How long does prep work take at the beginning of a shift before your crew starts painting? Do painters take good care of your spray guns or treat them like any other tool? Does your operation buy lower performing spray guns and replace them more frequently, rather than deal with the hassles of maintenance and repairs? Do you have adequate training for new employees?
These dynamics speak to the importance of having the right spray gun, a solid training system, and ways to monitor the condition of your equipment. But there is one approach that can help address all of these issues: Assign a spray gun to each of your painters.
Assigning painters their own spray guns promotes ownership and individual responsibility, which can contribute to a more efficient, organized, and quality-focused painting operation. It can help reduce downtime and allow for customization based on each painter's unique requirements.
This might not be the best approach for every operation, depending upon many factors such as your mix of work and scope of operations. The experts at Spray Equipment and Service Center can help you determine if you would benefit from assigning spray guns to your painters. They can also help you with training and best practices for operations and maintenance.
Let’s look at how assigning your painters their own spray guns may improve your operation and extend the life of your equipment.
Assigning a Spray Gun Creates Pride of Ownership
When painters are assigned their own spray guns, they will not only take better care of the equipment, but they will become better painters. They become more familiar with the specific characteristics of their equipment, which can contribute to skill development and a better understanding of how to optimize performance for different tasks.
A painter who takes pride in a spray gun will know when to replace the tip in order to get peak efficiency as opposed to running it until the issues are obvious. Reducing the number of passes will improve output and reduce the physical stress on your painters.
For more experienced painters, they may prefer a certain brand or model. If the painter knows that the model of a spray gun helps them do better work, they are more likely to take pride in their work and take care of the gun. Maybe it’s lighter than other models and is easier to use for longer periods of time. Different brands of guns operate differently. One type might require fewer passes. If your painters are involved in the selection of their guns, they will take even more ownership of their care.
Assigning Spray Guns Helps Control Equipment and Operational Costs
If you are assigning every painter his or her own spray gun, you may need to initially buy more spray guns. But the long-term benefits will often justify the short-term costs. If the operators take better care of their spray guns, they will last longer. In the long run you will be replacing fewer guns. This is especially true if you are churning through cheaper, lower performing guns as opposed to addressing daily maintenance procedures that could allow you to leverage higher performing spray guns.
Sharing spray guns among painters may lead to downtime if people need to wait for the equipment to be available. Providing each painter with a spray gun helps minimize interruptions and allows painting when needed.
Also keep in mind the bigger picture of capabilities versus cost. You might be keeping the cost of spray guns down, but it might not be saving you money if you are spending more on material, filters, and booth maintenance. Assigning painters their own spray guns can help you determine the right gun for longer performance life, which will lower your total cost of ownership.
Start New Employee Training on the Right Foot for Better Job Performance
Because it’s tough to find experienced painters, training takes on greater importance for your operation. New painters are a great opportunity to realize the benefits of assigning them their own spray gun. You can show them the nuances of a spray operation and how the proper technique matters for applications.
You can instill pride of ownership on day one of training by assigning new employees their own spray guns from the start. Consider using a new employee as a proof of concept test for assigning a spray gun.
Spray Equipment & Service Center has multiple training options and programs, from traditional on-site training to virtual reality tools, in which the trainee has a real spray gun in hand and is applying virtual material to a virtual part. The trainee will not only see material usage but also the potential cost and waste, so you are arming them with information that connects their job to overall performance.
Improves Maintenance and Spray Gun Longevity
A painter who views his spray gun as a valuable tool is more likely to wipe the paint off the gun while the paint is still green. It’s a small detail, but how operators clean their guns and shut down at the end of the shift will help you improve startup times and get the most out of your investment. For example, leaving a paint gun in a bucket of acetone overnight will remove excess paint off the gun, but it also will wear out the o-rings. If painters have a sense of ownership, they are more likely to take care of their spray gun, leading to prolonged equipment life.
As we noted earlier, you can start with a proof of concept experiment by assigning a spray gun to a new employee. Other considerations for assigning painters their own spray guns include include:
Productivity: Each painter can set up their spray gun according to their preferences and work habits. This can lead to increased efficiency as they won't need to readjust settings each time they switch between painters.
Consistency: Depending upon the tasks required in your operation, painters may have the flexibility of using varying techniques and preferences for settings. Assigning individual spray guns can help ensure uniformity in quality and material use across the project.
Customization for Specialty Work: Some painters may have specialized skills or work on specific aspects of a project. Having their own spray gun allows them to customize the equipment for their specialty work, such as intricate detailing or specific coatings.
Minimized Cross-Contamination: Some projects may involve different types of paints or coatings. Individual spray guns help minimize the risk of cross-contamination, ensuring that the painters can maintain the integrity of the specific materials they are working with.
Work With Spray Equipment & Service Center on Best Practices for Your Paint Operation
Assigning painters their own spray guns can contribute to a more efficient, organized, and quality-focused painting operation. It promotes individual responsibility, reduces downtime, and allows for customization based on each painter's unique requirements.
Spray Equipment & Service Center has been providing industrial finishing solutions to thousands of North American businesses for more than 50 years. Our experts can work with you to develop best practices for training operators and caring for their spray guns. We also provide qualified technical support and added value through:
Solutions Expertise: We listen and craft solutions to fit your unique business needs and goals.
Relationship-Focused Approach: We build trust by being responsive, meeting deadlines, and working hard to meet your highest expectations.
Industry Leadership: We have talented, experienced professionals at your service, here to keep your business as simple and profitable as possible.
We have the right equipment and parts in stock when you need them, and we are just a phone call away (866-953-0526).