By: Jeff White, Induron Executive Vice President & General Manager
Believe it or not, I just celebrated my 18th work anniversary at Induron Protective Coatings. As I reflect on my time with Induron, some firsts that come to mind…
The first tank that I provided service on was in August 2002. It was a 3-million gallon Hydropillar constructed by CB&I at the Village Creek Wastewater Treatment facility owned by Jefferson County Commission Environmental Services Department in Alabama. In 2003, the tank won the Steel Plate Fabricators Association Elevated Tank of the Year Award for 2003.
I recently came across some inspection photos of the tank from November of 2019. The interior inspector said the interior wet was “pristine.” Most people will find that surprising as most tanks are in need of rehab after 17 years in immersion service. Because I’ve had nearly 2 decades of experience with Induron’s Ceramaic Epoxy technology, I was not surprised. 
The interior steel wet and dry area is protected by a three-coat system of Induron PE-54 Epoxy and Ruff Stuff 3300 Epoxy. The exterior steel is protected by a four-cost system of PE-54 Epoxy, Armorguard Epoxy, Indurethane 5500 Enamel and Indurethane 5000 Clear Coat.
Over my 18 years, I have been inside hundreds of tanks that were coated with Induron’s Ceramic Epoxies. The vast majority were “pristine” or close to it after many years in service – sometimes up to 30 years.
So, from the old days of Ruff Stuff 3300 to our current flagship ceramic epoxies for immersion, such as TL70 and Perma-Clean 100, I take pride in ceramic epoxies and the protection they provide for municipal water and wastewater assets. While not all of our projects are 3-million gallon tanks, it is good to know we provide the same ceramic epoxy technology for small jobs as we do for award-winning projects. I look forward to doing my part to champion ceramic epoxies in the years to come.
