Carboline was founded in 1947 in St. Louis when Stanley Lopata developed a product to solve a problem for a single customer. After over 70 years, Carboline is still dedicated and committed to solving customers' problems by providing high-performance coatings, linings and fireproofing products around the world. Over the years, Carboline has expanded to over 25 manufacturing locations and 100-plus distribution centers strategically located around the world. In addition, Carboline has one of the most advanced global research and development facilities strictly dedicated to high-performance coatings, linings and fireproofing materials. The state-of-the-art facility located in St. Louis includes world-class product development, testing and applications areas. The St. Louis lab serves as a technical hub to regional research and development facilities around the world.
Safety
Since President and COO Chris Tiernay joined the organization nearly two years ago, he has made safety one of the top priorities. The company created CarboSafe Top 10, which is a list of 10 safety rules that apply to the entire company. These are rules such as safe driving, lock-out/tag-out and the right for any employee in the organization to stop unsafe acts. Monthly trainings are held for employees on a Top 10 safety topic. The increased focus on safety has had some very positive effects on the entire organization, which is evident in its safety record. Carboline's total recordable incident rate has decreased by 41 percent from 2016 to 2017, and its near-miss reporting has increased. The increase in the near-miss number is a sign employees are more aware of their surroundings and reporting situations that could lead to a recordable incident if actions are not taken.
"We consider people our greatest asset. Making sure they have a safe environment to work in is essential," said Tiernay. "It is also good business; there is ample research and data that safe businesses are usually more profitable."
Customer-centric culture
Carboline believes in differentiating itself in the market by its outstanding customer-centric approach. Carboline is a nimble company that will do what it takes to help solve a problem for a customer. "Get to Yes" is an internal motto that was adopted, which means the company will say yes when others say no. This is reflected in many of Carboline's industry-leading policies around returns, custom colors, small batches, expedited special batches, credit terms and limits, credit card use and many more. Customers definitely notice and appreciate Carboline being a partner they can count on, and many took the opportunity to express their appreciation in the form of a contest Carboline held for its 70th anniversary last year. Carboline's "70 Red Buckets of Surprises" was a contest that asked customers to write in their favorite story, experience or memory of Carboline for a chance to win one of Carboline's signature red buckets full of great prizes. The prizes ranged from Carboline apparel to an iPad. The stories that came in reinforced the customer-centric culture that all employees at every level of the organization believe in.
One customer, Structural Steel Services Vice President/Purchasing Manager Robert Cardwell, wrote, "We consider Carboline a partner on all of our projects and, if not specified, we push to get our customers to use your system for the quality and ease of use in the shop it provides. The customer service, outside sales and really all the staff go above and beyond when I need something. Whether a stock item or special colors, they come through."
Another customer, Carol Arneson of Konecranes, stated, "Five years ago, I was asked to develop standard paint specifications for our products. I was given three paint manufacturers to work with. I made contact with all three, and from the first phone call I could tell that Carboline was a step above the rest. Carboline was very interested in helping me develop our paint specifications and really took the time to help me understand all aspects of painting. Everyone that I interact with at Carboline is incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. My sales rep has made it easy to do business with Carboline."
Carboline also commits itself to advancing education in the corrosion industry through a series of customer schools held at its Research, Development & Innovation (RD&I) Center in St. Louis. For over 40 years, Carboline has held corrosion schools for customers and employees. The school is two days of basic introductory corrosion training with topics such as True Cost of Coatings, Testing of Coatings and Common Coatings Problems/ Failures. These free-of-charge schools are a great way to build a basic foundation for those new to the industry. The schools have been widely successful and are always at maximum capacity, resulting in Carboline increasing the annual offering.
In addition to the corrosion schools, Carboline hosts industrial and commercial fireproofing schools four times a year to train and certify customers on applying intumescent and cementitious products. The fireproofing schools are a combination of hands-on applications and classroom lessons. Last fall, Carboline expanded its education portfolio by debuting a school specifically targeted to rail customers. The school is a combination of hands-on and practical information where customers learn how to specify and apply the proper coatings for different commodities. To date, Carboline has conducted two rail schools, and both have been very successful, filled with customers eager to learn.
"We strongly believe in advancing education in the industry and are pleased to offer our customers a facility and the resources to broaden their knowledge," said Tiernay. "It is important to train the next generation, and we are committed to being leaders in education into the future."
Global approach
For several years, Carboline has been working on its global footprint and global strategy. Recently, Carboline announced a change to its North American and Latin American strategy. Effective June 1, all of North America and Latin America will report to the corporate headquarters in St. Louis under President and COO Tiernay. Previously, the Canada and Latin America Carboline businesses operated independently with three separate management teams. This consolidation allows for better brand consistency, streamlined communication and more efficient use of resources. Customers can expect to see a more united Carboline in North America and Latin America, with a great team ready to fully support customers seamlessly across borders.
Innovation
Carboline has focused on innovation since it was founded in 1947, and now innovation is more important than ever in order for the company to stay competitive in the industry. Carboline recently released an innovative zinc primer, Carbozinc® 608 HB, that changes the traditional view of zinc primers. Carbozinc 608 HB is the first 5-10 mil zinc primer on the market. It is highly surface tolerant and quick to cure. Carbozinc 608 HB has excellent film-build properties, yielding a high zinc loading per square foot. It contains a specially engineered pigment package including micaceous iron oxide (MIO) flake. The pigments are designed to work in concert with the epoxy phenalkamine binder; the resulting film is an extremely durable and effective corrosion-resistant coating.
