It's that Simplex: Automotive Arts, Massy promote new refinishing products for cars

All car paints are not the same.

Paints for cars in Europe may need a different quality to face the environmental factors there, than paints in the Caribbean would require. The time it takes to apply the paint properly may be different, the amount of coating needed to protect the paint from environmental effects and ultraviolet rays may also vary.

However, as the saying goes: “the proof in the pudding is in the tasting.” One can test, talk about, advertise and advocate for a product as much as they would like, the true evidence of how it works is by showing a customer that it does.

This is the strategy being used by Automotive Art and Massy for Automotive Art’s line of refinishing products, Simplex.

Business and product development manager for Automotive Art Paints Erik Bishop said through Automotive Art’s partnership with Massy, the company plans to advocate for the versatility and efficiency of their new line of products by taking it to the people who use it most – the end user.

“The easiest way to advertise the product is by demonstrating it,” he told Business Day at a training session at Massy Automotive Components Ltd at Lady Young Road, Morvant.

“I can show and present for a month, but if I don’t go and work with painters and demonstrate the product and see how easy and user-friendly it is, there is no way to get to the market.”

Bishop said Automotive Art plans to focus on training sessions to ensure that painters are aware of how to use the product and its technical aspects.

“We have a challenge where we have a lot of people in this industry that learn by watching someone else. That's the tough part about it, because with technology evolving, you know, they usually are stuck in the old ways.

“What we try to do is try to educate them about how to speed up the process because in a business like this, time is money.”

Automotive Arts celebrated its 35th anniversary this year. Started and headquartered in Barbados, Automotive Arts operates in more than 70 countries including Canada, the US, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and all the Caribbean markets.

“One of our mottos is ‘driven by colour,’” Bishop said. “We excel at colour matching.”

He said the system Automotive Arts uses to manufacture its paints is European. The paints are manufactured in Poland at the Multichem in Tarnowo, near Ponzan, Poland. The company specialises in refinishing systems which uses paints clear coats and hardeners to repair and restore existing paint jobs as compared to repainting which involves stripping old paint before applying a fresh coat.

“Our system is universal,” he added. “You don’t need a lot of products to make our product work. We have a line of clear coats and hardeners that are universal so that helps technicians and stores keep their stock low.

“Some brands may have too many products, which means your investment has to be much bigger so that is one characteristic Automotive Arts has above other products.”

He said the company’s lab in Poland uses a spectrophotometer which scans colours then through its software matches the colour of the car.

“It is like having a colour matcher, but on a computer. So you actually don't need the exact colour code of one car in order to create that colour,” he said.

He added that they also have a database of over 350,000 colours in its system.

He added that Automotive Arts also tests its products using machines that simulates the sun, rain, Saharan dust and even salty sea blast.

“In the Caribbean, you have more UV exposure than Europe. We have a machine called a QUV chamber that simulates the sun. We programme it in a way that you can simulate any condition in the world.

He said that machine also creates condensation and Saharan dust.

“There is one test that we do separate which is the salt chamber spray test. We expose the sample to a blast of salt (to simulate sea blast). Any coating in the world that surpasses 1000 hours in that will have a longevity from five to 10 years, you know, in any condition.

He said the new lines of clear coats – the 82-400, the 82-1600 the 92-2008 clear coats have already surpassed more than 3,000 hours in the company’s QUV chamber

“So that means, you know, we can, we can guarantee them at least for five to ten years.”

He explained to painters that each of the clear coats have their own features. The 82-1600 would be used for collision repair and for high performance production refinishing jobs.

“Basically, it's a faster clear because the resting technology allows this clear to flash out faster and dry faster.”

The 92-2008 replaces previous clear coats which they had on the market and has a faster flash time, making refinishing jobs faster.

“So we modified 92-2008 to behave like a regular clear, going back to the 5 or 10, minutes flash time with two coats. So when I'm going to use this clear, I'm going to use it if I'm spraying a candy colour or I'm going to use it if I'm spraying a high-end car that I want to have a really, really slick finish.

“This is not going to be for everyday collision repair, but this is actually the clear that is going to be the step up. This is going to have the highest gloss, the highest protection. This is going to be extreme UV protection. This is going to be like the slickest finish, and the more depth that you're ever going to see in a clear.”

The 82-400 is the most user friendly with a simple mixing ratio of two parts clear coat to one part hardener.

“the 82-400 high gloss, high solids, user friendly, high UV weather protection and a simple mixing ratio. We’r going back to our roots, where everything has the same mixing ratio and everything uses the same hardness,” he said.

Bishop said Automotive Arts values its relationship with Massy, given its presence in the automotive market.

“I think it’s a good synergy where we can just create. They coat all their cars and refinish all their cars with our paint and they also distribute our paint.

“In the long run, we are two pieces of a puzzle that perfectly match because of that. They have the market and we have the product offering.”