AkzoNobel helps Shropshire Aircraft Painting achieve a new quality high!
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Keith Bebbington of Shropshire Aircraft Painting has always been committed to quality. So in looking for a new coatings partner to satisfy the needs of his discerning general aviation (GA) customers, he’s turned to the world’s leading provider of aerospace coatings, AkzoNobel. And the result, in Keith’s words, have been ‘phenomenal’.
Keith has been painting aircraft for more than 40 years and started Shropshire Aircraft Painting more than a decade ago. Today he operates from a hangar at Sleap, a former RAF base, 10 miles north of Shrewsbury. It is from here that Keith and his small team service the needs of principally private owners of small aircraft, from modern Piper Cherokees to historic trainers such as the AT-6 Harvard.
What all his customers have in common is their demand for quality. And with AkzoNobel’s Alumigrip 4200, Keith has found precisely what they are looking for: “We recently repainted our first aircraft (a Piper P-28 Cherokee) using the AkzoNobel system and the difference in application and finish is phenomenal,” he says.
“Not only is the finish excellent, but we also only have to use a lower volume of paint to achieve the same coverage as the hiding characteristics of the AkzoNobel paint is so good. This not only saves us money but is also better for the environment.”
Alumigrip 4200 is a three-component low-VOC high solid durable polyurethane topcoat that provides premium gloss and distinctness of image (DOI) designed to meet and exceed the expectations of the GA coaters. Compatible with the Alumigrip 4450 clearcoat, the finish is buffable and highly durable to deliver a longer-lasting wet-look appearance that is highly weather resistant as well as being resistant to aircraft hydraulic fluids, oils and other liquids.
“In this particular application we’ve opted for a metallic effect paint which is a noticeable improvement on the paints we have used before and the feedback from our client has been excellent,” Keith continues.
“With a full pipeline of customers, impressed by the work that we do and the performance of AkzoNobel’s paints, I’m also looking to take on more painters to keep up with demand.”
Keith was reintroduced to the AkzoNobel coatings by the local Senior Technical Consultant Sean Magness, who not only discussed the quality of finish but also the certainty of supply and technical support available.
It is certainly not Keith’s first experience of the products, however. In 2022, he helped a local flying enthusiast, Alex Cartwright, to paint his scratch-built high-performance Pitts S1-11B with a custom colour supplied by the AkzoNobel team. The system in this case included a chromate-free three-component epoxy primer (Aerodur Barrier Primer 37045) and Alumigrip 4250 accent colour basecoat. The Alumigrip 4450 clearcoat finish completed the task and was recommended because of its exceptional gloss.
Sean, who is a former painter himself and so understands the practical challenges of switching to a new coatings system, says he is delighted to be working with Keith as his preferred partner: “It is still early days, but Keith is already beginning to realise the benefits of our coatings,” he concludes.
“The simplicity of application and accelerated drying time is good for his business, while the exceptional finish is bringing delight to his customers.”