Due to these unique combinations of properties, it can (in one coat) replace a zinc + (epoxy) intermediate coating of a standard three-coat (zinc/epoxy/urethane) system, offering a two-coat system that consists of more primer, which equates to more protection.
"Carbozinc 608 HB allows customers to save application time and labor costs without sacrificing performance. It eliminates the need for an epoxy intermediate coat by providing a two-coat system that provides excellent performance," said Darrin Andrews, executive vice president of sales.
Fireproofing Lab
Carboline has a strong commitment to the fireproofing industry and sees this market as a key to its future sales growth. Carboline has the most comprehensive fireproofing line in the industry, with plans to continue to focus on new products. In March, Carboline broke ground on a state-of-the-art full-scale passive fire protection testing facility at its RD&I Center. This $4 million investment is scheduled to be complete by the end of the 2018 calendar year.
The new space will be the first manufacturer- owned, UL-approved fire testing facility in North America. Carboline will now be able to test products on its own timeline and not rely on an outside testing agency's schedules. Carboline's current fire lab was built in the 1970s, and although it has been upgraded and improved over the years, this project represents a total redesign and rebuild of its capabilities. Carboline felt the upgrade and expansion were necessary to address new developments in the industry.
"Our new testing facility will increase our speed to market for new fireproofing products, give us the ability to receive approvals for alternate raw materials, and fulfill testing requirements for ever-changing codes and regulations," stated Jim Rippe, executive vice president, fireproofing/engineering sales.
Technology
To kick off 2018, Carboline launched its completely revamped global website. The redesigned site offers quick and easy access to essential product information and more clearly conveys the company's global brand.
The site features a clean, uncluttered design, improved functionality and enhanced content, providing quicker access to product information. The expanded product search helps visitors find product information faster and share the information more easily. Coupled with the website is the launch of the new global format of Carboline's Product Data Sheets (PDS). The new website and PDS format are results of feedback from customers, analysis of website traffic and the desire to continuously provide a better online experience.
Perhaps the greatest feature of the new site is its responsive design: Content on the site automatically reshapes itself to maximize its presentation for any screen, including tablets and smartphones. The new website also allows users to share products and pages that interest them with others across social media outlets and/or email.
"We believe the new website better reflects our brand and will allow our customers to have a very positive user experience," said Melissa Bentley, Carboline's vice president of marketing. "We will continue to expand the available resources and frequently update content so visitors will receive the latest news and product information."
The Carboline.com web address is now the globally facing website, with Carboline. us being specific to the U.S. Other country- specific websites were included in the redesign and can be found through the "Local Websites" menu at the top of each page of the main website.
Podcast
Carboline Technical Service has launched a series of informational and entertaining podcasts. In each episode, the team discusses common industrial coatings and linings products, problems, solutions, and painting and testing techniques.
The podcasts are headed up by Carboline Technical Service Engineers Jack Walker and Paul Atzemis. They use their experiences in Technical Service, their history in the field and the knowledge from their NACE Level 3 Peer certifications to help explain the industrial coatings industry.
The first podcast was released in November 2017, and new ones go live every Monday morning. Topics range from Carboline product spotlights and new product announcements to industry standards from NACE, SSPC and ASTM to what is required to make a successful tank lining recommendation. Their goal is to entertain and educate as they simplify and explain the complex world of industrial coatings.
When asked about the podcasts, Atzemis said, "We try to cover a broad range of topics from industry standards to product knowledge in an effort to help our customers understand and overcome technical issues in our industry." The podcast can be found on iTunes or Google Play by searching for "Carboline Podcast."
Community outreach
In an effort to support local communities and employees in times of need, Carboline has established a program called CarboCare. The first initiative was to help employees who were affected by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma last fall. The hurricane relief fund raised over $16,000 that was distributed to affected employees and the local communities. In addition to the generous contributions, employees also pitched in with rescue efforts, cleanup and rebuilding activities. CarboCare also held a back-to-school supply drive for local school districts and a toy drive for the Christmas season, in which over 300 new toys were donated to Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital.
The most recent CarboCare initiative sparked some friendly competition among all the manufacturing facilities, headquarters and RD&I Center. It was a "Canstruction" challenge where each location was tasked to collect canned goods and create a sculpture out of them. The executive team voted for the best sculpture, and the winning location received a company match of all the cans they collected. Each location picked a favorite local charity to donate the cans to. The challenge was very successful, collecting 6,945 cans, surpassing the initial goal of 2,200. Canstruction was a great example of the generous and competitive nature of Carboline employees. Future CarboCare events planned include walking in a local March of Dimes fundraiser and a blood drive.
Future
Carboline has many exciting initiatives that will position it well for future growth. The focus on new product development, building a state-of-the-art fireproofing test lab, and a consolidated North American and Latin American strategy will ensure Carboline will continue to be customer-centric and committed to "Getting to Yes."
"I am very proud of the over 800 Carboline employees worldwide for their unwavering effort and commitment to Carboline," Tiernay said in closing. "Together, we focus on what really matters: safety for all, concern for each other, support for our communities and, most importantly, making our customers successful in any way we can. We find a way to 'Get to Yes.'"
For more information, visit www.carboline.com or call (314) 644-1000.
