Do you need abrasive blasting plant and equipment for your company but don’t know where to start or what to look for in an engineering firm? Here are seven questions to ask BEFORE engaging abrasive blasting engineers to ensure you get the highest quality and safest system for your team.
1. How long have you been established?
You want a company that has been operating in the industry for a significant amount of time. Abrasive blasting is not an area you want to skimp or risk inexperience on – it’s your reputation and the safety of your team on the line.
As a multi-generational company with over 45 years of experience, we know this industry backwards and the solutions that will lower operating costs, achieve the desired outcomes and most importantly, ensure safe workplaces.
2. What level of trust do you have in the industry?
Let’s be real for a moment, there are some very slick sales and marketing people out there that can make a company sound incredible – but it doesn’t mean the rest of their organisation lives up to their claims.
Ask about the solutions they’ve provided others with, read their case studies and check out the clients they advertise on their website. If a company is reputable, they should have no issue in advertising who they work with and should easily give you examples of what they’ve done for others. You can find out the companies we work with at clients and case studies.
3. Do you have a thorough customer consultation process?
With so many different companies and industries requiring abrasive blasting, you want engineers that get to know you, listen to what you need, learn about your products and processes and help you determine the best outcome. You should expect a thorough discovery process and a customised solution that fits your industry, company size and individual needs.
At Protoblast, we have a range of products to provide you with a first-class abrasive facility, whether that is a dust extractor fitted to an existing shed to get you started, full turnkey blast room set-up or a custom-built wheel machine.
4. Do you provide custom design and build services?
Once the engineers have a greater understanding of your company and abrasive blasting needs, they should take the information you’ve provided and turn it into a clear set of design specifications.
By scaling and combining plant components and choosing the best materials, you should end up with a custom-designed solution that meets your unique abrasive blasting requirements.
From the largest automated plants to small portable blast chambers, at Protoblast, we have the in-house expertise and capabilities to provide a single source abrasive blasting solution. Have a look at out how we created a machine and system that met the unique requirements of New Zealand based company, OnGas here.
5. Do you have rigorous quality control?
As part of the building process, engineers should thoroughly inspect the integrity and accuracy of the plant and equipment to ensure you get the highest quality outcome possible. Each component should be individually checked with full assembly and a test run done prior to installation.
With machines that are over 30 years old still in service, you can be certain that we are meticulous when it comes to the quality of our plant and equipment.
6. Do you provide a full end-to-end process?
To ensure you are up and running as quickly as possible, you want abrasive blasting engineers that provide a complete end-to-end process. This way, the design, build, logistics, installation, commissioning, training, after-sales support and servicing are all sorted – so you can get on with what you do best.
7. Are your products locally made?
When your company depends on machinery, you need to ensure that downtime is kept to a minimum. This is why it’s best to buy locally made products to avoid long wait times for parts.
With spare parts always in stock, maintenance issues and breakdowns are a breeze with Protoblast, and our experienced service team will get you back to business-as-usual quickly and easily.
There you have it, seven questions that will ensure you engage the right abrasive blasting engineers and a safe and superior system for your team.