Celebrating its 150th anniversary, Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes recognized its past achievements and looked toward the future during the 2016 SEMA trade show.
This included the unveiling of a NEW category for the refinish industry: Dynamic Clearcoat, CC200.
Bryan Draga, Global Director of Marketing, said the product is a new category among premium clearcoats providing a “speed glamour finish” that offers superior appearance in half the time of a typical glamour clearcoat. It was designed to provide consistent, premium results across a wide range of repair sizes and environments.
“New Dynamic Clearcoat offers the ultimate in gloss for high-end refinishing while maintaining shop productivity,” said Draga. “With its excellent application properties, this versatile clearcoat is the perfect fit for the majority of collision repair work, providing simplified decision-making and consistent performance.”
The product was developed over the last three years at the company’s Warrenville Heights facility in Ohio, where the Sherwin-Williams’ Automotive Refinish headquarters is based. Draga said an internally-developed resin was specifically created to help the product cure quickly at lower bake temperatures while providing a high gloss finish.
To ensure the Dynamic Clearcoat exceeds customer’s expectations, it was thoroughly tested in shops across the country from Arizona to Massachusetts, including Mayfield Collision Centers in Ohio and Gullo Ford and Toyota in Texas.
“After our paint technicians sprayed this new Dynamic Clearcoat from Sherwin-Williams on dozens and dozens of customer’s vehicles at both of our high volume/high production shops, they all instantly became raving fans,” said Tom Griffin, president of Mayfield Collision Centers.
Griffin said it’s the best of all worlds. “For the first time, you don’t have to sacrifice quality for speed. Plus, what you see when you’re spraying it, is what you get when it dries.”
He said another benefit is that it is a very forgiving product (hard to run/sag). “The bottom-line is: it works and it’s great…” said Griffin.
“We tested the new Dynamic Clearcoat from Sherwin-Williams and my people loved it,” said Billy Coleman, body shop manager at Gullo Ford in Conroe, Texas. “It has a nice combination of the great clears the company offers now; this Dynamic Clearcoat provides the speed that we need, and final finish our customers always expect. Plus, it cuts my bake time in half.
With collision repair shops under pressure for increased productivity, Draga said the new premium clearcoat provides multiple benefits including a quicker application time, energy savings from low temperature and short bake options, shorter reassembly time and less buffing required.
“We wanted to create a product that was really user-friendly across a large range of repair sizes, skill sets and environments so you can get a good consistent result,” said Draga. He added that the clearcoat can be utilized for 90% of all jobs so shops can streamline the number of clearcoats and hardeners they carry, simplifying decision-making for the painter and reducing working capital for the owner.
The new product was introduced at the Sherwin-Williams’ booth during the SEMA show, where the paint brand featured examples of its innovative products sold through more than 190 company-owned stores. It also showcased two unique Ford vehicles, which were entered in the SEMA 2016 Battle of the Builders: a 1965 Mustang Fastback and a 1934 Ford Pickup. Both were finished with the Ultra 7000 refinish system and the new Dynamic Clearcoat.
The Mustang, being considered for Muscle Machine of the Year in 2017, features the first Roush Yates-built NASCAR engine in a street car, and produces 850 horsepower (hp) at 9000 rpm. The Ford Pickup, a hot rod with sports car driving characteristics, is powered by a 620 hp LSX454 and has a custom-built frame, bed, hood and lower half of the cab built from scratch.
The company also offers training and consulting services for the collision repair industry. “Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes understands that it takes ‘more than just great paint’ to maximize the potential and profitability of any collision repair shop,” said Draga. “That’s why the brand works with owners to help increase revenue through a variety of training and onsite consulting services to help accelerate their business.” These include the EcoLean workshop series, shop impact assessments, Collision Repair Design Services, managed collision repair training, and Vision 20-Groups.
Stacey Phillips Ronak