Saturday, February 10, 2007

New Metal Pretreatment Technology From Henkel Helps Ford by Anthony Fontanelle

The partnership between the Ford Motor Company and Henkel Corporation led to the development of the first production vehicle that did not undergo the usual coating process. The new production vehicle did go through a non-phosphate Bonderite conversion coating process which is a new technology developed by Henkel Corporation.
The use of the said technology resulted to lowered production costs and made the vehicle assembly paint pretreatment operations more efficient. The process is also environment friendly because of lower amount of harmful gases released during the manufacturing process. The innovation shows the way for a cleaner pretreatment of metals that are not only employed by the automotive industry but other sectors as well.
Michael Vandelinder, the chief engineer for the Ford Motor Company Paint Engineering team, stated that the new treatment is a great help to Ford in terms of innovation. He says, "This new pretreatment technology from Henkel helps Ford lead the industry in innovation while reducing operating costs and minimizing the environmental impact of our manufacturing processes." Vandelinder also added that they will "continue to develop, validate, and launch materials and processes that deliver value to our customers through technology." The statement issued is based on the fact that the Bonderite coating process in addition to reducing waste also reduces volatile organics compounds and carbon dioxide emission during the process of manufacturing.
On the part of Henkel Corporation, Dan Wohletz, the vice president for automotive in North America has this to say: "This innovation is a result of Henkel's commitment to deliver revolutionary technologies to valued customers like Ford." The vice president further added that "this is another example of a Henkel innovation that enhances our leadership in the metal pretreatment industry."
Indeed, the innovation has reaffirmed the corporation at the top of its class. With continued dedication to the improvement of their currently used technology, the company will surely raise the bar for excellence in their field time and time again. As of now, it looks as if the company has no intention to slow down in their efforts with the development of better processes and products.
Henkel is the largest company when it comes to adhesives, sealants and surface treatments servicing the automotive industry. The company is known for their extensive background in the industry just like EBC pads are known for being of high quality and superior stopping power. They offer a complete lineup of solutions to the entire process of automobile development. The company boasts of an expertise in metal pretreatment on all areas of the manufacturing process of a car like the automotive body, interior, chassis, electronics, and powertrain. Henkel also offers a wide variety of brands that are of great help in the automotive industry. Brands such as Loctite, Teroson, Autophoretic, Frekote, Multan, and Bonderite are under the Henkel Corporation.
The company also uses the serves other industry apart from the automotive sector. Henkel also has vested interest on electronics, aerospace, metal, durable goods, consumer goods, maintenance and repair, and packaging industries.
The partnership between the two companies will surely not stop with the development of the non-phosphate Bonderite conversion coating process. Continued development in this field will greatly reduce or even eliminate the amount of greenhouse gases produced during the manufacturing process of a car. While the development of the new technology will be of great help in protecting the environment, that innovation alone cannot entirely save the deterioration of the environment due to harmful gasses. More environmentally friendly processes must be developed in order to significantly reduce the amount of hazardous gases being released into the atmosphere.

About the Author
Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.

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