How Universal Primers in newbuilding situations can improve shipyards efficiency while optimising vessel protection 1. Introduction The use of "Universal Primers" has received increasingly high attention in the Marine coatings market the last few years, particularly for newbuilding projects, and the use of universal primers in specifications are spreading out. An increasing number of shipyards are requesting paint manufacturers to provide specifications based on universal primers, and now also shipowners are enquiring about the use of these for newbuildings. The result being, that all major paint manufacturers are offering their own universal primer.

Although various types of primers with some universal nature have been in use for some time, the background and real breakthrough for universal primers came when the Korean shipbuilding industry in 2000-2001 requested paint manufacturers to develop universal primers as a common denominator for increasing their efficiency. Implementation of various rules, standards and legislations (such as ban of TBT in antifouling paints) has in general caused an increase in paint costs. Korean shipyards identified the development of universal primers as the best solution to offset these increased costs, as the simplification of the painting process will lead to tremendous efficiency gains in the total shipbuilding process.

This common approach from Korea has eventually led to a full introduction and acceptance for the use of universal primers in the newbuilding process, not only in Korea and Asia, but also more and more within the European shipbuilding industry. The efficiency advantages for the yards have no geographical borders, but one central question remains open; is the introduction of universal primers only a benefit for the shipbuilding industry, or will it also offer benefits for ship owners?

2. Difference of newbuilding and maintenance situation Traditionally the Marine industry has focused much on protecting the different areas of the vessel with coating systems tailored for each particular area. Whilst it is true that some special products must be used for special areas, the anti-corrosive primers more often offer beneficial and good solutions for most parts of a vessel. Jotun consider it to be more important to differentiate the protective coating systems dependent on the time of application, where it is natural to differentiate between newbuilding situations versus maintenance situations.

• In newbuilding situations the following are often the standard:

- New steel grit blasted to Sa 2½ for most parts of the vessel - Build for 18-25 years in operation - Production process requires fast speed/throughput of blocks, and the

painting process is often considered to be the bottleneck

• Maintenance situations can often be recognised by the following:

- Previously coated steel structures - Lower surface preparation standards; water jetting, hand tooling or blast

cleaning to Sa 2 for dry-dock situations - Lifetime requirement may vary, shorter than in newbuilding situations - Application conditions may vary, less ideal than in newbuilding situations - Reduced time needed for surface preparation is more important than to

reduce time for application

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How Universal Primers in newbuilding situations can improve shipyards efficiency while optimising vessel protection The above implies that anti-corrosive primers may need different properties dependent on whether it is being used for newbuilding or maintenance situations. For newbuilding fast re-coating time, anti-corrosive performance and universal compliancy to various substrates and coating systems are important properties, whilst surface tolerance is of less importance in most cases. Primers with pure epoxy as the binder system will be able to offer advantages for these situations.

In maintenance situations, it is however more important to choose anti-corrosive coatings with good wetting properties and with the ability to penetrate into the substrate. Epoxy mastics are offering superior advantages for these situations as the content of hydrocarbon resin enhances the moisture resistance, flexibility and the wetting properties.

The above implies that, unless there is a major refurbishment, pure epoxy universal primers are suited to newbuilding situations, whilst the anti-corrosive primers in a maintenance program should consist of epoxy mastics designed for good adhesion at lower surface preparation standards.

3. What are "Universal Primers"? There are a few products on the market that the manufacturers claim to be "Universal Primers". What is really meant by a "Universal Primer"? It does not exist any exact definition of a universal primer, or any requirements to which properties a universal primer should have. But surely, the different universal primers on the market also offer different features. One way of comparing the different products when it comes to the universal nature, is to evaluate them according to the "Universal Foundation Block".

To truly be categorised as a "Universal Primer", the product should live up to the following six elements:

• ALL ROUND: Suitable to be applied as the anti-corrosive primer all round the vessel, for areas such as underwater hull, water ballast tanks, cargo holds, topsides, decks, superstructures, internal areas, etc.

Fig 1: The Universal Foundation Block

• ALL YEAR: Same product to be applied in both cold and warm climate

• WIDE RANGE OF SUBSTRATES: Ability to be applied on a number of different substrates, such as bare steel, shopprimers, galvanised steel, stainless steel and aluminium

• FLEXIBILITY ON RECOATING INTERVALS: Allow for both short minimum re-coating intervals as well as long maximum re-coating intervals

• ANY TOPCOAT: Allow for any generic type of topcoat to be applied directly to the universal primer

• FOUNDATION FOR ALL MAINTENANCE: Offer compatibility to all generic types of coatings used in subsequent maintenance situations

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How Universal Primers in newbuilding situations can improve shipyards efficiency while optimising vessel protection 4. Coating requirements from shipowners and shipyards Coating systems for vessels have many functional uses and requirements. They can be categorised into 3 major areas; cosmetic appearance, anti-fouling for minimised fuel consumption, and anti-corrosion for vessel protection. The universal primers fall into the latter category, where the needs and requirements can be split into 4 areas; protection, efficiency, health/safety/environment (HSE) and compliancy to legislations.

