The renaissance of hot-dip galvanizing

Family businesses are the backbone of our current economy and society. More than 90 percent of German companies are family-owned, but even in Germany few can look back on such a long tradition of 500 years as The Coatinc Company (TCC); an internationally active surface treatment company that originated in Siegen and is still based there. 500 years of TCC history is at the same time also the history of half a millennium of metalworking and metal processing in the Siegerland, which grew into an essential industry. Thus TCC developed an in-depth knowledge of steel, the material it specializes in. With 24 subsidiaries and a broad network of international cooperation partners, it brings experience and specialism to every project.

"The Coatinc Company has what it takes to make every dream project a success," said Philippe Dupont, General Manager of TCC. "The purpose at the heart of our company is 'We protect tomorrow's generations today.' We are specialists in surface treatment, or in other words, we preserve and decorate objects made of steel and aluminum for the future."

TCC specializes in several innovative processes and (new) coating technologies. "In addition to hot and high temperature galvanizing, we also offer powder coating and wet painting, as well as duplex, aluminum anodizing, passivation and centrifugal galvanizing. 75% of total sales consist of hot-dip galvanizing."

Natural marriage

"I always compare hot-dip galvanizing to my own marriage, which is a very nice parallel," Dupont said. "The unique combination of zinc and steel in hot-dip galvanizing is proof of a natural marriage between these two materials. But also of an extreme suitability against corrosion. When you immerse steel in liquid zinc, you get a reaction after which the zinc will sacrifice itself for the steel."

Every project, large or small, always gets the best protection and exactly the look it needs, continues Dupont. "From advice to production and logistical perfection, TCC is the one-stop shop that refinishes dreams permanently and in color, working only with the best specialists in surface treatment and conservation."

Sustainability

Hot-dip galvanizing is a durable and effective way to protect steel structures exposed to atmospheric influences from corrosion. In many cases, the duration of protection even matches the duration of use. Zinc coatings require little or no maintenance. Since it is very expensive to maintain and protect steel structures from corrosion during their useful life, hot-dip galvanizing is by far the most economical corrosion protection for steel structures and other steel products. Dupont adds, "Durability is something TCC has been achieving every day for more than a century by significantly increasing the life of steel and metal surfaces with our treatment processes. In terms of durability, hot-dip galvanizing offers huge advantages over other coating technologies, as this technology can be repeated over and over again. In other words, the renaissance (rebirth) of hot-dip galvanizing, the building block of the circular economy. This not only lowers the work for maintenance, repair or replacement, but also lowers costs and reduces resource consumption."

TCC too cannot escape the CO2 issue. At TCC, customers are represented from various divisions such as Steel Construction, Steel Trading, Serial, Metalworking and Automotive, where hot-dip galvanizing plays a prominent role. Steel construction is very much in talk in this regard. There is a huge movement around the Steel Building Accord, where the CO2 issue is central and the carbon footprint from hot-dip galvanizing needs to be radically reduced. In extension of the circular economy, there is expected to be a movement to produce more CO2 neutral. A movement to offer new (modular) products so that the objects can be used again: the renaissance of hot-dip galvanizing.

Future

"At TCC, the customer is the focus," Dupont said. "The main goal is that the customer sees us as the most customer-friendly and service-oriented surface treatment company in our market area. We also focus on reducing the carbon footprint through solar energy, purchasing green electricity and redesigning the production process. Finally, TCC wants to grow stably without extreme risks, but above all to become even better."

In addition to the purpose "We protect tomorrow's generations today," TCC has a foundation: true values. "True values are something we hold dear," Dupont explains. "For us, these are the basis and background for what we are, what we do and what we stand for. True values are both a duty and a promise for our company. As a family business, TCC stands alongside its customers and suppliers. In particular, responsibility for employees is at the center of our daily actions, with the goal of satisfying them. Surface finishing is for sustainability and value preservation, while value preservation is for people."   

For more than 65 years, RedStar has been growing tomatoes year-round according to the highest production and taste criteria. Together with The Coatinc Company and based on the core values of quality, innovation and sustainability, the first ultra-climate greenhouse in the Netherlands has been realized in Dinteloord.

In the construction of the pioneer greenhouse, state-of-the-art knowledge from ecological cultivation could be used. With a total area of more than 100,000 square meters and a column height of more than seven meters, a new superstructure ensures maximum lighting. With significant energy savings, there is always an optimal growing climate. In addition, a constant overpressure atmosphere ensures that no insects can enter the greenhouse, so that harvesting can take place without the use of pesticides.

The project was realized in cooperation with Peter Dekker Installations and Verkade Klimaat. Coatinc Alblasserdam galvanized about 600 tons of steel, Coatinc De Meern powder coated about 25,000 m2.