BASF Coatings and Tubor: 4 years’ close collaboration, a successful vicinity

Verbania. Tubor, market leader in the production of steel radiators for over 40 years, is today one of BASF Coatings Spa’s most important customers. Since 1967 their history has shown a reliable presence in the field - namely since 1967 – years of research, expertise and success. A dynamic, ever growing business reality investing in technologies to attain quality, high-efficiency products with an optimum ratio between consumed energy and emanated heat; functionally-designed radiators, which become an integral part of the home furnishing. Their great attention devoted to design makes Tubor one of the market leaders in the production of steel heating units, as well as one of the leading European realities in the heating sector.

In 2002, faced with a more and more competitive market, the customers’ growing needs and the increase of quality standards. Just within this phase BASF Coatings Spa started out the collaboration relationship with Tubor. “For two years we have worked in close collaboration with BASF coatings experts to achieve the optimal product. We were constantly improving our production cycle and renewing our machinery and BASF consequently had to adjust the product to our needs” explains Andrea Ramponi, Managing Director at Tubor. “Logistics and vicinity of our factories have greatly favoured interventions and relations; the product has been decisive in the supplier’s choice”. In fact, BASF Coatings’s and Tubor’s production plants in Verbania Fondotoce are not only located in the same street, but just one opposite the other. “The relationship between the staff of the two companies has been excellent as from the start. Their close collaboration and the continuous updating of the technical-commercial relation has lead to a better and better knowledge of the respective technologies, thus allowing both companies to achieve mutually satisfactory qualitative and economic results,” explains Marzio Marchesi, Product Manager of the radiator field and responsible of customer Tubor’s technical support.

BASF Coatings supplies both liquid paint, anaphoresis from the factory in Burago, and powder paint from the factory in Verbania. “The commitment in developing and improving the anaphoresis and powder products offered to Tubor has really been remarkable and we must admit that BASF Coatings labs have really scored a hit by correctly interpreting the customer’s real needs,” remarks Marzio Marchesi.

In the customer’s factory, the applying process of BASF paints starts after the radiator has been subject to testing, pickling and washing. The first coating concerns the application of the anaphoresis primer, then the anaphoresis is baked and the powder is electrostatically applied with “tribo” process. Finally, the radiator is inserted into the oven for epoxide-polyester powders at 180°C and then set down in the cooling line. The quality check and packaging are eventually performed.

“For us it is important that the paint guarantees a high penetration and edge covering even in the most critical uniformity parts,” explains Andrea Santini, Responsible of Coating Process at Tubor.

Today Tubor, with 230 employees, two production sites in the province of Verbania and one being built in Tunisia, produces 3,500 units and 250,000 radiators per year and can offer a wide choice of radiators capable of fitting in an elegant and functional way into any environment, profiting of a sales and marketing network covering the whole national and European territory.

“Tubor scalda il cuore”, which means Tubor warms up the heart, is Tubor’s eye-catcher. This is the present, a present that can be at the same time the genuine company philosophy, manifest in every collaborator’s DNA; a guiding thread connecting Tubor’s to the people’s heart through each produced unit reaching its final destination in the customer’s home.

BASF Coatings stick to the guidelines which define their future course in vision BASF 2015, and include helping their customers become successful, thus contributing to the success of the BASF Group as “The Chemical Company”.

The importance of the radiators sector for BASF Coatings

BASF is actually a renowned brand in the market of Household Appliances, where the HVAC segment (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) is undoubtedly a strong point of BASF Coatings Spa. BASF Coatings paints are used to coat cast iron, aluminium and steel radiators, besides water heaters, air-conditioners, heat exchangers and boilers. A thorough knowledge of the market, the availability of all technologies employed in the field, an efficient technical and after-sale service always up to the market needs, as well as the product quality make BASF Coatings Spa a successful partner for all their customers, among which are outstanding names such as Tubor, Ferroli, Termo Teknik, Fondital, Rettig Group, Buderus, Brötje, Arbonia Forster Group and Biasi Group. In fact, just thanks to their excellent product and logistics quality, delivery reliability, excellent support service and long-standing collaboration – over 10 years – in 2006 BASF Coatings received the “Termo Teknik Award” from one of the main European radiators manufacturers, their customer Termo Teknik.

BASF : A major international player in coatings

BASF Coatings AG belongs to the global Coatings Division of the BASF Group. In 2006 the Coatings Division achieved world sales of about 2.3 billion euros. The Coatings Division develops, produces and markets a high-quality range of innovative automotive OEM coatings, automotive refinishes and industrial coatings as well as decorative paints, and also the processes needed to apply them. In this business, eco-efficient water-based, powder and high-solids coatings as well as radiation-curable systems play a special part. In Brazil, the company has been successful in the decorative paints market for years and holds the leading position. BASF has a major, global presence in the Coatings sector, with significant market positions in Europe, North America, South America and the Asia/Pacific region, for example with affiliates in Australia, China, India, Japan, and the Philippines. The internet address of BASF Coatings is www.basf-coatings.com.

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