Valley company painting the way toward environmental responsibility

MISSION — Thomas Violett hopes to spread environmental responsibility in the Rio Grande Valley manufacturing industry one metal part at a time.

Violett operates Mission-based Valley Superior Powder Coating, which has been in business since November and already boasts being the largest powder coating company in the area.

Powder coating is a painting process that is applied as a spray dusting and cured under heat to allow it to bind to the material being manipulated. It is often used to paint metal items such as automotive and electrical parts and furniture.

Most manufacturers still use traditional liquid paint. But as companies become more environmentally conscious, some are turning to powder coatings because they produce less hazardous waste, Violett said. Overspray can also be recycled, which means nearly 100 percent of the paint can be used.

“People are still fighting it,” said Violett, the plant manager. “You can really crack down on emissions with this.”

However, liquid paint is easier to apply in thin, even films and generally looks smoother when examined closely.

“That’s got a powder coating on it,” Violett said with a confident grin as he ran his hands over a metal cabinet in his office. “You can see the texture. With liquid, it’s real smooth.”

The powder method usually leaves a bumpy, textured finish, he explained.

Violett, who has been painting metal for 38 years, said the company has been steadily growing since it first opened.  The conveyor line was expanded by 80 feet to 1,450 feet long in July, and six new employees have been hired at Valley Superior since last year.

Employees at the plant — a hot 20,000 square-foot warehouse in Mission’s industrial park — work for 45-minute shifts to avoid heat exhaustion. The conveyor line moves about six feet per minute, taking parts through chambers where they are washed, sprayed with paint, cured and inspected.

After a machine rinses them clean, employees blast spray guns toward the conveyor line. The parts then travel toward an oven that bakes them at 375 degrees.

“It’s hot as blazes,” said Scotty Carson as he finished a shift Wednesday afternoon, wiping off a thick film of beige residue that caked onto his hair, face and clothes.

The inspection team then checks for quality, making sure the paint covers the parts evenly.

“(Violett) is always looking for ways to make our job easier,” inspector Nelly Gutierrez said in Spanish. “He treats us like family.”