Both the requirements to HSE and compliancy to legislations are important for universal primers, but will not be discussed any further in this context. The two remaining requirements for the anti-corrosive primers are however the main focus points, also as it is a main question whether they might pull in the same direction:

• Shipowners will for newbuilding situations seek coating systems that provide the necessary protection capabilities for the vessel's lifetime. Optimum protection is needed to maximise the return on the investment in a new vessel. Type of vessel, type of cargo, trading pattern and designed lifetime will all influence on the choice of the paint system.

• Shipyards on the other hand are searching to utilise the investments of the shipyard capacity to gain highest returns possible. To do this, they need to seek coating systems that maximise their production efficiency, where speed and simplicity always will be contributing factors.

How can universal primers then contribute both to shipowners' request for optimised protection and at the same time contribute to shipyards' request to maximise their efficiency?

5. Improvement of shipyard efficiency 5.1 Paint material cost & paint process cost

As shipyards originally identified the need for universal primers, the shipyards' benefits are quite obvious. To understand this it is important to understand the underlying factors of a shipyard's cost structure;

• Total paint cost = paint material cost + paint process cost (labour cost for surface preparation, paint application, mixing, thinning, waste, etc)

The split between the material and process costs vary as the cost of labour varies depending on geographical location of the shipyard. Either way, it is quite clear that the paint process costs outweigh the material costs. We have been given calculations from one leading shipbuilding group who has estimated the split to be 20% on material costs and 80% on process costs, and another leading shipyard who has estimated this ratio to be 30% on material costs and 70% on process costsi.

In order to improve the cost situation related to painting, the shipyard therefore needs to focus on the process costs rather than the material costs. Use of universal primers will for the majority of shipyards be a key element to reduce the paint process costs.

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How Universal Primers in newbuilding situations can improve shipyards efficiency while optimising vessel protection 5.2 Improved efficiency through reduced complexity and increased

productivity

Speed and simplicity will always be contributing factors for shipyards to maximise their efficiency. This concern all aspects of the newbuilding, painting included. Imagine the efficiency gains shipyards would achieve if they were only to apply one primer for the whole vessel, with one anti-fouling for the underwater hull, and one topcoat for areas that need cosmetic appearance. It would be a dream for shipyards, but not realistic yet. However, with the introduction of universal primer, this scenario is closer.

Conventional systems with different primers for different areas, usually end up in 10-15 various primers for one newbuilding. The use of universal primer can reduce this to 2 or 3 different primers (some special primers still required for potable water tanks etc.), and with that reduce complexity and increase productivity. Using the same primer all over, helps the yard to simplify and standardise their paint application procedures. The speed of the throughput of the newbuilding or the block sections will increase, as well as the applicators' familiarity with the primer. All of this leading to overall improvement of the efficiency, and also reduction of the paint process costs.

Examples of savings potential for specific areas for a shipyard using universal primer all over the vessel:

SAVING AREA POTENTIAL SAVINGii REASON

WASTE Up to 20% reduction Less cleaning, more even dft's, bulk supply, reduced leftovers

THINNER Up to 10% reduction Less cleaning

DOWNTIME Up to 20% reduction Less changeover, reduced waiting time for re-coating

DRYING TIME Up to 50% reduction Faster re-coating = faster shipyard output

RAW MATERIAL STOCK Up to 50% reduction Fewer products implies reduced need for warehouse space

5.3 Illustrative example

System A: Conventional system for a newbuilding project includes 10-15 different primers for different areas of the vessel. Total paint material cost for the project is USD 1 million, and the paint material cost is approximately 25% of the total paint cost.

System B: A fast drying universal primer replaces the remaining primers in the previous example. Total paint material cost increase by 10%, USD 100,000 as some of the primers used above has a lower cost per sq m. However, the universal primer reduces complexity and increases efficiency considerably, so the total paint material and paint process cost is reduced from 75% to 70%.

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How Universal Primers in newbuilding situations can improve shipyards efficiency while optimising vessel protection

Paint material Paint process costs

Paint process costs Paint material

$1 mill = 25% $3 mill = 75%

$1,1 mill = 30% $2,57 mill = 70%

Total cost = $ 4 mill

Total cost = $ 3,67 mill

A.

B.

Paint material Paint process costs

Paint process costs Paint material

$1 mill = 25% $3 mill = 75%

$1,1 mill = 30% $2,57 mill = 70%

Total cost = $ 4 mill

Total cost = $ 3,67 mill

A.

B.

The change from system A to system B implies an overall reduction of the total paint cost from USD 4 millions to USD 3,67 millions, even if the paint material cost increased by 10%.

It needs to be underlined that there is no academic approach that gives clear indications on the cost effect on newbuilding projects using universal primer system rather than conventional systems. This will vary with the type of project, shipyard logistics, cost of labour etc, and can only be evaluated project by project, or yard by yard. There is however no doubt that universal primer will be a contributor to reduction of the complexity and the paint process costs if used throughout the vessel; the question is by how much.

