It
is part of the development of this concept applied to our paints and coatings industry.
by M.Sc. Ph.D. Julián A. Restrepo R.*
After explaining the meaning of the "Slow" movement as a cultural current that promotes the slowdown of human activities, in this second part we will analyze this concept within the paints and coatings sector.
The concept "Slow" in the formulation of coatings: To better understand the applicability of the "Slow" concept to the world of formulation and development of paints and coatings, we will analyze some situations:
Cost reduction of formulations hastily: This can lead to not properly completing all the required technical information, as well as having an incomplete balance sheet or economic analysis, which in the long run can lead to over-costs. That is, if a measure is implemented with the initial objective of saving costs, but if the necessary time is not invested in the required associated analyses, there may be "hidden costs" and other variables that you will not consider, which, if considered, could have determined that such a measure did not allow the projected cost savings.
Later, in a financial analysis it will be determined that somehow someone in the process or in the operation is not allowing to obtain the expected savings. This situation connects to the "Hanlon principle": Never attribute to evil what can be explained by stupidity [15].
Development of a broad portfolio: When a company has few products to market, it regrets not having a broader product portfolio, and in some cases they work in that direction, to such an extent that the company already has such a broad product portfolio, that it ends up somehow "atomizing its product offering", in search of satisfying the particular needs of some customers and not the whole itself.
Certainly, a situation like these leads to: i) an increase in the complexity of the use, handling and storage of MPs, due to a greater use of MPs; (ii) increase in the stock of finished products; iii) complexity for the management of a broader portfolio: higher advertising cost, greater number of formulations in the system and productive scheme; iv) non-optimal costs, due both to the development of many products of the same family (expansion of the offer of products already known by the customer, as well as new colors, for example, where in some cases you can have a wide palette of colors, say about 1000 options, instead of 100), as well as the development of products similar to the current ones, but being classified as independent families, although in reality they could have slight differences with the current formulations (differences only in the content of solids, the use of an MP, or subtle differences in the combination of materials, etc.).
This situation, where we have an increase in the complexity of the number of products and the portfolio, goes against the precepts of the so-called "Ockham's Razor": The simplest answer is usually the correct one [16]1.
Hot decisions, bad decisions: In some cases, some companies have strong internal pressures for the fulfillment of results and various indicators, such as the dreaded financial ones, among others, for the reduction of the size of their development teams (number of people). The issue is that if this reduction is not done properly, that is, thinking long-term (and not short-term!) or decisions are not made hastily, it may turn out that such teams will end up dispensing with "key personnel" and now you have the risk of "leakage of key information" and that, if you want, it is available in the "labor exchange".
Again, this situation connects to the "Hanlon principle": Never attribute to evil what can be explained by stupidity [15].
Hasty or unsmart purchases of MPs: Purchases of this type can lead to high volumes of MPS storage, for example, by making a quick purchase to get a low price or due to a cost-decreasing substitution of a formulation.
The issue is that, although for many companies it is a resolved issue from the point of view of Supply, it still occurs in some companies: If the purchase was made without properly analyzing all the variables, the following can occur:
i) have stored an MP with low consumption for a long time or one that is expected in time to lower its consumption projection; ii) we must remember that MPs have a shelf life, and the storage of these for long times can lead to quality problems (some can be deactivated, denatured, lose their reactivity or react over time), increased process times (some pigments and powder additives, tend to agglomerate or compact when on the shelf for some time, and others, to gain moisture, such as some carbon blacks and silicas) or loss of product performance (some additives lose effectiveness or chemically lose reactivity, some gain viscosity and lose their ability to dissolve completely in the vehicle); iii) as we know, high inventories is working-capital and the money must always be profitable, so as not to leave it staked as MPs, instead of having it invested in another more lucrative way for the company. The issue is that, in many cases, it is observed that when balancing the cost reduction against the costs associated with the quality of the product and the associated risks, in many cases there are disadvantages.
Respect the evaluation times of MPs: To replace an MP or find an alternative, a minimum of time is required to be able to do a proper analysis. If this time cannot be devoted to it, you can end up selecting the wrong MP, for example, with a lower content of solids or active component, containing traces of incompatible materials (silicones) or with toxicity problems (asbestos, heavy metals), with differences in their reactivity, materials of different chemistry (for example, as a rheological agent, before a bentone was used and now a derivative of castor oil), or materials with special process requirements (longer process times, additional operations, reaching a certain temperature, etc.), among others.
Final comments
An attempt has been made to show the reader that running, or rather, forcing to accelerate the times associated with R&D can generate "non-quality costs", rework, rework and in the long run, involve the investment of a greater time for the correction of the initial defect. The primary reflection is based on the fact that if a little more time were allocated to the activities of thinking, planning and enjoying the activity of research itself, the chances of success would increase, ultimately decreasing the required times of development and consumption of resources.
From my experience, I find that every time our companies are going towards the trend of the "Fast" and we try every time, to do more with less, but we invite reflection on the advantages and enjoyment of the "Slow" movement, to: slow down development times; design paints that last longer (from the point of view of performance), as well as paints with more durable colors over time: develop paints based on MPs from renewable schemes and based on the trend of the eco, green and ethical; promote quality production and deliver products with higher added value; in some ways, resist homogenization and perhaps, globalization2; use MPs with a low carbon footprint, from local suppliers and that require short transport distances between their origin and destination plant.
In some cases, there are advantages in turning to small suppliers, rather than large multinationals. And finally, in general, we must work in our R&D teams to limit the generation of activities so as not to swell the list of pending activities and increase development approaches towards products that allow us to improve urban development, the life cycle and climate change (energy saving)
Finally, from the author's point of view, the tendency towards "Slow" is nothing more than a consequence of Nash equilibrium [17] and Ockham's Razor [16]: Cooperate rather than compete (Nash equilibrium) and simple, though not necessarily faster, solutions (Ockham's Razor) are always preferable.
Footnote:
1 Although we must recognize that, according to the mandates of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, we are condemned to disorder.
2 Although nature teaches us that a wide diversity, in some cases, is advantageous to promote evolution and ensure the survival of some species.
References
[15] https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principio_de_Hanlon
[16] Restrepo, J.A., "Ockham's Razor in formulation"; Inpralatina, Vol. 16, No. 4, Jul/Aug. 2011, pp. 35-38
[17] (a) Restrepo, J.A., "The Nash Equilibrium, Part I"; Inpralatina, Vol. 17, No. 5, sept./oct. 2012, pp. 23-25; (b) Restrepo, J.A., "The Nash Equilibrium, Part II"; Inpralatina, Vol. 17, No. 6, Nov/Dec 2012, pp. 20-23.
* M.Sc. Ph.D. Julián A. Restrepo R. Independent Consultant. [email protected] Medellin, Colombia
