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Tag: Standard Tools and Equipment

Productivity Challenges In 2020

Productivity Challenges In 2020

It’s a new year in a new decade. At the start of something fresh, it’s traditional to make plans and set goals. It happens every January with new gym memberships and increased sales on romaine. We do it in our personal lives and it’s equally important to set optimistic goals for our business. January is the perfect time to create plans, set strategies and develop tactics for how to get there. During that process, look at equipment needs, personnel gaps, and potential growth opportunities. Once you start brainstorming, excitement will build and you’ll want to get moving sooner rather than later.

It’s easy to get distracted by challenges. Large and small businesses alike face productivity challenges. During these times, leaders look for ways to increase efficiency while also boosting the bottom line. At all levels, keep an eye on improvements to keep the business viable and equip it for growth.

To increase productivity, you need to ask yourself what productivity means to you. It may be better work efficiency, more project profitability, improved job safety or higher quality work produced.

Standard Tools faces these same challenges within our production so we are keenly aware of our customer’s situations. We produce products that offer an affordable way to improve production goals, making it a strong investment for your business in 2020.

Keep reading for our top 5 tips if you’re looking to buy a paint booth in 2020. What are your top goals for 2020 in your business? We’d love to hear.

Standard Tools Production Crew.

Top 5 tips for buying a booth in 2020:

  1. Have a business plan for the new year! This will define what you’re working towards and the strategic plan on how you can get there. This will also outline what your needs are and what you plan to improve.
  2. Select the right paint booth for your needs. It all starts with what you’re painting, what your production goals are and what your investment is. We work with all budgets and can design booths for your specific needs. It’s important for you to know what your local codes and requirements are before you invest in a new booth. Trust us, this saves you a lot of time and headaches in the long run.
  3. Set aggressive goals for the year: Look at what your production is currently and then set a realistic goal for the next 12-months. After you have done that, set an aggressive goal and write down what you need to achieve it. This could include equipment, personnel or other resources.
  4. Do what’s comfortable for you. It’s important to make large purchase decisions with a company where you feel comfortable and with whom you can count on for advice, support and service.
  5. Ask a lot of questions! We have a knowledgeable and friendly sales team that is here to tell you everything we know on paint spray booths. We will ask all the right questions and tell you things you need to consider in the process. We have a team of engineers that can assist in the compliance and design of your new paint booth. You can talk directly with who will be designing and producing your paint booth. Give us a call and pick our brain on everything you ever wanted to know about paint booths, and even some stuff you never knew you needed to know. It’ll help you make a more informed decision and that’s what we’re here for.

Here’s to a prosperous year of achieving your goals. We’re here to help in any way we can, so give us a call at 1-888-312-7488.

Cheers to 2020,

Kat Mendenhall

General Manager, Standard Tools and Equipment Co.

How to determine if a make-up air system is required: It’s simple math

Anytime a paint booth is installed in a building, the amount of exhausted air must be a consideration.

For example, a booth exhausting 13,000 cubic feet per minute installed in a building measuring 50 x50 x 15 (37,500 cubic feet), the air will change every two minutes. This produces a negative pressure condition on the building that can cause safety issues. If the building is equipped with gas-fired unit heaters, the negative pressure condition can actually pull gas from the pilot valves and put raw gas into the room. NFPA-33 addresses this with a calculation.

NFPA-33 A.7.3 “If the volume of the room or building where the exhaust system is located is not at least equal to 20 times the volumetric capacity of the fans (three air changes per hour), then additional make-up air should be provided.”

Going back to the 13,000 cfm exhaust fan. 13,000 x 20 = 260,000 cubic feet. The room would have to be 110’ x 110’x 20’ (264,500 cubic feet).

The rule of thumb is to provide the same amount of air being exhausted with some adjustment in the unit to provide the customer with the proper pressure he requires. Some may want slightly more positive pressure while some may want a neutral pressure building.

