HELPING HAND
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The process of painting and liverying commercial vehicles has changed dramatically over the past few years. ICI Autocolor is helping operators and paintshops to get the best out of the new systems.
Ten years ago all you needed was a pot of paint and a brush to paint a vehicle; new vehicles had their liveries individually sign written. Today's self-adhesive liveries and two-pack paint have revolutionised vehicle painting. But some fleets and paintshops have not yet pulled themselves into the 90s: to get the full benefits, paint and decals require the correct preparation and application procedures.
ICI Autocolor has set up Fleetwatch to help operators and paintshops take advantage of the new paints and livery materials. This aims to provide a service to the fleet owner by helping liaison with livery designers, specifying the right paint for the job, setting standards for approved paintshops and advising on vehicle washing. And it also helps approved paintshops make their services known to the operators.
It all comes down to getting the right job at the right price. Two-pack paints and selfadhesive liveries can save money for the operator if they are applied properly. You see adverts for car re-sprays for a couple of hundred pounds. The results look good — for a while — but then the rust comes through, the paint blisters and becomes dull and you are back where you were six months ago.
Commercial vehicle operators should not be in the market for this type of paint job. But new paint masks the all-important preparation work so a good job and a bad one can look identical when they emerge from the shop.
The Fleetwatch banner signals ICI Autocolor's approval of paintshops and that they apply the paint in the prescribed manner.
Those wanting to join the network have to turn out consistently high quality work, undertake a COSHH assessment and have the ability and equipment to spray twopack paint.
Membership of Fleetwatch is not restricted by business size, location or numbers. Any CV paintshop that meets the criteria will be accepted. The only other qualification ICI specifies is that it supplies half of the paint used.
Prospective members can be an existing CV paintshop, a car paintshop wanting to move into CVs or others (typically fleets with service workshops) wishing to paint their own and others' vehicles.
In the case of an existing paintshop the initial approach will be to the ICI area representative; a company wishing to enter the spraying business would contact the head office in Slough.
ICI will carry out a quality audit of the paintshop's work, working conditions and customer relations. If this is satisfactory the paintshop will be accepted; if not, recommendations will be made to bring it up to the required standard. The quality audit will be carried out each year to ensure the standards are being maintained. The approved paintshop will receive the Fleetwatch membership package. This includes signage carrying the Fleetwatch logo and a certificate, renewable every year, confirming member status. Specification completion forms are filled out every time a job is done under the Fleetwatch programme. One copy is sent to the customer, one to ICI and the third is the paintshop's record.
Fleetwatch vehicle window stickers, which can be overprinted with the paintshop's logo, are also issued. Before the sticker is put into the vehicle, it is given a Paintspec number which is a reference for ICI to call up the design and paint mix specifications from central files (to which member paintshops have access).
The centrally held fleet paint details enables ICI to offer large fleets a paintwork service at approved Fleetwatch paintshops anywhere in the UK and get the same result.
Approved paintshops will also gel a quality manual (which could form the basis of a BS5750 submission) detailing the standards of work, working conditions and customer care expected by ICI. Each Fleetwatch member paintshop will he included on a list carried by the ICI Autocolor sales team. This team visits fleets regularly to advise on all aspects of vehicle painting and will advise the operator of approved paintshops when spraying is needed.
Fleetwatch network
in will also offer technical, legal and training back-up to the Fleetwatch network. Advice on paintshop layout and business matters such as cost control and marketing will be available for those who want it. Public relations and advertising will also be undertaken by ICI on behalf of the network. ICI Autocolor says the only financial commitment the paintshop has to make is to use its paint for 50% of the work.
While commercial vehicle spraying is getting more popular it is also becoming more technical and is being increasingly restricted by legislation and a helping hand from one of the country's largest companies could be valuable.