Extreme Makeover
Tear Down, Build Up
Before
After Lorenzo Pellicciotta and Matt Gibson of Flat Line SSI in front of the new Blowtherm booth. The most recent update to Blowtherm’s Blowpower line, the booth features floor to ceiling glass windows along the sides, allowing customers and management to observe painting in progress.
The new home of CARSTAR Oakville East is designed with efficiency in mind.
The staff of CARSTAR Oakville East and CARSTAR Oakville West.
By Mike Davey
O
ne of the workers from the old Mack Trucks rear end assembly plant in Oakville, Ont., would hardly recognize the old place now. It’s been transformed into the new home of CARSTAR Oakville East. “The building was vacant for years after the line shut down,” says Lorenzo Pellicciotta, owner of CARSTAR Oakville East and CARSTAR Oakville West. “A lot of work had to be done to get the building ready before we could move any equipment in.” The first step was moving old equipment out, things left behind when the assembly line shut down, including jib cranes, posts and a spray booth in the rear corner of the building. In addition, all of the lighting was removed to make way for new systems. Pellicciotta has owned his own facility since 1995. His second facility, CARSTAR Oakville East, was originally a corporately owned CARSTAR store until he purchased it from the network in 2003. Originally located on Trafalgar Rd. in Oakville, the move to the new location was prompted in part because the lease was up. Even if that hadn’t happened, Pellicciotta says the business was due for significant reinvestment.
Installing and tuning all-new equipment is a significant investment of both time and money, but a lot of work had to be done before that stage was reached. First, the floors had no sewers, so trenches had to be dug to ensure drainage for the pits and booth. Electrical systems needed to be rerouted and brought up to code, the roof needed patching and a main office area had to be constructed within the facility. Not to mention securing all of the necessary permits and lease agreements, all of which takes time. In the end, just preparing the building itself took over a year. Walk through the front doors, and you’ll realize it was worth the wait. It’s clear from the first glance that the entire set-up is geared towards efficient repair. Pellicciotta spent a lot of time consulting with staff from CARSTAR, Matt Gibson from Flat Line Spraybooth Specialists, Jeff Keddie from Essor Consulting, Jerry Syner from JES Sales and Cam Lavender from BASF, determining optimal layout and equipment. “Lorenzo did a lot of planning to make sure the building would work, before he ever signed the lease,” says Gibson. “We looked at various layouts, trying to determine the best way to get production flowing through.”
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The centre is the brand-new and updated Blowtherm Blowpower booth and the two Blowtherm Double Finish Workstations. All are equipped with lifts for expedited production. “Working on the bottom is a huge pain,” says Pellicciotta. “When you can just lift it and spray it’s better and easier.” Ergonomics does more than save your painter’s back and knees. Any efficiency translates to increased profitability. Another area where greater efficiencies are being realized at CARSTAR Oakville East is in the prep stations, featuring the new Select Air Speed system, exclusive to Blowtherm. “It divides the working area of the plenum into sections and provides higher air flow to the quadrant you’re working on,” says Gibson. “It concentrates available power where it will do the most good, rather than just pumping air into the prep station. It gives you faster dust removal, reduced noise levels and shorter operating cycles, which means you save energy.” CARSTAR Oakville East has also invested in new racks, a new Multi Bench 12 and a Touch measuring system from Spanesi and much more. “If you want to stay competitive, you’ve got to reinvest in your business,” says Pellicciotta. “It’s really that simple.” CRM