Sure-Cure Air Makeup Unit
Sure-Cure Air Makeup Unit

Make-up air units can be placed outside or inside as long as the intake air is drawn from the outside. The control panels are mounted inside the building and can be interlocked to the paint booth to operate simultaneously. If you want more information on the Sure-Cure units from Standard Tools and Equipment, visit us online.

The ductwork is simple, the discharge duct should be equipped with a diffuser to help distribute air more evenly into the room.

If you have any questions, give us a call and we’ll gladly assist in determining if more makeup air is needed. 800-312-7488.

A little paint booth business mixed with pleasure in Williams, Arizona

Williams, AZActually it was “business” by accident, or by fate, however you wish to look at it. Not really business, as I wasn’t selling anything.

Kelly in Williams, AzI have been with Standard Tools and Equipment Company for over 22 years now. It is a blurred line between business and passion… as my business is my passion. Working and traveling with the company over the years has been fun and I have had the privilege to see places I probably never would have on my own. I had never really spent any time out west, other than some trade shows in Vegas. So, when my son was chosen as a summer intern at a camp in Williams, Arizona, it gave me the perfect excuse to “Go West” with my wife for vacation this year.

The city of Williams, Arizona is known as “The Gateway to the Grand Canyon”. It is a small town on the Historic Route 66, only 2-1/2 hour drive from Phoenix. Williams was the last town on Historic Route 66 to be bypassed by Interstate 40. The community, bypassed on Oct. 13, 1984, continues to thrive on tourism. The Historic Downtown District covers six square blocks and boasts a rich heritage that features the Old West and Route 66 coupled with tourism trends today and the town’s heyday years of the ’50s and ’60s.

On our first day in Williams, we decided to go for a walk through town. We were walking down Main Street (Route 66) and we passed Custom Designs Autobody. The big garage door was wide open… I couldn’t help myself. I peeked my head inside to see the equipment they were using (as we say in NC, you can take the boy out of Standard Tools, but you can’t take Standard Tools out of the boy). The body man in the shop was working in a paint booth and we chatted a few minutes. I would know one anywhere, a CF-1000 Cross Flow Paint Booth from Standard Tools bought in 2002.  12-years-old and they still use their booth every day!

CF 1000 paint booth in Williams, Arizona
CF 1000 Paint Booth in Williams, Arizona from 2002!

CF 1000 paint booth from the sideAs an online retailer of paint booths and other related products, I often don’t get to see the equipment I sell, all set up and being used. We love it when customers send us pictures of their booth after install, or when they are using it… but mostly they are too busy painting to send photos on. I am never surprised to hear where the next booth is being shipped. We have them all over the world. I wish I could travel to see every single one of them…. oh, the places I would see.

We continued our vacation to the west coast, driving down the Pacific Coast Highway for a week. Because of this little business & pleasure encounter though, I couldn’t help but look for all the body shops along the way….hoping to see through an open garage door and catch of glimpse of one more of the thousands of booths we have sold across America over the last 17 years.

I have included a few pictures that I took that day and a few more from the Grand Canyon itself although pictures can never capture the magnificence of seeing it with your own eyes.

Kelly Goudy

Grand Canyon 3

Grand Canyon 2

The Process of a Paint Booth Sale

It used to be that everything could be bought at your local hardware or general store. After that, there was Wal-mart (AKA: Wally World). Since the Internet has become a household necessity in the last decade, online shopping has skyrocketed and people are carving out niches that only the Internet makes possible. For instance, a stay-at-home Mom who can sew really well is able to sell her crafty pieces on Etsy or Ebay. Have some stuff you want to get rid of but don’t have the time or energy for a yard sale? (Plus, you really hate getting up that early.) Snap a photo on your phone and put it on Craigslist. People no longer have to fight the crowds at Wal-Mart or search from store to store. They can find everything, including extremely rare and hard-to-find items or Paint Booths, on their computer.

