During the first quarter of this year, Aircraft Maintenance Technology (AMT) conducted its 2020 AMT Aircraft Paints and Coatings survey, asking facilities about their use of paints and coatings. In conjunction with the survey, AMT spoke with Julie Voisin, global marketing manager, Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings, to hear what she had to say about the aircraft coatings business and a few of the survey responses. After reading the in-depth Q&A below, please turn to page XX to take a look at some of the more intriguing results from the survey.
Editor’s note: The interview was conducted prior to the current business climate resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak.
AMT: From your perspective, how would you characterize the business of painting aircraft today?
JV: The aviation industry is doing well, and as such so is the aircraft painting business. Facilities are full of aircraft and busy. The Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Division has a laser focus on continuing to produce great products and services for painting aircraft.
AMT: What are business aircraft operators asking for regarding exterior paint? Is there anything that stands out or surprises you?
JV: It all depends on what the owner or operator wants from a paint design. Some like the conservative approach and go for a non-descript looking airplane. Others want to highlight their company brand and will incorporate company colors or logos. Some individuals, on the other hand, want a design that represents them like their personal brand or will ask for an elaborate look with unique coatings. Some people are willing to take a bit of a risk with their paint scheme and try something new and different. So again, it all depends on the owner/operator.
AMT: The 2020 AMT Aircraft Paints and Coatings Survey, which was done in Q1 of this year, showed that 60 percent said they expect to purchase more paints and coatings this year. They also said lack of operating space was the number one obstacle to growth. How do you view this?
JV: Lack of operating space makes sense. Think about it — paint hangars are full, designers are busy, business is good. When it comes to painting aircraft there is a significant investment to stand-up or expand a facility. It’s not just an open hangar. There are ventilation systems, paint booths, environmental control systems, clean rooms, permits, hazmat handling and disposal systems, etc. Building or expanding a paint facility is more sophisticated and expensive than just opening additional space.
AMT: The survey respondents also stated workforce and lack of skills as the second detriment to growth, which we know is the case with most all the trades right now. How does a company like Sherwin-Williams assist the industry with this issue?
JV: Finding a skilled workforce is very difficult these days. The industry needs to build the workforce. Sherwin-Williams has a paint training program where people can come to Wichita and spend time with our experts. Courses are aimed to optimize the painter’s knowledge and abilities, which will help a paint facility to better optimize its overall efficiencies. We also customize training and will work directly with an MRO or OEM and their staff on problems and situations. We look at procedures and practices, a kind of dual role of training, review the fundamentals, look at processes and suggest implementing best-practices in their company. Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings also has a gallery of educational videos on our website aimed at helping painters work through specific issues they may have or just answer questions. The video gallery is a great addition to our 24/7 technical support team.
AMT: The survey respondents state that durability was the number one attribute when making paint selection. Why do you think that is the case?
JV: Durability is a real deep-dive question that begins with the quality of the raw materials and formulas used in the manufacturing process of the coating. We want the paint scheme to look amazing for the life of the airplane. We want it to look like a fresh paint job for years. The entire process, from the coating type, mixing the product, aircraft preparation, paint application, has a role in durability.
AMT: Ease of use is the second most important attribute. Any comments on this point?
JV: I’d say that like the durability question, ease of use is all part of the entire process. Just like maintainability, all these attributes are interrelated — durability, ease of application, maintainability, etc. They all affect how a reworked section of an aircraft appears after some work has been performed.
AMT: Fifty-eight percent of our survey respondents said they have been using their current paint system for 10 years or more. This indicates to me that customers become comfortable with a paint system brand and stick with it. Why?
JV: I guess I’ll use the word reputation here. At Sherwin-Williams, we consider our paint facility customers as our partners. When they need assistance, we help them. It takes a long time to build a trusting relationship, and it shows if they continue to use the same paint system for 10 years. Look at a final product as an aircraft sitting on the ramp, gleaming in the sunshine. People may take a second glance, or ask, where the aircraft was painted or what paint system was used. People (owner/operators) talk to each other. Each product (airplane) shows off the facility’s work, all the paint scheme designers’ work and the quality of the paint system.
AMT: What do you see as the next breakthrough regarding paints and coatings, chemistry, application technology, hazardous material mitigation and workplace safety?
JV: We will continue to develop products that are better for the environment, products that create efficiencies for the facilities and products that continue to be easy to mix, apply and are durable. We work with facilities to improve their own paint processes which in-turn helps with the capacity issue as well as with workforce skills.
AMT: Julie thank you for your taking time out of your busy schedule to speak with us today.
More information on Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings including the video gallery and training dates, can be found at https://industrial.sherwin-williams.com/na/us/en/aerospace.html.
