goals and values, we moved into the sometimes murky waters of crafting a Mission Statement. I’ve read many Mission Statements that were so general I didn’t even know what the business was. I’ve read others that are so long winded and/or complex that I know no one in the organization could remember it. I am literally overjoyed and proud of our result:

Reliable Protection through Innovative Coatings!

Short, sweet and to the point!

If your organization does not have a succinct Mission Statement, publicly (within the organization) known values, agreed upon and regularly stated goals and, most importantly, regular management team meetings where this level of information is discussed, I strongly encourage you to facilitate them NOW. Our retreat helped our team come together, create an accountability structure, encourage communication and better understand one another.

Induron Coatings would like to invite all engineers, water system owners and other interested individuals in the Mid-Atlantic region to an informative seminar hosted by Steel Tank Institute/Steel Plate Fabricators Association (STI/SPFA) at the Courtyard Marriott Pentagon in Alexandria, VA, on May 10.

During this day-long informative seminar, we’ll cover all aspects of water storage tanks, including applicable standards and all phases of design, construction and protection.

Each segment of the seminar will be presented by a recognized professional in that particular field. I am proud to be presenting a segment entitled “The Tank Coatings Process,” and will also participate in the “Total Cost of Ownership” segment as well.

I know how busy you all are, but this is a truly worthwhile event that can help you make reasonable decisions when selecting and protecting your steel water storage tanks. Plus, engineers will receive CEUs for attending. Please click here to view a brochure about the event.

I hope to see you all on May 10!

William Hood, founder (light suit on right) stands next to one of Induron's original buildings - still in use today.

Here at Induron, we have an old paint factory—and that’s a good thing.

“Why?” you may ask. “Newer is always better!” But we benefit and our customers benefit from our factory’s age. Let me explain…

Our oldest building was built in the 1930s – “before the war.” Our newest building was built in 1995 and houses our testing lab, offices for the “technical guys” and a conference area (which used to be a library, but now we use the internet  instead).

All of our buildings are made of steel and concrete and are up to date on all regulations, as required. But they all have at least one other feature which counts for a lot – they are paid for. So is the roughly 4 acres on which they stand. The only building not fully depreciated is the newest one, and it is more than halfway depreciated.

“So what !?” you ask. Well, since these buildings are old, paid for and mostly depreciated, they no longer add to our cost. So they are not included in the prices we charge.

Another advantage in their being old is that they were built to accommodate both the architectural paint volume we manufactured (as Indurall Coatings) prior to 1996, as well as the industrial paint volume of Induron Coatings. That means that Induron has the capacity to make much more paint than we currently sell. Since that “excess” capacity is fully paid for, we are ready to add volume at no additional “occupancy” cost. After all, we’ve been making paint here for 65 years. That’s good for our customers as well as for us!

Now, “old” does not mean “antiquated” or “out-dated” – at least not in our case. Our property has been well maintained from the beginning and our production equipment has been updated or replaced when needed, so it is fully current in design and function.

So give me a call the next time you’re near Birmingham. We would love to show you what you’re not paying for!

Founded in 1947, Induron manufactures high performance coatings that serve a range of industrial applications, including the wastewater, transmission and distribution and groundwater storage industries. Learn more about us at www.Induron.com.  

By Ben Rowland, Induron Sales Rep, Birmingham, AL

As an Induron sales rep, I spend a lot of time honing my knowledge of the industry. Whether I’m attending a continuing education course, getting re-certified in a particular aspect of the industry or working with our Induron chemists to ensure I’m up to date on the latest and greatest products we offer, staying informed on every aspect of the world of coatings is vital to our business… and YOUR success.

I’m not just selling you a product. When you work with Induron, I want to make sure you’re getting the best, most accurate information available to accompany that product. That’s why I stay up to date on new products, new methods of coating, new applications, new industry standards and more. That knowledge helps me better meet my customers’ needs.

When I start a project, I assess the needs of the customer and the specific project. I have to make sure that I’m giving everyone the best information available, and that I’m doing so in a way that has everyone on the same page before a project begins.

When a project gets underway, I make multiple job site visits, answer questions from the owner or engineer, inspect the project, facilitate product orders with the contractor – anything that needs to be done to ensure the project goes smoothly.

Then, during the final inspection, I’m able to certify the finished project, thanks to staying up to date on my certifications through continuing education courses.

Because Induron manufactures and sells such a vast array of products, knowing the ins and outs of each one is vital to a project’s – and customer’s – success. I’m able to work directly with our Induron chemists to learn everything there is to know about a product right from its source. And if a customer ever needs a specialized product, I’m able to again work with those same chemists to ensure they get exactly what they need.

The point of this post is to let you know that my knowledge about our products and the industry benefits YOU. The info I gain at certification courses is vital to the success of each job I’m working on. You can’t read a product catalog to understand our products – you need to know much more about how they perform in the field and their real-world application. You can only get that through education and real-world examples.

The bottom line is that when you call me – or any of our Induron sales reps – you can rest assured you’re getting not only a great product, but knowledge and service to accompany it!

Founded in 1947, Induron manufactures high performance coatings that serve a range of industrial applications, including the wastewater, transmission and distribution and groundwater storage industries. Learn more about us at www.Induron.com.