The News

Your next subcontractor may be a robot

T If you’ve been dreaming of a subcontractor who completes jobs up to 75% faster than other pros, never gets tired, and doesn’t take smoke breaks, you may want to pinch yourself. Finishbot Autonomous Coating System delivers on all those fronts and more. Essentially a for-hire painting robot, Finishbot is ideal for large commercial jobs with walls as high as 40' including drywall, precast and concrete block. Offered through Finish Robotics, the autonomous device can be subcontracted for short-term projects including warehouses, flex offices, manufacturing facilities and parking garages. Ricky Houghton, CTO at Finish Robotics explains what it’s like to hire a robot: “The Finishbot is delivered to the site with an operator and professional painter who tackles any prep, masking and cutting in that needs to be done. We’re typically able to start producing within 30 minutes and to knock out the work up to 75% faster with fewer people and without increasing cost.” Noting the Finishbot can be fine-tuned to apply a variety of coatings to the desired mils and that temperature and humidity sensors continuously monitor and adjust the system, Houghton says, “You get the precision of factory-automated coating application delivered in a fraction of the time.” Finishbot.com

AI simplifies color selection

T Sherwin-Williams recently introduced Speaking in Color, an

AI-powered, voice-controlled tool that allows users to tell it about certain places, objects or shades in order to arrive at that perfect color. In response, the tool provides photos and color options that can be further refined with commands such as, “deeper blue” or “add warmth.” Users can continue to refine the color as needed. Once they’ve landed on what’s deemed their ‘dream color,’ they’re presented with an extensive list of color harmonies.

As of now, the tool is exclusive to architects and the company’s high-performance, coil-coating paint business, with the aim of creating one of the largest color libraries in the world. The tool may also be expanded to other audiences in the future.

Introducing a new business model for the industry

T If you’re a painter by trade and you’re more interested in staying involved with production rather than messing with the back-end office stuff, Craftsman Painter can help. Company cofounder and industry veteran Torlando Hakes explains the opportunity this way: “Craftsman Painter is a genuine community where paint professionals can find a real career with forward progress, upward mobility, and the ability to relocate wherever, all while having a steady paycheck and their basic needs for health care met. We handle all the back-end operations stuff—insurance, billing, recruiting, payroll, branding, all of it. That frees our employees to focus on maintaining high-quality production, providing an excellent customer service experience, and, really, being craftsmen.” With a focus on interior repaints, Hakes anticipates each guild being staffed by a master craftsman, a team of journeymen and apprentices, and a sales rep. “The master craftsman is the face of the operation,” says Hakes, “as such, they get a cut of the revenue in addition to their wages as part of their compensation package, while all other crew members are paid a competitive hourly rate, and the sales rep earns a very generous commission.”

Launched in June 2022, the company currently has Craftsman Painter operations in Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri with 10 more guilds expected to begin operations by early 2023. CraftsmanPainter.com

Bird-friendly paint solution

T Iberdrola, a renewable energy company based in Spain, recently turned to paint to promote the coexistence of its renewable facilities and the ecosystems in which they are located.

Based on a study published by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, the company has begun painting one blade of its wind turbine rotors black. The study found that the increased contrast between blades made them easier for birds to see and reduced the number of birds frequenting the area of painted turbines by 70%.

Painting of the single blade on a fully assembled wind turbine takes place roughly 110 yards above the ground and requires sanding and cleaning prior to application. With blades measuring a little more than 70 yards long and up to 15 yards wide, the process can take a week to complete, depending on wind and weather conditions. Evwind.es