Monthly Archives: January 2013

Meet the Induron Family: Joe Jones

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Joe Jones, InduronJoe Jones is a soft-spoken guy who doesn’t say a lot, but what he lacks in words, he makes up for in wisdom and loyalty to Induron. The guys in the plant simply refer to him as “the gray fox” – not necessarily cunning, but smarter than the average bear.

Joe has been working at Induron since 1983. His father, Noel Jones, worked at Induron for 38 years, so he’s known the place his entire life. In fact, Noel is part of the old Indurall days’ lore because of a tumble he took into a batch of red-oxide primer. Although he turned out to be uninjured, when he came up out of that batch of dark red primer, everyone in the place thought otherwise!

Joe is behind just about every paint product that Induron sells. He’s worked in all parts of our facility, from filling to maintenance to actually making our paint products. These days, Joe makes several batches every day. Most of these batches are different sizes, all of them use different raw materials located all over our facility (no one knows exactly how Joe keeps up with their locations!) and Joe knows how to use every single different piece of paint making equipment in our plant, from the old Ball Mills to the modern dyno-mill. In a nutshell and in his own words, “Joe makes the paint.”

Joe drives 60 miles to and from work everyday. In his own humble way Joe said, “I guess I’ve been through about seven or eight cars in my time here.” But he doesn’t mind the drive. “I like the people I work with. We have fun and joke with each other while we get our jobs done.”

Davies Hood, Induron president, is the third Hood man Joe has seen running Induron. “The Hoods are good guys,” he said.

The feeling is mutual for Davies. “Joe has been an important part of our team for three decades,” he said. “He does good work and we’re proud to have him as part of the Induron family. Continue reading Meet the Induron Family: Joe Jones →

I’m NOT Lovin’ It

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By Jeff White, Induron Sales Manager

McDonalds GraffitiCan you believe that vandals would dare to deface a mural of Ronald McDonald, The Hamburglar and friends? Well in Huntingdon Beach, Calif., it happened. A graffiti “artist” (aka, vandal), who apparently doesn’t like Big Macs or Chicken McNuggets, decided to spray over the iconic Golden Arches Mural with the word “VEGAN.”

My thoughts? Even if you don’t like the burgers, you could still eat the fries and salads. Personally, I love a good Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

If only those folks in Huntingdon Beach had protected the mural with Induron’s Indurethane AG (that’s anti-graffiti), the cleanup would have been as easy as wiping the paint off with a wet cloth. Read more on this story at Durability + Design here.

If you have special icons in your community that you want to protect from vandals with a spray can, check out Indurethane AG or talk to an Induron sales rep today. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of elbow grease when it comes to removing spray paint!

Don’t Tread on Me

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By Linc York, Induron Sales Representative

Don't Tread on MeThe U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is proposing new LEED regulations for the paint and coatings industry, prompting some of us in the industry to ask, “Why?”

I’ve been in this industry for 40 years. When I started, there was no such thing as VOC restrictions, and there were no regulations on how much solvent you could have in a can of paint. In the 1970s, many paints were more than 50 percent solvent. Some even contained lead, chrome, asbestos and other heavy metals. However, since those times, the industry has adapted to current standards and those harmful additives are thankfully things of the past.

For the last 30 years, the paint and coatings industry has been going in two environmentally friendly directions at the same time. We have been developing zero-VOC coatings, as well as low-VOC-containing water-based technology in all our generic coatings lines. We have innovated many products that are commercially available and sold daily that are both HAPS (Hazardouse Air Pollutants) AND VOC-free. It doesn’t get any better than that. Additionally, new water-based technology is being developed all the time.

So, my point is this – in my opinion, the paint industry is way ahead of the curve.  We don’t need more regulations. We compete against ourselves, forcing new and innovative products that are always being developed. Couple R&D innovation with the architects and engineering communities who are on the cutting edge of compliance regulations, and that keeps all good paint and coatings manufacturers ahead of government over regulation. We don’t need more bureaucracy!

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.  

What Is Sustainability?

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By John Anspach, Induron VP of Operations

I recently read an article in a coatings publication and came across the term “sustainability.”  It’s quickly become a buzzword in industry – and even in personal – life.  But just what does it mean?

One definition of sustainability, written about 25 years ago, is, “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.”  Today, it has been defined as, “providing the best for people and the environment, both now and in the indefinite future.

So how can a small business contribute to sustainability without drastically affecting how it does business?  One way is to look closely at how you package your products.

For example, many of our products are packaged in metal drums.  Years ago, Induron chose to utilize reconditioned drums instead of new ones for our packaging. The number of reconditioned, rather than new, drums we purchased last year resulted in 115 tons of greenhouse gas (CHG) emissions NOT being released to the atmosphere.  That’s more significant than most might imagine – energy “avoidance” through re-use!

This simple example demonstrates that it may not require large sacrifices to your particular process or program to contribute to “sustainability.”  Just think about your current process, recognizing opportunities that could incorporate the re-use of a raw material or package in that process.  Go Green!

Don’t Make Resolutions

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Davies Hood, Induron President
By Davies Hood, Induron President

It’s the time of year when everyone is talking about New Year’s Resolutions. And that’s fine… if you’ve got a personal goal to lose weight, quit smoking or stop biting your nails.

But if you’re a manager, I urge you – don’t make resolutions for your business.

Make goals instead.

Why? Resolutions tend to have a negative connotation. You often make them when you need to change a bad habit, which is why when February rolls around, you’re not always pulling in lower numbers on the scale.

Goals, on the other hand, are a positive way for you to make changes in your business. I set goals for Induron every year (actually, I’m constantly setting new goals for Induron, so we can be the best at what we do). Here are a few you may want to incorporate into your 2013 plan:

Create a mission statement and core values. Every company needs to know why they’re in business. It’s important for customers and employees to see, in writing, a company’s mission statement and core values. So if your business doesn’t have these, or if they’re old and could use some revitalization, take some time early in 2013 to work on them. Gather your management team together (mine went on a retreat last January to do just this) and hammer out why you’re doing what you’re doing.

Institute an environment for teamwork. It’s true what they say: “There’s no I in TEAM.” Teamwork – especially within management – is a key component to successful business. When everyone is on the same page, working toward the same goals, and “meshing,” magic can happen. Our management retreat last January created a renewed sense of teamwork that helped us reach many of our 2012 goals.

Make your goals aggressive but attainable. At the beginning of 2012, I set a goal of increasing sales by 20 percent by the beginning of 2013. Was this an aggressive goal? Absolutely, especially considering the economic environment at the time. But we achieved this goal, I feel in part because it was so aggressive. You can’t be afraid of your goals. Obviously, a little research (and, frankly, some gut instincts) needs to go into your goals, but aim high. And remember the old Zig Ziglar quote, “A goal properly set is halfway reached.” Once your goals are set, share them with people. That accountability is a great way to help see you through to your success.

I wish all of you a prosperous New Year!

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.