Better Spraying Off the Shelf

摘要

At Rubbermaid's Jackson, MO, plant, they spray quite a bit of powder to coat wire shelving systems for closet organization and other applications. How much powder? "A lot," says finishing technician Donnie Glueck, sidestepping the question. "And 95 percent of it is white." The white stuff-a custom formulation from powder supplier Valspar Corp.-arrives at Rubbermaid in 2,000-lb bags, and the plant goes through multiple bags every week. Glueck says powder coating is unusual in the wire shelf market. "Our main competitors put vinyl on their wire shelves, not powder coat," he explains. "It's not as durable, and it has a kind of sticky feel. We like to think powder coat is the preferred finish and gives us a competitive advantage."