Tag Archives: Chemical Processing

Enduring Supply Chain Challenges the Induron Way

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By: Davies Hood, Induron President 

Supply Chain ChallengesYou’ve probably heard that we’re living in “unprecedented times,” and that overused phrase does NOT exclude the paint manufacturing industry.  

“This is going to be the most challenging time in our professional career.” 

If I’ve said that phrase once in the last month, I’ve said it a hundred times. Because supply chain disruptions are causing significant and immediate price increases as well as challenging, uncharted lead times, those of us in the chemical industry are facing unprecedented challenges due to these unknown and/or undefined constraints.   Continue reading Enduring Supply Chain Challenges the Induron Way →

Induron Welcomes Trevor Nicholas to the Team

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Trevor NicholasWe’re excited to welcome Trevor Nicholas to the Induron team as a Senior Chemist! Trevor has extensive experience in the coatings industry and is excited to dive into product optimizations and development. He is not only passionate about trying new things, but also making paint better, safer, stronger, longer-lasting, and most importantly, less expensive.

To learn more about Trevor, check out this Q&A:  Continue reading Induron Welcomes Trevor Nicholas to the Team →

The Challenges of OTC Regulations

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By: Tom Wunderlin, Induron Sales Representative

The paint and coatings industries have made strides toward reducing air pollution dating back to the 1980s. Current regulations have lowered the amount of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from coatings products in different regions and will continue to do so in the future. This discussion is based on a regional or national standard for achieving these air quality goals. Continue reading The Challenges of OTC Regulations →

Setting Value

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By: Tom Wunderlin, Induron Sales Representative

Tom WunderlinThe number of customers Induron retains is a strong indicator of value delivery. Understanding the value our products and services bring to business partners and customers is paramount to ongoing growth and success. A product’s value to its users is not always an apples-to-apples comparison. We watch and participate with clients using our products to see how well they accomplish their tasks. Continue reading Setting Value →

The Induron Difference: Providing Marketplace Expertise

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When working with Induron, you not only have access to innovative technology, but also to the marketplace expertise of our sales representatives. We invest ourselves in our customer’s success, satisfaction and your reputation by putting our customers first. Continue reading The Induron Difference: Providing Marketplace Expertise →

AquaClean: The Chemistry Behind the Product

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By: John Anspach, Induron Technical Director

AquaCleanTo ensure AquaClean’s performance matches its user-friendly and good-looking finish, many important design traits are formulated into the coating system.

First, AquaClean is formulated to be compliant to the OTC (Ozone Transport Commission) standard for low VOC content.  Complying with OTC allows us to sell AquaClean in most U.S. markets.  Continue reading AquaClean: The Chemistry Behind the Product →

AquaClean: User-Friendly, Good-Looking and Long-Lasting

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By: Davies Hood, Induron CEO

AquaCleanLike most marketplaces, the industrial coating market becomes more and more competitive each day. Consequently, this competition cultivates an omnipresent sense of “We need to build a better mousetrap.” At Induron, our Research and Development Department is challenged with this exact task. With the help of our suppliers and partners, who consistently bring us the latest and greatest chemical technology, we are equipped with the necessary tools for innovation.    Continue reading AquaClean: User-Friendly, Good-Looking and Long-Lasting →

Is the U.S. Really Heading Toward Energy Independence?

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By John Anspach, Induron VP of Operations

Induron VP of Operations John AnspachWith the recent uptick in fuel prices, it wouldn’t appear to be the case.  However, a recent article in Chemical Processing indicates that significant strides are being made to really get there.

The likely biggest domestic energy development toward that end is the availability of gas from shale oil. New technology is allowing easier access to this enormous untapped energy resource.  Michael Cowen of the International Energy Agency (EIA) states that, “within five years, the U.S. is likely to break the record output high reached more than two decades ago, to flirt with the position of top world producer.” Imagine that… having greater output than the Saudis! This can be possible with efficient shale oil conversion, combined with investments in new pipelines.  If both methods are employed, it would significantly lower U.S. demand from oil imports, and move us closer to energy independence. Continue reading Is the U.S. Really Heading Toward Energy Independence? →

Impacting Reliability

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By Davies Hood, Induron President

By Davies Hood, Induron President

Our Core Values here at Induron are Integrity, Respect, RELIABILTY and Innovation. I was reminded of the least referenced one of these while reading this article in “Chemical Processing.”

As industrial paint manufacturers, we are considered part of the chemical industry, not only by ourselves, but also by the U.S. government. This article begins with the statement, “Reliability improvement remains imperative for chemical makers,” and mentions two of our biggest suppliers – Air Products and Chemicals and Dow Chemicals.

At Induron, we regularly report our Cycle Count (read more about Cycle Count here), which is an internal measure of doing things correctly time after time. More accurately put, it’s a measure of reliability. We consistently score in the 0.15 – 0.25 range (the lower the better), which by all accounts is an industry outlier.

This article talks about how Air Products and Dow have both taken an inward-looking metric and turned it inside out. This places their focus more on their customers than just their internal processes, and puts reliability at the forefront.

Two comments by Wilbur Mok, Air Products vice president of North American tonnage gases, that I particularly appreciated are, “We took the best operating practices and shared them globally. So now we operate each plant the same way.” This led to Air Products “freeing up site teams to spend more time on higher value tasks, such as preventative maintenance, improvement projects and troubleshooting.” Continue reading Impacting Reliability →

What we can learn from Chemical Engineers

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By Davies Hood, Induron Executive Vice President

I recently read this article in “Chemical Processing” about the salaries and overall happiness of chemical engineers, and I found it quite interesting.

Although this article is about one particular field (chemical engineers), it can apply to nearly any professional career. I particularly like the comments, “No job is worth having if you can’t enjoy most of it. There is no good job that you will enjoy every aspect of. That’s why they pay us,” and “Stay current, the field is continually evolving and there is a lot to learn.” Do those quotes sound like they could have been made by your peers and/or predecessors? I think they’re good reminders that we all need to maintain a positive attitude and continue to try to grow through learning.

I also found the statement, “Lack of recognition remains the leading downside most respondents identified about their jobs,” to be similar to ring true in my business. Simply put, people like to be recognized for their successes… I know I do!