Ford Launches Two-Tone Paint Process - DuPont Honored With Ford's 2002 World Excellence Award

TROY, Mich., April 24 -- DuPont Herberts Automotive Systems, the OEM coatings unit of DuPont Performance Coatings, received Ford Motor Company's World Excellence Award - Recognition of Achievement, recognizing the company as one of its top suppliers in the world for 2002 performance.

The World Excellence Awards provide annual recognition based on quality, cost and delivery performance. Forty-one suppliers from 13 countries won awards in various categories.

Tony Brown, Ford vice president, Global Purchasing, said, "Congratulations to DuPont. You are one of Ford's most valuable partners. Without your extraordinary contributions, we could not have achieved many of our goals in 2002."

"It is an honor to be recognized again with a Ford World Excellence award," said, Marty M. McQuade, vice president and general manager, DuPont Herberts Automotive Coating Systems. "This is the fourth time in the past five years we've received the award for our coatings technology and service."

The 2002 award is for technology that has permitted a new Ford paint process that allows the primer and basecoat to be applied in the same pass on the paint line. The so-called "wet-on-wet" system was launched earlier this month at Ford's Kentucky truck plant for the production of two-tone F-250 and F-350 Super Duty pickup trucks.

The new paint process allows vehicles to receive two enamel colors in one rather than two trips through a paint booth and oven. As a result, Ford expects to increase output of its popular two-tone F-250 and F-350 Super Duty pickup trucks to meet rising consumer demand.

Ford notes several advantages in the one-pass system. It reduces the amount of tape, plastics and paper typically used to mask the two colors. And since vehicles painted with this process require less handling, Ford says there is less chance for dirt and other contaminants to chip or scratch the paint. The technique also eliminates the need for additional basecoat and clearcoat layers.

The new process begins after electrocoating has been completed. A conventional exterior body primer is applied to the box and upper panels of the vehicle that will be painted with the main color, while an advanced primer is applied to lower sections to which the accent color is to be used. The special second primer, developed by DuPont Herberts Automotive Systems, enables the color accent coat to be applied over the wet prime layer while maintaining traditional chip protection, corrosion protection and durability characteristics.

The process features a combination of existing equipment -- the previous primer booth was modified with new flexible robotics to handle both primer and basecoat functions. Ford also developed an advanced mask/de-mask process, which it claims is easier and faster to put on without tearing or leaving residue that might harm the finish.

The automaker began investigating the technology in mid-2001 when it couldn't keep pace with demand for two-tone trucks. With the launch this month, it says it was able to implement the system under budget, ahead of schedule and without downtime. Other Ford facilities are adopting the process.

DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by solving problems and creating solutions that make people's lives better, safer and easier. Operating in more than 70 countries, the company offers a wide range of products and services to markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.