Shop with Caution: With online shopping come scams and rip-offs. After all, anyone can setup a web site and become an “online seller” without any credentials or validity. How do you know if it is a legit business or just a guy in his garage? It is extremely important that when you are ordering from an online retailer, do your homework. Read the “About Us” page on their site. Check them out on social media (Facebook / Twitter / Ect.) Are there pictures of their facilities, phone numbers, an address, email addresses, etc? How long have they been in business? Do they stand behind their products? Do they have a customer service department? Google their company name for any online conversation about them. Read their customer feedback. Always go with your gut instinct. Okay, rant over… moving on.

Here’s the process of your paint booth going through production! We’re going to demonstrate via photos (fun, right?!). All of our sales & customer service team members are based out of our home office, on the same premises as our manufacturing plant. Both located in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Once you have shopped our web site, watched our “About Us” video and liked us on Facebook…. You’re ready to order. Continue reading The Process of a Paint Booth Sale

Natural gas is leading to an economic revival

Recent studies by several research firms is confirming what many Americans in the Midwest have already come to know: that the continued development of domestic natural gas is leading to an economic revival. It is creating a ripple effect, creating more jobs, saving households money on energy bills and creating more business in the manufacturing sector. We have seen an increase in our business. Continue reading Natural gas is leading to an economic revival

Introducing the Sure-Cure Air Makeup Unit from Standard Tools and Equipment Co.

We have always been the innovative type; it’s kind of a given if you’re in the manufacturing business. In today’s market, businesses must adapt and change to endure. Through Standard Tools and Equipment Co, Tools USA (since 1979) and Eagle Equipment (since 1953), have continued to grow and expand, remaining a leader in the industry.

Have you ever found a product and it was so genius and so simple, you thought to yourself, “Why didn’t I think of this?”

We find that our most successful endeavors come from looking around the industry that we know best and noticing that we can create something better than anyone else out there. For us, that’s exactly how Standard Tools and Equipment began making paint booths in 1997. We noticed a need, we heard customer after customer asking and we had all the right elements to make a better booth ourselves. Since then, we have become an industry leader in paint booth systems. We use our knowledge and experience to develop unsurpassed products for our customers.

The Sure-Cure Air Makeup Unit, STE-AMUWe are proud to introduce you to our latest successful adventure, the Sure-Cure® Air Makeup Unit.

We started developing plans for our own air makeup unit in 2011. This plan came from a couple apparent needs:

  1. There was a great need in the market for a safe and reliable unit that had all the bells and whistles included in the marketed price.
  2. Customers were fed up with the lengthy wait times that were currently associated with Air Makeup Units. They didn’t understand how we could design, customize, build and ship a paint booth in less than 10 days but they had to wait months, for their air makeup unit. We didn’t understand it either.
  3. We researched and decided that we could make them ourselves. We would do it better, safer and quicker. After all, we are a leading paint booth manufacturer and we know what it takes to heat a booth properly. It only made sense to build them ourselves. Continue reading Introducing the Sure-Cure Air Makeup Unit from Standard Tools and Equipment Co.

Saving Money: Consider a Fire Suppression System Before Buying a Paint Booth

We want you to know that you can save time & money by considering the purchase of a fire suppression system with the purchase of one of our stock booths!

When you build a house, it’s best to get a great contractor to ensure that during the building process, all permits and components are in-line with local regulations or you’ll end up with a beautiful house that you can’t live in.  Taking a “shortcut” may save you in the short run, but it will end up costing you more money and trouble. There are things in life, where it is easier and wiser to go ahead and do something right the first time, when you have the opportunity. It starts with doing your homework.

Before you call to order your booth, we strongly recommend that you check with your local authorities on what is needed to make it legal for use. Imagine all the time, effort and money you would waste if you bought a booth, had it installed and then learned you couldn’t use it! We wish we could let you know your local requirements, but they vary by city. To get the most accurate information, contact your local building inspector and/or fire marshal for this information.

Paint Booth Fire Suppression systems have become a necessity to several industries using paint booths and are often required to limit the damage and loss to equipment in the case of a fire by monitoring your booth 24-hours a day.

The system includes:

  • Dry Chemical cylinders
  • Control heads
  • Nozzles
  • Fusible links/detectors
  • Pulleys/tees
  • Wire rope and alarm bells based on the size booth purchased.

