Pappas swears by PPG

Pappas swears by PPG

The signposts at the Pappas location in Linz are necessary in order not to get lost on the five-hectare company premises. 160 employees work here, selling, servicing, screwing and painting around 150 vehicles per day. This corresponds to an annual throughput of well over 30,000 vehicles, ranging from the Smart to the AMG sports car, light and heavy commercial vehicles to the Linz- Linien public transport bus. Or to put it another way: This is where the big wheel is turned. The processes in the workshop and paint shop are correspondingly important, as Friedrich Wetzlmayer, operations manager, knows: "We look after twelve brands at the Linz location, including AMG and Brabus. Our work must meet the highest quality standards, so we can't afford to make any mistakes."

“We are bucking the trend in the plumbing and painting shops.”MANFRED TRIEFHAIDER, BODY WORKSHOP MANAGER, PAPPAS LINZ

PARTNER CHOICE

In 2010 they swapped paint partners and switched to PPG – and stayed that way. There were several reasons for the change, Wetzlmayer reveals: "We were no longer satisfied with our supplier at the time. The support decreased, the products were not at the level we wanted. We looked around and found what we were looking for at PPG." The vehicle throughput suggests that paint manufacturer PPG has also found an important partner in Pappas. "We have very innovative, strong products that are also easy to process. Because you shouldn't forget that we actually only deliver semi-finished products," says Johannes Mühlberghuber, regional manager for PPG. “It is in the hands of the painters to mix and apply our products ready for spraying.” Mühlberghuber knows what he is talking about, as he was a technician himself for many years and only then switched to customer service. “Today we need short drying times, high coverage and easy-to-use products.” Manfred Triefhaider, body shop manager, agrees: "Counteracting the trend, we have more and more work to do in the plumbing and paint shops. The major damage is decreasing, but there are more small damages." In order to meet the requirements, Pappas Linz has invested in two new Blowtherm paint booths. There is also a large truck and bus paint booth. Pappas is very satisfied with paint partner PPG: “There is nothing better on the market,” says operations manager Wetzlmayer.

PROCESS OPTIMIZATION

In order to achieve the high throughput, Pappas Linz uses a Daisy Wheel to mix the paint. "This means we can weigh even the smallest amounts of paint to the hundredth of a gram. No one can do that with small quantities. When processing around ten liters of paint per day, this creates a noticeable efficiency advantage," says Triefhaider. In order to be able to exploit the full product advantages of PPG paints, the entire team of painters was restructured. "So that our employees are motivated, we have a sales-dependent salary model. If the throughput is higher, they earn more money," says operations manager Wetzlmayer. This would eliminate the need for extended smoking breaks. And since the entire team is measured, there would be better group dynamics “since no one wants to lag behind.” PPG employee Mühlberghuber is also pleased: "We were also able to buck the trend and gain market share. This shows that we take good care of our partners and the products are right." One of the successful products is the new Delfleet One paint series, which was developed specifically for trucks and commercial vehicles. “The paints are characterized by high opacity, quick drying time, minimal edge alignment and easy processing,” says Mühlberghuber, and both Triefhaider and Wetzlmayer confirm the product advantages. Wetzlmayer would like to emphasize another important part of the collaboration: "It's also about the people involved. And Johann Mühlberghuber looks after us very well. This is a competent service from a single source, just as it should be."