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Metokote expands Mexico base
once again
Metokote
continues to
add capacity
to its Mexico
operations
with the
addition of its
eighth facility
in the country.
Metokote Corp., of Lima, OH, has
added yet another painting facility in Mexico, the eighth in eight
years, providing electrocoatings, powder
coatings and liquid coatings services. The
latest installation, located in San Luis
Potosi, is the company’s third stand-alone
facility; five others are located within client
factories. This latest unit is located within
two hours of the key industrial cities of
Queretaro, Aguascalientes, Irapuato, Leon
and Silao.
Capacity at the plant in San Luis Potosi,
the capital of the state with the same name,
is 50 million square-feet of coatings per
year, according to Ismael Morales
Villanueva, the company sales manager for
the Mexico region in Monterrey. The facility
currently operates one electrocoat monorail
line with a part envelope of 36 inches by 48
inches by 72 inches; modular expansion is
anticipated for either a monorail, or liquid
or powder coating lines. While the main
industry being served by this facility is
automotive parts, the company also performs work in Mexico for the agriculture,
appliance, computer, construction equipment, electrical, furniture and industrial
equipment sectors.
The company’s other stand-alone facilities are located in Monterrey and Saltillo.
The Monterrey, state of Leon unit, located
near the airport, has a capacity of 30 million square-feet of coated surface per year,
and primarily caters to the truck and bus
industries. The Saltillo, state of Coahuila,
unit is located approximately 250 miles
south of the Texas border, has a capacity of
60 million square-feet of coatings per year,
and caters primarily to the agriculture and
automotive industries, Morales said. Apart
from the Mexico locations, Metokote also
has two units in Brazil near Diadema, in
Sao Paulo state, near the Congonhas airport. The company has another 28 locations
in North America and around the world,
serving 17 distinct geographic regions and
1,000 clients.
To develop dedicated client services,
Metokote utilizes what it calls a
“Continuous Customer Focus” concept,
which encompasses start-to-finish stages of
evaluation, design conception, solution recommendation, implementation, quality production and process management. The
strategic partnership with the client may
include the provision of a turn-key coating
operation, and permits Metokote to offer
cost guarantees on a per-part basis. The
company provides just-in-time coating services with computerized part tracking. The
company also certifies its “InSite” operations within client facilities to ISO 9000
and QS-9002 requirements.
The company often uses imported coatings specified by the client, but is also promoting its environmentally-friendly electrocoating process, which releases zero hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), zero heavy
metals and low volatile organic compounds
(VOCs). The company provides environmental management services for all its operations, and seeks to conserve heat waste
among other plant efficiency practices.
Among the liquid and powder coatings, the
company uses acrylic, nylon, polyester, polyethylene, vinyl and epoxy-based materials.
The company also provides sub-assembly,
labeling testing, packaging and testing
services to clients who opt for them. CW
