American Trim receives $994,000 to install energy-efficient coating line

April 26, 2010

American Trim, Lima, Ohio, a manufacturer and coater of metal and composite substrates, has received $994,000 from the State Energy Plan to install a new coating line for products for the alternative-energy, automotive, and appliance industries. The line will consume far less energy than the existing processing line.

The line, which uses coatings cured by UV light, will reduce energy consumption by up to 95 percent when compared to the old thermally cured coatings. The new technology eliminates the need to heat the coating and the substrate, cure the coating, and then cool the panel back to a temperature that can be handled, reducing energy consumption.

This new protective film coating technology will be marketed under the name SelectiveGuard™. The coatings will be applied selectively, which allows the part to retain the protective coating throughout the manufacturing and sales processes and into the consumer’s home, where the protective coating then can be removed.

“This effort by American Trim is part of a multiyear commitment by the company to reinvent its manufacturing proc-esses and pursue an agile manufacturing strategy with the express purpose of retaining jobs in Ohio and Lima in particular,” said Lima Mayor David Berger.