Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/715656
POWDER COATING, August 2016 19 How to turn dirty unexpected parts into profitable work and a good business relationship In my last article, which ran in the March 2016 issue, I addressed some ways that you can partner with your customer on projects ahead of receiving them to increase the likeli- hood of everything going smoothly. Sometimes, even despite your best efforts, you'll still be faced with orders that are in less-than-ideal condition for coating or, even worse, absolutely cov- ered with thick grease, rust, and lead- based paint. This article will focus on what you can control within your shop to avoid the risk of rework that can result from incoming orders not in their ideal state. It was dropped off for finishing… that's all we know From time to time, we receive orders that no one was expecting. All we have to go by is a waybill and customer name. And so begins the process of determining the best course of action. Your sales process and customer service aside, there should be someone in your business who is trained to inspect goods once they hit your shop floor. Here is a brief list of things to be aware of: • Sufficient hang points • Masking requirements • Sealed pipes/tubes • Weld spatter • Oil, grease, rust, or paint on the surface • Sandwich metal • Sharp edges • Bad or incomplete welds In addition to making sure that the parts are in a condition suitable for fin- ishing, this is also the time to ensure that you have all appropriate information for traceability. Packing slips, waybills, and drawing packages will sometimes accompany orders. If you don't have any of this information on hand, I hope your shipper/receiver at least took down a name and phone number when receiving the goods. At our shop, every order that comes in the door has a photo taken and any criti- cal areas are identified on the photo for future reference. For example, see Photo 1. This marked photo accompanies the order to the floor and provides an easy way to reference specific parts of the job without having to actually be in front of it. The program that we use for this is called Evernote. You can download a free version at www.evernote.com to see if it will work for your shop. If anything appears out of the ordinary, this is the right time to reach out to your customer to get clarification on what action you can and cannot take when processing the goods. Once you make a decision and it's the wrong one, you own the problem. This is also the time to discuss with your customer what the cost will be to com- plete the order. If you have previously quoted the customer and the parts are different from what you quoted, then take the opportunity to address this ahead of time as well. It sounds like a sim- ple thing, but in a custom shop the focus is always on keeping work moving for- ward. It takes just a few minutes for one overeager floor supervisor to decide that the new job will fit in the queue nicely. Coater's Corner Coater's Corner Chris McKinnon Aegis Industrial Finishing Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4