In the latest instalment of The Superyacht Group’s Digital Dialogues series, Martin Redmayne is joined by René Bremer, AkzoNobel’s key superyacht account manager, to discuss reducing waste during the painting process, from an efficiency, cost and materials perspective. 

Redmayne began the discussion by pointing out that waste is not just rubbish, but also includes the inefficiencies within working practices and the inability to control product, performance or budget, and asked Bremer what frustrates him the most about waste in the paint sector.

“It’s the waste that you don’t see,” responds Bremer. “Waste is not the empty cans in the garbage bin – that’s all recyclable… What is more waste is non-material related. It’s more the process; are the materials placed in the right spot or do the painters walk a marathon everyday to get from the paint shop to the scaffolding? Could it be more efficient?”

Bremer adds that there are many ways in which the paint process can be better optimised by shipyards, most of which don’t require a lot of investment.

Wasted time, money and materials are not just seen in the build or refit phase, but over the lifecycle of a vessel. Bremer gives one example of how the efficiency of the cleaning and maintenance of a yacht’s paintwork could be much improved by applying a clear coat during a paint project.

“The cleaning process is a [soft] water process, and [soft] water is scarce and expensive,” says Bremer. “Because of the adhesion of pollution, sand and dust, which has to be washed off, if you have a clear coat, it protects the coatings system and the cleaning process is much easier and saves a lot of water.”

With possible water savings of around 60 per cent, as well as fewer hours spent cleaning by the crew, Bremer argues that the benefits of a clear coat should always be explained to an owner at the beginning of a project, so that they know all of their options and the waste implications of each option.

Elsewhere in the interview, Bremer discusses client expectations for paint application and the increasing complexity of the technology used in the paint sector. To view the full interview, please click here.

The One to One series is a collective campaign for change and industry improvement, and we welcome participants from all sectors. If you would like to take part or contribute your thoughts, please contact Eleanor Shepherd.

You can view the ever-growing archive of Digital Dialogues here.

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