Metokote Corp., of Lima, OH, has added yet another painting facility in Mexico, the eighth in eight years, providing electrocoatings, powder coatings and liquid coatings services. The latest installation, located in San Luis Potosi, is the company’s third stand-alone facility; five others are located within client factories. This latest unit is located within two hours of the key industrial cities of Queretaro, Aguascalientes, Irapuato, Leon and Silao.

Capacity at the plant in San Luis Potosi, the capital of the state with the same name, is 50 million square-feet of coatings per year, according to says Ismael Morales Villanueva, the company sales manager for the Mexico region, in Monterrey. The facility currently operates one electrocoat monorail line with a part envelope of 36 inches by 48 inches by 72 inches; modular expansion is anticipated for either a monorail, or liquid or powder coating lines. While the main industry being served by this facility is automotive parts, the company also performs work in Mexico for the agriculture, appliance, computer, construction equipment, electrical, furniture and industrial equipment sectors.

The company’s other stand-alone facilities are located in Monterrey and Saltillo. The Monterrey, state of Leon, unit is located near the airport, has a capacity of 30 million square-feet of coated surface per year, and primarily caters to the truck and bus industries. The Saltillo, state of Coahuila, unit is located approximately 250 miles south of the Texas border, has a capacity of 60 million square-feet of coatings per year, and caters primarily to the agriculture and automotive industries, Morales said. Apart from the Mexico locations, Metokote also has two units in Brazil near Diadema, in Sao Paulo state, near the Congonhas airport. The company has another 28 locations in North America and around the world, serving 17 distinct geographic regions and 1,000 clients.

To develop dedicated client services, Metokote utilizes what it calls a “Continuous Customer Focus” concept, which encompasses start-to-finish stages of evaluation, design conception, solution recommendation, implementation, quality production and process management. The strategic partnership with the client may include the provision of a turn-key coating operation, and permits Metokote to offer cost guarantees on a per-part basis. The company provides just-in-time coating services with computerized part tracking. The company also certifies its “InSite” operations within client facilities to ISO 9000 and QS-9002 requirements.

The company often uses imported coatings specified by the client, but is also promoting its environmentally-friendly electrocoating process, which releases zero hazardous air pollutants (HAPS), zero heavy metals and low volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The company provides environmental management services for all its operations, and seeks to conserve heat waste among other plant efficiency practices. Among the liquid and powder coatings, the company uses acrylic, nylon, polyester, polyethylene, vinyl and epoxy-based materials. The company also provides sub-assembly, labeling testing, packaging and testing services to clients who opt for them.