Blog
Making Formulating Data Colorful and Relevant
May 10, 2017
Much of the paint market’s sales information is not currently being used to the industry’s benefit, as it could be. Information available with this big data focuses on demand trends, offering paint and coatings manufacturers the ability to more efficiently predict where the industry as a whole is headed, along with where their own businesses fit into this scenario. Raw materials suppliers, for example, can use big data to analyze historic product demand and adjust their capacity accordingly. Paint and coatings manufacturers could identify consumer trends, such as if more light or dark colors were produced in a certain time period. The more information available, the more efficient a company, and the industry as a whole, can become.
Software management tool
Chromaflo has developed management software with an extensive range of sophisticated web-based tools that monitor market developments and tinting equipment. With Innovatint Intel Hub, a software package that is installed onto tinting machines, all that is required is a tinting machine with internet connectivity. Once the software is installed, it’s ready to go.
Data is collected on a dedicated server for each customer, hosted by Chromaflo. It accumulates real-time data and allows for users to create custom reports. With this data, companies can analyze their entire supply chain, from purchasing raw materials to consumer sales. The statistics management tool provides the real-time information necessary to adjust corporate strategies for operations, including production demands, raw materials orders, colorants used and color popularity. When the customer permits it, Chromaflo can anonymize all this data and combine it with different data sources for the generation of valuable big data, which will provide a complete overview of earlier-mentioned market trends.
Tinting machine monitor
A second, optional part of the Innovatint Intel Hub is the tinting machine monitor. Production issues and downtime on the plant floor are damaging to manufacturers. In the past, it was impossible to know when a tinting machine would stall or, worse, break down. But that has changed. By clicking on the tinting machine overview section, operators can immediately see if the machine is already having some problems, and if so, what kind of error it is experiencing before the machine breaks down. This allows operators to monitor the machine’s workload to determine how it is performing. The tinting machine overview feature also can be used as a service tool. With access to the machine and any errors that might occur, service engineers can diagnose exactly what is wrong even before they arrive at the shop, drastically decreasing downtime.
Available on all platforms
Innovatint Intel Hub is web-based, so it can be accessed on any platform, from computers to mobile phones. This accessibility also makes it easy to share custom reports, so everyone within the company has access to real-time data. Big data will become a valuable tool to help paint and coatings manufacturers predict industrywide trends. Businesses can also benefit by using it to improve every sphere of their business — from ordering raw materials to tracking color sales to monitoring tinting machines — overall perfecting their supply chain and quality-control performance.
If your paint or coatings company is interested in learning more about how big data can improve every sphere of your business, Chromaflo has the expertise to help you. Visit www.chromaflo.com to learn more.