KopCoat has been a behind the scenes supporter of the Hardwood industry for years. KopCoat’s preservative technologies and products have protected Hardwood lumber from sapstain, mold and metal staining for years but hasn’t been known as a brand name in that role. However, with the support of a new leadership team and the addition of new products, KopCoat is expanding their market share in the forest products industry and specifically the Hardwood sector.
KopCoat has built a world class organization in raw material procurement, logistics, and research and development with the support of parent company RPM Industrial Coatings Group. RPM Industrial Coatings Group is home to eleven industry-leading brands, including KopCoat Protection Products. RPM Industrial Coatings Group is a division of RPM International Inc., a $7.3B global company with market- and industry-leading brands in specialty coating, sealants, building materials, and related services. This network creates advantages that benefit KopCoat’s customers and will help drive KopCoat’s emergence as a recognizable force in the wood preservation market within specific customer spaces like Hardwood lumber. KopCoat’s research and development laboratory resides in their Pittsburgh, PA headquarters. Their facility incorporates a mycology lab for identifying organism infections in wood, testing labs for flood, dip and spray treatments, as well as a pressure treating cylinder for pressure vacuum testing. KopCoat’s R&D facilities and personnel have established and support over 100 patents in wood preservation technology. KopCoat also operates a manufacturing company, TDS Manufacturing, that designs, builds, programs and supports wood preservative application systems. TDS has years of experience building dip tanks, linear and transverse spray boxes and automated chemical mixing rooms. The ability to develop and test new technology and offer equipment support is invaluable for the service that dominates KopCoat’s approach to the market.
Totally Outrageous Service is KopCoat’s tagline for the customer first approach that emanates throughout the organization. KopCoat’s R&D lab is directly tied to each customer through a sales and service specialist that facilitates communication between the customer’s field application and testing in the lab setting. Communication is key for KopCoat’s customer support mechanism as National Business Development Manager Josiah Wilfong describes, “Our sales and service representatives interact regularly with customers using our products and become defacto employees for our customers supporting the wood preservation aspect of their business.” KopCoat’s customer service approach was established to earn business as KopCoat developed market share early in it’s 40 year existence. Sustaining the customer first approach, however, has required commitment that Director of Business Development Bo Hammond explains this way, “customer service is what has allowed us to build our business since it’s inception and we are sticking with it when our competitors are giving up on it because of the cost. We believe that a long term customer service approach will produce the business longevity that will prove our model of customer first works in the market place. I spent 26 years in the Hardwood lumber industry and understand how important relationship built businesses are in the Hardwood market, and was pleased to join KopCoat because of their similar approach to sales and service.”
KopCoat offers preservative protection to railroad tie treaters, Hardwood lumber producers, concentration yards buying and air drying green lumber, pallet manufacturers, millwork producers, window and door manufacturers and engineered wood producers. KopCoat prides itself on providing protection for items that are used around the home, on the home, and in the home. This includes raw Hardwood lumber produced for cabinetry, flooring, furniture, moulding and trim. While KopCoat doesn’t produce any of these products, many of their customers do. As Director of Business Development Bo Hammond stresses, “From my experience in the Hardwood industry, I appreciate the challenges a sustainability focused industry like Hardwoods has faced against unsubstantiated environmentalist claims, and believe that our products help to preserve one of the best resources available for accenting the aesthetics of a building.” KopCoat’s team is well versed in regulatory standards and prides itself on creating preservative solutions that are minimal VOC emissions. Angie Custer, KopCoat’s Regulatory Affairs Specialist, states, “KopCoat is diligent about ensuring the regulatory portion of our process is properly managed to ensure industry leading compliance.”
KopCoat also has what they consider an industry leading research and development organization that can evaluate wood decaying organisms and tailor specific solutions to thwart these biological threats. As Director of Research and Development, Cindy Williams puts it, “our laboratory team is composed of chemists committed to developing new ways to defeat the natural development of biological organisms that attack wood.” KopCoat combines an R&D team with an innovation team so that KopCoat’s customer is complimented by support and new technology development to craft an individualized and specific solution tailored for each customer. Director of Innovation Brian Stobbe emphasizes, “our goal is to be ahead of the evolutionary development of new wood attacking organisms so we can best support our customers proactively.”
Appreciating that there are several options in the wood preservation market, KopCoat boldly accepts the challenge to do head to head trials against their competitors to prove their claim that they can reduce chemical costs while achieving equal or better performance. KopCoat has recently reformulated their metal and oxidation stain inhibitor to be more specific to Hardwood lumber helping to not only reduce metal stain, but also reduce the graying from oxidation while air drying. Distinguishably, KopCoat claims that their technological advances have created a blend of actives and surfactants that perform ideally for protecting Hardwood lumber from stain, mold, mildew, and metal discoloration. KopCoat is also ready to introduce a series of complimentary products that support Hardwood mills and can create an opportunity for Hardwood mills to consolidate their supplementary products into one supplier, creating simplification and consistency for Hardwood purchasing agents. Kpaint and Enshield are lumber end paint and log/lumber end sealant products that will be ready for spring introduction into Hardwood markets.
KopCoat appreciates the natural aesthetics of Hardwood lumber and fully supports the initiatives of promoting Hardwood lumber above non-wood alternatives. KopCoat believes wood is the most renewable, natural resource the world produces. KopCoat understands that properly managed forests will regenerate after harvest, sustaining continual, repetitive utilization over centuries. The environmental benefits of wood are at the forefront today, as carbon sequestration has taken center stage in the global warming conversation. Wood is a preferred building material due to the value and strength it offers. The appearance of wood is preferred aesthetically for bringing warmth to home décor. Simply put, wood is good. But, like all good things, wood can be better with a little help. That improvement on the natural beauty, durability, and environmental benefit of wood, is what KopCoat’s wood protection is all about. The longer wood lasts, the more each of these positive attributes are accentuated.
KopCoat welcomes the opportunity to answer questions and explore opportunities to help protect the wood you make and use. Please visit their website www.KopCoat.com, email them at ippd@KopCoat.com, or call their office at (412) 227-2426.
