Due to the unpredictability of freighting live animals on a trailer, not only is safety a concern, but also the state of the unit’s interior. As a result, livestock transport expert Duncan Stockcrates banks on DuPont Performance Coatings to provide a finish impervious to the elements.
Renowned for manufacturing strong, durable trailers to serve a highly demanding agricultural industry, Duncan Stockcrates cannot afford taking shortcuts in the manufacturing process, which is why in early 2011 it selected DuPont Performance Coatings (DPC), considered by many in the industry as the benchmark for colour, appearance and productivity.
“Our concern was that the two-coat paint we were previously using wasn’t keeping the shine 12 months down the track,” says Duncan Stockcrates’ Managing Director, Stuart Duncan. “So we decided to change the paint to maintain our high quality standard.”
For Glenn Marquet, NSW CV Industrial Sales and Technical Consultant for DPC, commercial transport vehicles like the Duncan trailers have their own unique needs when it comes to applying the right paint finish. “We’ve been dealing with Stuart for about a year now,” he says. “We introduced him to a solution that not only provides a better finish than the product he was using before, but also improves the longevity of the entire trailer.”
Glen recommended waiving the one-coat primer Stuart used to use before and put him onto a two-coat epoxy solution. “As a result, we improved both corrosion resistance and overall durability at the same time,” he explains. “DPC have also improved the polyurethane top coat, because we know the challenge is in the long-term. For Duncan, the real test will come two years down the track.”
According to Stuart, the epoxy provides a much stronger finish, which can protect the integrity of the metal much longer. “Before we begun our partnership with DPC, what we were using was a 1K etch primer accompanied by a two pack paint. Unfortunately, the gloss level wasn’t holding up according to our expectations,” he points out. “So what we wanted from them was a coating that was resistant to a number of things that are common occurrences in our industry, including constant stock movements to animal urine and faeces, which can eventually break down your coating and over time damage the metal underneath.”
As it turns out, the DPC solution is reaping all kinds of benefits for Duncan Stockcrates. “What DPC’s epoxy solutions do for us is extend the lifetime of the units we build as opposed to a shorter window,” explains Stuart. “Yes, it may cost us more to get a high quality solution, but in the long run we feel it’ll get us more work because our clients know they won’t spend exorbitant amounts of money to maintain their applications. In addition, DPC sends out a representative every three months to check on the state of the paint – that’s what we consider great after sales service. We can rest easy knowing our paint will stand up well enough for long enough.”
Since 1987, Duncan Stockcrates’ livestock trailers have established themselves as a key player in Australia’s agricultural industry, ensuring a gapless livestock supply chain all around the continent. Based in central New South Wales, Duncan manufacturers custom-made units to fit the farmers’ requirements, which can range from basic 2×1 versions to pig and dog trailers, truck and pig combinations, single or B-double trailers in two-deck cattle or four-deck sheep and single-decks, to multi-purpose horse, cattle and produce crates.
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