Flexibility Is the Ultimate Competitive Advantage

Custom coaters live in a world of constant change.

Unlike OEM manufacturers that process the same products day after day, job shops must be prepared to handle a wide variety of part sizes, geometries, substrates, colors, pretreatment requirements, and production volumes. One day may involve small precision components, while the next may include large, fabricated weldments or high-volume production runs.

According to three successful custom coating operations, that flexibility is exactly where IntelliFinishing systems excel.

“We don’t have our own product,” explained Eddie Koehler of Anchor Fabrication in Wichita. “Whatever opportunity walks in the door, the IntelliFinishing system really allows us to be flexible and process parts many different ways.”

Cory McCabe of Prime Powder Coating echoed that sentiment.

“In order to be a job shop and tailor to everybody’s needs, you’ve got to be flexible,” said McCabe. “The IntelliFinishing system gives us a lot of flexibility, and I think that’s one of the biggest things custom coaters should look at.”

For Bret Albers of Albers Finishing Solutions, the ability to make rapid product changeovers is equally important.

“The flexibility of the system itself is huge,” Albers said. “We find ourselves making frequent changes to colors, carriers, flight bars and recipes, and it’s really easy to do with this system.”

If you’d enjoy watching a Playlist of short videos to hear our customers in their own words describing the advantages of their IntelliFinishing Systems, click here: Custom Coater Series – YouTube

Designed for Real-World Custom Coating Operations

One of the biggest challenges for custom coaters is managing multiple jobs simultaneously without disrupting production.

Traditional conveyorized finishing systems often require the entire line to move at the same pace or process all parts the same way. IntelliFinishing systems take a different approach through independent carrier movement and recipe-driven automation.

At Albers Finishing Solutions, carriers operate independently, allowing different activities to occur simultaneously throughout the system.

“We’re able to change tooling in one area while parts are still being loaded in another area,” said Albers. “The carriers are independent, so we’re able to accomplish those things without really slowing production whatsoever.”

That flexibility extends to product recipes as well.

Koehler reports that Anchor Fabrication currently maintains more than 900 recipes within its system, allowing operators to quickly recall proven process settings for repeat work. Albers estimates his operation currently manages between 80 and 100 recipes, while Prime Powder Coating relies on a core group of production recipes that can be expanded as business grows.

The result is faster setup, greater consistency, and less dependence on tribal knowledge.

Scalability That Supports Long-Term Growth

One of the most common regrets coating companies have when purchasing equipment is designing for today’s workload instead of tomorrow’s opportunities.

All three coaters stressed the importance of scalability when selecting a finishing system.

“The biggest mistake is sizing a system for today’s business,” said McCabe. “Companies need to look at future growth, maintenance access, and long-term operating costs, not just the purchase price.”

Prime Powder Coating is currently expanding its operation through a second phase of growth that was planned from the beginning.

“We were able to react quickly and get Phase Two moving without any shutdown,” McCabe explained. “Being able to scale while still remaining operational was huge.”

Anchor Fabrication has experienced similar benefits. After several years of operation, the company added an online prime booth ahead of its topcoat process.

“That wasn’t originally there,” Koehler said. “But the IntelliFinishing conveying system made it very easy to add.”

Albers also emphasized expansion flexibility, noting that his system was intentionally designed with future growth in mind.

“This system allows you to expand down the road without really interfering with current production,” he said.

Helping Custom Coaters Overcome Labor Challenges

Like many manufacturers today, custom coaters continue to struggle with labor shortages, especially when it comes to finding skilled painters.

All three interviewees identified painters as one of the most difficult positions to fill.

Fortunately, IntelliFinishing systems help reduce labor dependency through automation and more efficient workflows.

Albers Finishing Solutions operates a fully robotic coating system.

“It’s been fantastic as far as helping with labor shortages,” said Albers. “We’re able to put more into automation and offset shortages of painters.”

At Prime Powder Coating, automation allows employees to focus on higher-value tasks rather than routine material handling.

“The automation allows us to produce more with fewer people,” McCabe said. “It lets our workforce focus on higher-value tasks.”

Anchor Fabrication takes a similar approach by loading and unloading parts offline, allowing production to continue efficiently even when staffing levels fluctuate.

“We typically run the system with about ten people,” said Koehler. “If somebody calls in sick, it really doesn’t have a huge impact on us.”

Data, Traceability, and Process Control

Today’s successful custom coaters need more than production capacity. They need visibility into their processes.

IntelliFinishing’s HMI controls and reporting capabilities provide valuable operational data that supports quality assurance, traceability, and continuous improvement.

“Monitoring the data is very important to me,” said Koehler. “I can sit at my desk, look at the HMI, see how the system is running, and review the history.”

McCabe sees data as increasingly important for maintaining process consistency and supporting customer requirements.

“It’s traceability. It’s quality records. It’s process consistency,” he explained. “Monitoring line speeds, process settings, and production data helps us validate our process and continually improve efficiency.”

For Albers, production data helps optimize operations and troubleshoot issues when necessary.

“We can look at when parts were launched, how they were run, and evaluate ways to make production more efficient,” he said.

Winning More Business and Larger Contracts

Perhaps the strongest endorsement comes from the impact IntelliFinishing systems have had on business growth.

The combination of flexibility, throughput, automation, and scalability allows custom coaters to pursue work they simply couldn’t handle with conventional finishing systems.

“The volume capacity of the system has helped us win larger contracts,” said Albers. “We can bring in a truckload of parts and have them completed two days later. Without the IntelliFinishing system, we would never be able to do that.”

McCabe agrees.

“Customers want to know if you have the capacity, consistency, and process control,” he said. “The IntelliFinishing system helps us pursue larger opportunities and support higher-volume customers.”

Koehler has found that the finishing system itself has become a powerful sales tool.

“It’s opened doors and opportunities that traditionally wouldn’t have been there,” he said. “Customers come in, see the system, and realize what we’re capable of.”

The Bottom Line

For custom coaters, success depends on the ability to adapt quickly, maintain consistent quality, control labor costs, and scale for future growth.

As Anchor Fabrication, Albers Finishing Solutions, and Prime Powder Coating have demonstrated, IntelliFinishing systems provide a unique combination of flexibility, automation, scalability, and process control that helps coating operations compete in an increasingly demanding marketplace.

As McCabe summarized it:

“The right finishing system isn’t just a piece of equipment. It’s a growth platform. It can change the trajectory of your business.”

For custom coaters looking to increase throughput, improve efficiency, and position themselves for long-term growth, that’s exactly the kind of advantage that matters.