Unique cooperation for better painting

The SSG Surface Protection Committee and Södra Cell Värö will be working together with Auktorisationen för Rostskyddsmålning, the Authorisation for Rustproofing, to invite suppliers to a joint discussion in order to bring about better, more durable paint jobs for major projects.

Surface treatment applied incorrectly may result in damage due to rust which is much greater than the cost of the surface treatment itself. This is a problem which the industry has been working on for a long time. Although suppliers are well aware of the problems, whether or not their subcontractors are as up-to-date on matters as they are is not always clear.

"At Södra Cell Värö, we keep a close eye on regular maintenance painting jobs to make sure they are carried out correctly. That said, however, we have had some problems lots of paint jobs done during construction projects. We have found that there is plenty of scope for improvement when we procure major projects," says Krister Henningsson, construction and property manager for maintenance at Södra Cell Värö.

Correct right from the beginning

Now that the Södra Cell plant in Värö is about to be renovated at a cost of SEK 4 billion with a view to increasing its annual production of softwood sulphate pulp from 425 000 tonnes to 700 000 tonnes, Södra has decided to do everything correctly right from the beginning.

"We want to improve our paintwork, and so we have enlisted the help of SSG's Surface Protection Committee and Auktorisationen för Rostskyddsmålning. Together, we are intending to invite a number of key suppliers to discuss jointly how we can deal with the problems and make sure they do not occur in the future. We want to provide information and create two-way communication with our suppliers, exchange experiences and make them understand the importance of passing on our requirement specifications to their subcontractors and clarifying them. This is the point at which we have experienced problems previously," says Krister Henningsson.

SSG's committees have long provided a unique, interdisciplinary cooperation with industry, producing standards, technical guidelines, reports, technical bulletins and training courses. The network has also worked to influence authorities, manufacturers and suppliers.

"Extending our cooperation and the network by inviting new partners to join is entirely in line with the SSG business concept, and if the SSG Surface Protection Committee with Södra Cell Värö and Auktorisationen för Rostskyddmålning can actively influence the actual use of the current standard to a greater extent, this will save on resources for all parties involved," says Tina Berggren, the person responsible for the SSG Surface Protection Committee.

Follow-ups and checks

Key suppliers are usually well aware of SSG's standards and recommendations, but this information tends to disappear as tasks are delegated.

"All of SSG's standards have been devised to ensure better surface protection from a life cycle perspective. This is the knowledge that we now want to improve at all levels by working more closely with suppliers early on in the project, discussing solutions and improvements for the future and then working together SSG to reach out to the entire industry to let them know our findings. If we do things correctly right from the beginning, we all stand to benefit. Then we will notify our suppliers of the fact that we will also be following up on painting jobs by visiting and carrying out checks," says Krister Henningsson.

SSG's Surface Protection Committee includes representatives from the entire industry, including clients, manufacturers, experts and contractors. The trade association Auktorisation för Rostskyddsmålning works to maintain stringent skills requirements among people carrying out work.