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22 OCTOBER 2017 — PFonline.com The barrels are made from standard cold-rolled steel for protection against corrosion. Because they are usually in long- term storage outdoors in harsh weather conditions, stored close to the seaside or filled with goods that require the highest level of cleanliness, DiFonzo says corrosion protection combined with excellent paint adhesion is key. "The equipment that Sames Kremlin put in was top-notch for us," he says. "It really did the job in what we needed." Mauser had developed a new process for the barrels it dubs MSDP, Mauser Steel Drum Protected, highlighting the innovative surface treatments it uses on the base steel, which it says provide better paint adhesion and protection against corrosion than drums produced from electro-galvanized steel. Process Audit Romer approached DiFonzo about conducting a performance audit on the Sames Kremlin equipment in the Mauser plant, and the plant manager immediately took the idea to his superiors to get buy-in. There would be costs involved, but Romer said it would be insignificant compared to what the possible savings could be. "There is an expense, but it all goes back to the value of it all," he says. "What it comes down to is working towards a significant cost savings and overall improved performance." Romer paid a visit to the Mauser plant and initially spent time observing how the operators were coating the drums and lids. After seeing some inconsistencies with how the original equip- ment was set up to operate, he conducted a full system audit to help improve paint efficiencies, provide operator training and develop operational procedures. Over the course of three days, Romer was hands-on with the Mauser operators, working with them on dialing in the Sames Kremlin equipment and prac- ticing proper techniques to get the best transfer efficiency and reduce rejects. "Once a drift happens in how things were originally set up and supposed to work, it then becomes second nature to the paint operators in how they work day in and day out," Romer says. "Pretty soon the entire system is out of line and you get some serious inefficiencies in your overall operation." Plus, all the bugs of a system are not always removed when they are initially Mauser uses Sames Kremlin products to coat the millions of barrels it produces each year, but the settings on its equip- ment drifted over time. After the audit by Sames Kremlin, Mauser saved more than $104,000 in paint costs alone. LIQUID