By Jeff White, EVP & General Manager
Several years ago, I got a call from a client who said, “Your paint is too shiny.” That’s something I never thought I would hear!
At the time, we were supplying the coatings on a one-of-a-kind standpipe-style water storage tank. What made this tank unique was that its top was cut at an acute 45-degree angle with the face (logo) pointed toward the runways and control tower at Gulfport-Biloxi Regional Airport in Gulfport, Mississippi.
The finish coat of Indurethane 5500 Plus High Gloss Urethane had been applied over the weekend. As Robin Davis, project manager with Fisher Tank, went on to explain, “The shine off the tank is making it very difficult for the air traffic controllers to see the runways and direct the air traffic. What can we do lower the shine?”
Luckily, we had just finished development and testing on Indurethane 6700 Flat Urethane. We had originally designed this product as an intermediate coat for clear coat and flourourethane projects. But it fit the bill here as well. We got it to the job site the next day. Fisher Tanks crew had it applied on the acute angle roof before the end of the week. Problem solved. The glare from the roof was no longer there, and the air traffic controllers could do their job and keep the air travelers to the Mississippi Gulf Coast safe without having that additional glare shining in their faces.
Induron Coatings was pleased to have supplied the interior and exterior coatings on this unique tank that was awarded the Steel Plate Fabricators Association 2008 Tank of the Year, Standpipe Category. The 330,980-gallon standpipe was constructed and painted by Fisher Tank Company, from Cropwell, Alabama. The consulting engineer was LPA Group Inc. of Mobile, Alabama.