6. Optimising vessel protection How can shipowners rest assure that they will achieve the optimum protection of their vessel if they decide to choose a coating system based on universal primer all round the vessel?

First of all, shipowners should acknowledge the approach of differentiation of coating systems in newbuilding and maintenance situations as discussed earlier. There are different conditions for the coating systems to be applied, and universal primers surely have their advantage in newbuilding situations, while mastics have their advantage in maintenance situations. 6.1 Optimised product quality

There are 3 main arguments for why the product quality of the universal primer in itself should be equal or better than other conventional primer systems:

1. They are to be used all round the vessel. This implies that the product is designed to withstand the strongest corrosion attacks possible in water ballast tanks. In addition it has been developed to last for the vessel's lifetime when combined with proper maintenance work. This gives the product the best performance possible when it comes to corrosion protection and a general quality upgrade for areas where the best epoxies are normally not used.

2. Paint manufacturers' R&D-resources are limited. To utilise a better part of these resources on development of a universal primer, will ensure that the best quality is built into this product, rather than splitting up the development work on numerous smaller product development projects. It is simply better utilisation of available resources to make the best possible anti-corrosive paint, focusing on optimising areas such as resistance to abrasion, impact, cracking and cathodic disbondment, as well as improving flexibility, adhesion and application properties.

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How Universal Primers in newbuilding situations can improve shipyards efficiency while optimising vessel protection

3. The product is developed and specially designed for newbuilding situations and thus meeting the specific requirements to the coating performance under such conditions.

6.2 Optimised total protection

The three arguments all underline that the product qualities in itself for universal primers give the best corrosion protection properties achievable by epoxy coatings. However, good product quality can be ruined by unsuitable standards of surface preparation, uneven application or total system solutions that do not deliver the optimum protection.

When selecting the anti-corrosive primer at newbuilding stage it is important to acknowledge that the quality of the primer itself only stands for a certain amount of the end result of the total protection. It is equally important to select a primer that also optimises each element described in figure 2.

20%

20%

20%

20%

20%

Product Quality• Anti-corrosion• Abrasion & impact resistance • Flexible & crack resistant

Surface compatibility• Different substrates• Different shopprimers

Application quality• Easy to apply • Application control• Flexibility on recoating intervals

System compatibility• Shopprimers• Antifouling• Topcoats

Compatibility to maintenance programs• Compliancy to maintenance products

100%

PR

OTE

CTI

ON

20%

20%

20%

20%

20%

Product Quality• Anti-corrosion• Abrasion & impact resistance • Flexible & crack resistant

Surface compatibility• Different substrates• Different shopprimers

Application quality• Easy to apply • Application control• Flexibility on recoating intervals

System compatibility• Shopprimers• Antifouling• Topcoats

Compatibility to maintenance programs• Compliancy to maintenance products

100%

PR

OTE

CTI

ON

Fig 2: Elements to optimise to achieve best protection over a vessel's lifetime.

Only when this is done, a shipowner can rest assured that the best choice for corrosion protection is made and the protection of the vessel is optimised.

(The percentages given in the figure are not weighted by importance, but only by optimising each element, a 100% protection of the vessel can be achieved over its lifetime).

Again, universal primers in general offer benefits to shipowners in this context. A truly universal primer will optimise the product quality as discussed above.

The surface compatibility, the ability to be applied on any kind of substrate and any shopprimer, reduces the risk for making errors at the newbuilding stage. The same principle applies also with their system compatibility and compatibility to maintenance programs. In all, universal primers represent a safe choice that minimise the risk of making errors during application and also during maintenance situations. You know you select a compatible primer, and you know what you have applied when the vessel is due for maintenance.

Special attention should be given to the possibilities to optimise the application quality by the use of universal primers. Development focus is given to make the product easy to apply, sagging resistant and to have a uniformity that increases the application quality when it comes to achieving even and correct dft's. Use of universal primer also introduce less chances for wrong mixing and use, easier application control and overall more reliable end-results that will benefit the shipowner for the lifetime of the vessel.

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How Universal Primers in newbuilding situations can improve shipyards efficiency while optimising vessel protection 7. Concluding remarks The use of universal primers is spreading out in newbuilding situations, and the use will continue to increase in the years to come. Universal primers are here to stay, until eventually a major process change at newbuilding yards might change the coating requirements. If the product performance of the selected universal primer is of highest quality, it will provide a win-win situation for both shipyards and shipowners;

• Shipyards can reduce total paint costs and improve the yard efficiency

• Shipowners will optimise the vessel protection through general quality upgrade of the coating system and more secure and optimised vessel protection

Paint manufacturers will be enabled to focus more resources on developing improved coatings by reduction of the total number of development tasks. And, as ever before, the one who makes the coating best suited the needs of the yards and owners, will be the one being able to reap the benefits as a consequence of offering the best universal primer.

i Data provided to Jotun directly from shipyards ii Savings in percentage will vary depending on type of project and change in procedures Henning Langås Product Manager Jotun Coatings

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