A recent project at LA-CO Industries' Elk Grove Village, IL manufacturing facility provided a unique "field test" opportunity, as the company became both manufacturer and consumer of its own products. For 70 years, LA-CO has based its success on providing innovative solutions for the plumbing, HVAC, industrial, agricultural, lumber, welding, and other industries. Today, more than 2,000 LA-CO/Markal products are sold around the world through a network of 6,500 distributors, in the U.S. and 25 countries.

As with many improvement projects, what began as a single task -- an upgrade to the raw material handling systems -- ended up in a major revamping of the 5,000 sq ft mold processing facility where the company's B Paintstik® and All-Weather® marking products are manufactured.

According to president John Hardin, the renovation targeted three objectives: first, to improve workplace safety, employee welfare, and internal product quality with automated material handling equipment; second, to achieve an increase in productivity and efficiency gains through automation; and third, to increase capacity. Midwest Maintenance & Industrial, Inc, a local company, served as general contractor.

Coordinating the activities of six different trades proved to be a challenge. First, the timeframe for completion was relatively tight: work began on November 29 and had to be completed by January 15. LA-CO did not wish to shut down operations during the process, so construction was confined to a 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. workday, Monday through Saturday, so that LA-CO could run afternoon and night shifts to meet production schedules. To complicate matters, six different trades were working simultaneously at times in tight quarters, with new equipment being installed while old equipment was still in operation.

LA-CO and Markal products were an integral part of the project, according to Jeffrey Bradfield, Midwest Maintenance & Industrial CEO. Valve Action® paint markers and Dura-Ink® markers were used to mark pipe and conduit. (Leo Chernyak, shown here, uses a LA-CO B Paintstik® Marker to mark through oil and grease.)

To counter the impact of heat and high temperatures during soldering, Cool Gel® heat barrier spray was used. Cool Gel helps prevent heat damage to components and surrounding materials during soldering, brazing, and welding and reduces the danger of fire to surrounding surfaces, such as rubber and plastic seals and gaskets. The gel formula sticks to surfaces without dripping or running off, making it a convenient option to using wet rags or sheet metal to protect adjacent areas. The product proved its worth when the contractor had to elevate a pump base.

"Without Cool Gel we would have had to disassemble the entire pump and send the base out to be trimmed. That would have cost us two days," said Bradfield. "By being able to do the job on-site, using Cool Gel, we kept to our timeframe and saved money, as well."

Midwest Maintenance & Industrial went through jars of LA-CO soldering flux in the process of fabricating equipment and lines. The product's water-soluble, non-acid, non-toxic, and lead-free formula complemented the company's goal of improving the safety of the work environment.

To ensure a tight seal, Slic-Tite® paste was used in every joint. The versatile, premium heavy-duty thread sealant was used on metal, PVC, CPVC, and ABS plastic pipe threads. In addition to being resistant to the chemicals within the manufacturing process in mold room applications, Slic-Tite® paste is also effective for sealing water, air, steam, natural gas, LP gas, refrigerants, ammonia, gasoline, and oil. Prior to being put into service, each line was tested with Sure-Chek® all-temperature leak detector to verify a leak-free joint.

Six weeks from the start date, LA-CO could boast a completely new mold room. Equipment that had been in place since the facility opened in 1994 was replaced with a state-of-the-art manufacturing system. Manually controlled tasks have been automated. Closed-loop systems contribute to efficiency and economy in a manufacturing process that produces millions of marking crayons annually.

"Manufacturing is continually evolving and with this project we have put in place the most up-to-date process systems currently available into our production facility. Having a chance to see how our own products contributed to the process was an added dimension," said Hardin.

"We are improving the product by improving the process," added CEO Dan Kleiman. "In the end everyone benefits, both our employees and our customers."