At Valspar, innovation is at the heart of our commitment to serving our customers as a technology leader and to serving our shareholders as a market leader. We continue to develop new solutions to emerging challenges and do so while we help our company and our customers minimize our collective environmental impact.
We are developing a holistic portfolio management system. It will integrate continuous improvement for human health and the environment with desired performance characteristics, helping us create new coatings technologies. With this system, we can leverage business risks into opportunities for us and our customers.
We are also developing metrics to quantify our continuous improvement goals and measure our success in reducing the potential health and environmental impact of our products. The metrics will lay the groundwork for a broader, integrated process for innovating the next generation of products. As the system develops, we expect to be able to define continuous improvement goals across all portfolios, delivering top line growth through technology-leading solutions with an improved sustainability footprint.
Products such as Valspar Reserve™, with zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs), illustrate the environmental, human and business value of this holistic approach. With a built-in primer for thick one-coat coverage, and a stain-resistant, scrubbable finish, Reserve gives customers premium results. Zero VOCs translates to healthier, more comfortable indoor air quality. It is part of our drive to continuously reduce the VOCs in our coatings. By meeting new regulations that limit allowable VOCs in paint and reducing associated fees Reserve also benefits consumers’ wallets and Valspar’s shareholders. In California alone, we have reduced VOCs tied to our products by 57 percent in seven years. Additional environmental and economic benefits include its superior formulation and durability to protect and beautify surfaces longer with less need to repaint or to apply multiple coats.
Our Packaging business has implemented Safety by Design, a process based on systems used in pharmaceutical development. Safety by Design takes a holistic approach to product development by including factors such as performance, safety, regulatory compliance and manufacturing practicality, such as cost and ease of use in customers’ existing supply chains
Intermodal shipping containers revolutionized international trade of manufactured goods — and Aquaguard™ Coating System is revolutionizing the durability of those shipping containers. It is the first solvent-free, zinc-free corrosion protectant in the market that works consistently and reliably.
Shipping containers efficiently transport goods via truck, train or ship, but even minor surface damage can make the steel susceptible to corrosion from outdoor elements, especially salty ocean air and water spray. Coatings meant to deter this corrosion have typically been zinc based. Water-based formulas introduced by other manufacturers simply didn’t provide reliable performance. Now with Aquaguard, shipping lines benefit from corrosion-resistant coatings that meet or exceed the performance of zinc technology. Aquaguard helps shipping lines reduce their operating costs while improving their environmental sustainability. The zinc-free formula produces 75 percent less emissions and improves working conditions for those who apply it, eliminates the risk of zinc leaching into water, and reduces energy costs and insurance premiums. Aquaguard coatings also weigh 43 percent less than zinc-based formulas, helping to reduce the total load weight and, in turn, reduce fuel use and costs.
With the introduction of solar-reflective Fluropon® SR, Valspar has added energy efficiency benefits to our line of superior coatings for metal building components.
Architects, building owners and manufacturers worldwide have come to trust the Fluropon line to protect and beautify coil-coated metals that are formed into roofing, soffits, walls and siding. These coatings are durable for decades against pollution and wear, retain their colors with extreme resistance to chalking, and retain their flexibility, strength and beauty during forming.
The newest product in the lineup adds solar-reflective, energy efficiency benefits. With solar-reflective pigments, Fluropon SR helps keep buildings cooler, reduce energy demand and manage costs. It also helps reduce urban heat islands. Leading green building programs including LEED® and ENERGY STAR® recognize the benefits of paints with high solar reflectance values. While these programs currently focus on roof temperatures, aluminum extrusions and wall panels coated with Flurospar SR finishes will also reduce surface temperatures.
Fluropon SR is available in a wide array of standard and custom earth tones, pastels and restoration colors, as well as tints, shades and effects to create a distinguishing look.
As a leading supplier of wood coatings for the home furniture and kitchen cabinet markets, Valspar developed the Zenith™ line of wood coatings to help distributors, furniture manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers and builders meet environmental performance targets without sacrificing beauty or affordability. With 22 Greenguard®-certified products, the Zenith line enables our customers to choose superior coatings that meet strict standards for indoor air quality.
The most recent Zenith product to be Greenguard certified is Zenith G-1 Solvent-Based Self-Seal Topcoat. It offers furniture and cabinet manufacturers the flexibility to drop it in to existing production lines without the need for new equipment or changes to existing process. G-1 offers excellent moisture, chemical and mar resistance, as well as superb performance in flow, leveling, build and appearance, and is compatible with the full range of Valspar wood finish colors.