The standard installation cost does not include:

  • Chemical distribution pipe, conduit for electrical and detection, and miscellaneous parts needed to connect pipe or conduit (These materials vary depending upon the size and location of the installed booth).
  • Permitting costs
  • Electrical or alarm connections to the system for shut down and alarm purposes (this must be completed by a certified electrician or alarm company).
  • Remote locations may incur additional installation travel fees.
  • Final test fees for certification (when applicable).

We would be happy to provide you with your local installer contact information upon request.

How to Build a Paint Booth

homemade boothFor around $200 in materials, anyone with some basic construction skills can create a paint booth. Isn’t that scary? There are hundreds of sites and discussion boards online giving tips on how to build a homemade paint booth, and no two are the same. When looking into building your own homemade paint booth, just whom are you getting advice from? Do they know anything about the proper flow, safety, and design of a paint booth or are they just really crafty?

There are really only two methods: one too common & one correct.

All too common:

DIYer heads to their local big-box store to buy supplies (plywood, 2x4s, nails, any type of light fixtures, two HVAC fans, HVAC filters and some vinyl sheet for ductwork.)  DIYer cleans out a corner in the shop or garage and builds a booth. No worries about airflow, adequate filtration, egress or other such nonsense.  It may require a couple of attempts to get this part of the project just right.  Once complete, DIYer brags to their buddies about how inexpensive this project really was.  Once painting starts, DIYer leaves a door cracked for ventilation, leaving a high potential for an explosion or a fire. Overspray coats the item (due to poor air flow), the items around the booth (due to poor containment) and the items outside the shop (due to poor filtration).  DIYer dials 911 when the paint-soaked plywood ignites.

 

Correctly Install a Paint BoothSDD WHITE INSIDE

Price comparisons often keep hobbyists from exploring other options and considerations. It is possible to buy a pre-engineered spray booth manufactured in a high-quality shop and based on a proven design.  The booth comes with detailed installation, operation and maintenance manuals as well as experienced professionals available to answer any concerns.  Contractors come on-site to complete the booth’s electrical, fire and ducting systems to ensure the highest safety.  Once a permit-of-occupancy is obtained from your local permitting authorities, you can enjoy the quality and productivity that your new spray booth provides for many years. [Plus, you can get extra work from the first guy after his fire.]

Paint Booths & Public Health

A shop with regulation paint booths and workers in paint safety gear.
Workers should wear the proper gear to protect their health

Many workers are unaware of chemicals that create potential hazards in their work environment, making themselves and others more vulnerable to exposure and injury. The purpose of paint booths is to control the environmental conditions while spraying the paint.

Paint booths use exhaust fans and specialized ventilation systems to remove the fumes after strong paints are applied, preventing anyone from inhaling them and becoming ill. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), currently regulates exposure to approximately 400 substances. Hazardous and toxic substances are defined as those chemicals present in the workplace which are capable of causing harm. In this definition, the term chemicals include dusts, mixtures, and common materials such as paints, fuels, and solvents. Continue reading Paint Booths & Public Health

Up, Up and Away

The 5th Dimension
The 5th Dimension

Pop group The 5th Dimension had a hit song in late 1960’s called Up, Up and Away.  It was an upbeat, feel-good song that was about riding in a hot-air balloon.  It was played over and over on AM radio stations around the country and won a Grammy in 1968.

Today, the idea of “up, up and away” defines the costs of materials.  We have all been shocked by recent increases in fuel prices, but steel prices have risen more dramatically in the same timeframe.  In 18 months, gas prices rose from $2.50 to $3.50 per gallon… a 40% increase. In the same timeframe, steel prices increased by 65%.  This increase can be attributed to the rising fuel costs, increasing global demand and negative influences in supplies.  One such negative factor was the torrential rains and flooding in Australia that filled coke mines.  This coke is deemed the best in the world for smelting the high-tech steel ores used today. Continue reading Up, Up and Away

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