Colour Express™ Powder Programme Helps Coaters Improve Operations through Mobile Matching Technology

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, April 23, 2018 – Sherwin-Williams announced a new programme designed to reduce the time it takes for powder finishers to match, receive and apply powder. The Colour Express programme utilises an affordable hand-held reader to match colour against in-stock powder products stocked at distribution centres and available at more than seventy Sherwin-Williams locations across North America. The combination of digital technology and locally stocked products can reduce the matching process from weeks down to a few days.

“Our customers often tell us the first shop to match a colour wins the job,” said Tabitha McLeish, global product line director for Sherwin-Williams. “Pairing digital colour matching technology along with Sherwin-Williams localised support and inventory can add speed to job coaters operations that can immediately have a positive impact on their business.”

Technology to measure and match colour has been available for some time. Devices, such as a spectrophotometer, can effectively measure and match colour right on site. However, investing the space and the capital for purchasing and maintaining the equipment just isn’t possible. With advances in technology, portable, accurate and affordable colour matching devices are now an option for any operation. The Sherwin-Williams ColourReaderPRO, powered by Datacolor, allows coaters to incorporate digital colour match technology into their operation. The device is simple, self-contained and calibrated on site. Job coaters benefit from improved match times, reduced inventory and improved customer response time. By implementing this technology paired with local in-stock inventory, coaters can reduce match and order times and begin a customer ’s job request in days instead of weeks.

Sherwin-Williams ColourReaderPRO powered by Datacolor
The ColourReaderPRO is a handheld colour matching and measurement tool that allows professionals to match or measure colour in their operations onsite. The portable device works stand-alone or through the Datacolor ColourReaderPRO smartphone application to provide enhanced features, such as additional colour information, fan deck visualisation, or quality control, on a mobile device. The ColourReaderPRO is calibrated onsite and comes loaded with Sherwin-Williams in-stock powder product matches.

In-stock power programmes from Sherwin-Williams
With more than seventy facilities across North America, Sherwin-Williams has stocked powder products to support job coater operations. Distribution centres house commonly ordered products to reduce customer lead times and improve coater service levels. ColourReaderPRO currently supports the following in-stock programmes:

• Powdura Colour Card Programme – 121 in-stock products
• RAL Powder Programme – 150 in-stock products

Additional in-stock products will be added to the Colour Express powder programme over time.