IEEE, (pronounced “Eye-triple-E”), stands for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The association is dedicated to advancing innovation and technological excellence for the benefit of humanity and is the world’s largest technical professional society. Kendall Smith was honored to be asked to do an interview about Induron:
Induron’s Power Market Manager Kendall Smith understands the importance of not only supplying the electric transmission market with proven technology, but also providing customers with exceptional support.
Q: Tell us about Induron. What’s your focus?
A: Founded in 1947, Induron Protective Coatings is a family-owned industrial coatings manufacturer. We specialize in coatings for water, waste water, high-voltage transmission lattice towers and poles, and electric substation structures and equipment.
Q: What would you say makes your business unique?
A: Three generations of family ownership and management results in a company that treats its employees, customers and suppliers as true partners and family members. We stand with our customers and behind our products in times of trouble. Plus, Induron has taken a 100 percent proven technology since the late 1950s, and improved certain properties critical to its already proven track record.
Q: What are your greatest challenges in this industry?
A: Our greatest challenge is helping electric utilities initiate or re-start latent tower and substation coatings and corrosion protection programs. In the 1980s, most utilities had a coatings and corrosion expert assigned to protect the entire T&D system from corrosion. Over the decades, that has changed, and often utilities lose sight of the fact that a pro-active coatings program will save the utility millions of dollars in the long run.
Q: Which Induron products will be featured at the show?
A: Induron’s star product at this show will continue to be Induraguard #9200. The reason this coating is specified so often is its unique blend of surface tolerance (wetting and saturation of rusty substrates), easy application properties, excellent barrier properties (via a unique combination of barrier pigments), and high build (8 to 12 mils DFT) in one coat, as well as long-term proven performance.
Also, featured will be specialized coatings for footers, the below-grade and transition portions of “direct-buried” structures. Induratar is the featured product for this application. Indurasil is a proven performer on large transformers, along with uniquely formulated primers to allow for flow-coating, and also provide excellent corrosion protection and thermal conductivity. Induron also manufactures several other specialized sealers and primers for T&D, such as the Ebond Penetrating Sealer, a multi-functional 100 percent SBV epoxy sealer for extra-rusty substrates, such a weathering steel, or badly corroded galvanized or carbon steel structures.
Q: Who are your end users?
A: Induron sells to specialized contractors, who are trained to safely climb, clean and coat very difficult-to-climb structures. These contractors perform very physically demanding work, often on energized structures, which requires a high-level of understanding and physical ability. Induron works with those contractors that have the best performance and safety records.
Q: To what do you attribute your company’s success?
A: It may sound corny, but we really do live by our mission statement, “Reliable Protection Through Innovative Coatings.” When everyone on the team marches to this mission and lives by our core values of integrity, respect, reliability and innovation, we create a corporate culture that provides the best products and service in the protective coatings industry.
Q: How can our readers find out more about your company?
A: Visit our website at www.induron.com, like us on Facebook , follow us on Twitter, stop by Booth #602 at IEEE, or contact one of our local sales reps.