Perfectly showcased: PVC planters in every possible colour, thanks to ADLER

Around 20,000 PVC planters are coated every year at Nieuwkoop, and they use around 30 different colours every day. This might sound like a straightforward exercise but in reality it's an enormous challenge, as ADLER's application technologist Marco Ungericht knows only too well. He provides Nieuwkoop Europe with advice on their premises, together with the team from the ADLER Benelux sales office. "On the one hand, it's important to ensure the required adhesion on PVC and, on the other, the coating needs to have a high degree of chemical and mechanical resistance." The Dutch company attaches great importance to sustainability and being eco-friendly, and they spent a long time looking for a water-based coating system that would tick all these boxes – and ultimately found what they were looking for at ADLER: the water-based 2C paint system Polycolor 2K SQ, which was specially developed for coating PVC windows, doors and garden furniture, not only offers the perfect surface quality that is so important to Nieuwkoop Europe, but is also environmentally friendly and has been awarded the circular economy certification Cradle to Cradle.

Permanently stable

Before the paint is applied, the PVC planters are treated with deionised air – this neutralises the electrostatic charge so that no dust will stick to the planters. After this, the cleaning agent and adhesion promoter Polyactive SB is applied with a cloth – this guarantees perfect adhesion of the topcoat on the smooth PVC surface and makes it permanently waterproof. Finally, the planters are spray-painted with Polycolor 2K SQ in any one of 18 standard colours or countless special colours. With an unusually high degree of hardness and elasticity, the coating is highly durable to water spray, weathering, scratches or bumps. The paint also performs extremely well in terms of coverage and colour stability: "The paints that we are using now give much better coverage than the solvent-based paints that we used to use," Marc Bakker, Team Leader for Painting at Nieuwkoop Europe tells us. "With the orange and yellow planters, for example, you would often see stripes, but that's no longer the case." There are also advantages for those applying the paints: the health of employees is protected, cleaning and disposal of painting waste is easier – and not least, the exceptionally low VOC content of Polycolor 2K SQ makes an important contribution to the sustainability strategy of this Dutch customer.

Win-win situation

Nieuwkoop Europe have been coating their planters with water-based paints from ADLER for around a year now. Right from the start, their collaboration proved to be a win-win situation. Marc Bakker explains: "ADLER give us excellent support – for example, we were given extensive training in the use of water-based paints. When we have questions, ADLER's customer advisors are always there to help. Our customers are extremely satisfied with the surface quality of the planters." ADLER is also benefitting from the collaboration: "Coating PVC is a fascinating challenge and our collaboration with Nieuwkoop is giving us a good incentive to continue working on our Polycolor paint system." Nieuwkoop Europe are planning to introduce planters with special effect surfaces in a concrete and a metallic look, for example. Ultimately, the company's aim is to provide the perfect way of showcasing the wonderful plants that they deliver around the world.

ADLER – paint runs through our veins

With 720 employees, ADLER is Austria's leading manufacturer of varnishes, paints and wood preservatives. Founded in 1934 by Johann Berghofer, this family business is now managed by a member of the third generation, Andrea Berghofer. Every year, 21,000 tonnes of paint leave the Schwaz plant and are delivered to customers in more than 30 countries worldwide. ADLER has sales subsidiaries in Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia; their sole production site is the ADLER-Werk Lackfabrik in Schwaz, Tyrol (Austria). ADLER was one of the first companies in its sector to be 100% climate-neutral (since 2018). The company has been able to reduce its carbon footprint to a minimum through a wide range of measures. ADLER offsets any unavoidable residual emissions through the purchase of recognised climate protection certificates, thereby helping to finance new climate protection projects