Michael Dougherty, President & CEO of D&S Manufacturing, announces that the company will be significantly upgrading its off-line liquid spray painting system and integrating powder coating capabilities within its production environment. “Soon, D&S will be home to one of the largest powder coating booths in the Midwest,” he states.
According to Rob Bucek, Production Control Manager, the investment was prompted by an increase in business and a preference of customers to have more secondary services, such as powder coating, satisfied through one integrated resource. “Our upgraded facility will enable us to increase throughput by 300% while reducing production from three shifts to two. We will also be able to accommodate components that are as weighty as 10,000 lbs. and far more efficiently process smaller parts. Plus, by completing these operations in-house, we maintain complete control over quality and project lead times,” he explains.
A group of D&S employees, including painters Jesse Limberg, Christopher Rommel and Spencer Windsor, utilized a decision matrix to evaluate potential paint system developers in areas that included general knowledge, sales after service, technical support, quality and construction capabilities. In selecting Global Finishing Solutions of Osseo, WI, team member and Plant Supervisor Michael Lien cited that company’s ability to think outside the box in meeting D&S’s specific manufacturing objectives. “To eliminate obstructions, Global Finishing integrated a unique door that disappears under the floor instead of a traditional overhead system. As a result, we are able to more effectively utilize the system’s sizeable 200 feet by 30 feet footprint,” he reveals.