This means paint shops can save energy

This means paint shops can save energy

The challenges for the entire automotive industry are enormous. On the one hand, there are the ongoing delivery difficulties that are causing new car registrations to plummet. This means that in a few years the cars that actually end up in independent workshops as second owners will be missing.

In addition, there is now inflation that is higher than it has been in the last 40 years. Some of the workshops are already feeling the devaluation of money: customers are postponing repairs or limiting orders to the necessary minimum. 

You also hear little encouraging from the painter front. Sentences like: “Now we can do it at that price, I should actually double the prices by autumn at the latest” are no longer uncommon and could also be understood as a kind of cry for help. 

The problem: The high energy costs are particularly difficult for paint shops. Compressed air and paint booths suck in electricity and gas like few other operating modes. Even with energy recovery systems and modern technology, energy requirements are still very high. 

However, there are ways to get some relief from high energy costs in the long term. Especially if you now have certain reserves. Because one of the fastest ways to reduce energy costs is modern equipment. Some of the paint booths, heating systems and compressed air equipment are 15 or 20 years old. Of course, energy efficiency was already an issue back then, but not as much as it is today. Technically, insulation and energy management were also less advanced than today. 

This brings us to the first but probably most important tip: If the financial situation allows it, you should invest in modern equipment now. Because you also have to keep one thing in mind: the prices for materials, procurement and logistics are rising worldwide. Paint booths and additional units will become more expensive rather than cheaper in the coming years. If you now have financial reserves, it is best to invest as quickly as possible. On the one hand, to get the cheaper purchasing conditions. On the other hand, to reduce energy costs as early as possible. 

Another way to reduce costs is to use fast paint systems. Quick-drying paints, paints that can be processed in fewer or even one step, now save money. 

Why? The order of the day used to be: efficiency. And that's how it stayed, just under different circumstances. Until recently it was all about getting through as much order volume as possible within a short time, but today it is important to keep the time in the energy-hungry paint booth as short as possible. Because: The shorter the paint booth is in operation, the less energy is used. 

In addition to faster paint systems that save work steps, systems that can dry at lower temperatures in the same or just slightly longer time also help. Every degree that can be saved in the paint booth reduces the energy bill. 

Almost all well-known paint manufacturers have fast paint systems in their range. Paint shops should now quickly contact their suppliers and find out more about it or perhaps undertake the relevant training. As things stand today, it seems certain that the high energy costs will be with us for months - maybe even years. 

A third tip: Look everywhere in the company and question processes. Does the paint booth always have to be heated for so long? Can work steps be organized differently in order to reduce or combine energy-intensive processes? 

Also consider small details: For example, do you hear a hissing of compressed air? Then find the leak and quickly fix the problem. Because hissing means a loss of energy and money. 

Also speak to your workshop equipment sales representatives or your paint supplier. These employees are usually well trained in finding potential weak points in companies and counteracting them with appropriate offers. 

Use this service because over the years you tend to become blind to the business and no longer have the most obvious sticking points on your radar.

One final tip: compare your energy provider's prices with those of the competition. Many companies and private individuals are afraid of switching energy providers. This can often be done within a few minutes and can save you several thousand euros a year. 

You have to realize that the high energy prices will haunt us for a long time. If you switch now, you can save a lot of money for years to come. And don't think you're in a bad negotiating position. Yes, energy prices are currently high, including on the wholesale market, but the energy providers' margins probably vastly exceed yours. You can act confidently and try to secure attractive conditions.