by Robert Mcmartin

Created on: November 03, 2008   Last Updated: October 06, 2009

In house, or not in house, that is the question?

When it comes to Industrial Coatings and their application, it comes down to a couple of questions. Not only must you consider the price of the Industrial Coatings, but you must also consider the price to do the work itself.

Do you hire an Industrial Coatings Contractor, or do you get your own staff to do it, do you rely on the Contractor providing you with a goods price for the Industrial Coatings, or do you shop around and use your own supply chain.

Well let us look at the whole equation. For example, you have an outside wall with a combined area of 250 squares. Determine exactly what you want done to this wall, type of Industrial Coating, what it is meant to do, cover graffiti, ensure that graffiti will be easy to remove, or just brighten a dirty wall.

Based on this you can work out how much paint is required and how long it will take to paint the wall.

Knowing these two facts, you can then perform a quick and dirty Cost/Benefit Analysis.

You have worked out that it will take three 20 gallon buckets of paint and two buckets of anti-graffiti coating. It will take two men three days to paint the entire wall with two coats of paint and the anti-graffiti coating.

Now comes the fun part, quickly phone around the paint suppliers on your company's supply list (if you, or your company doesn't have a supply list, then the local paint shops will have to suffice).

Once you have your price for the paint, calculate what the hourly rate or getting your staff to do the work, don't forget to factor in, such things as other work that is not getting done, while your men are painting.

Add the paint costs, the hourly rates and the other factors together.

Let us say the paint was $500 and the hourly rate of your staff is $30 per hour per man, plus factors $5 per hour per man, and it will take 24 hours (per man) to finish the job

$1680 for the two men

$120 for factor

$500 for paint

$2300 total for the job.

Now let us look at the price to get the Industrial Coating Contractor to do the work. The Contractor does nothing else but this, so they have the ability to buy the paint in bulk and have an arrangement with a number of supply houses, or they buy the paint direct from the manufacturer, so the paint costs them $400 for the required amounts.

Next the Contractor's staff only work on painting so know all the little foibles of the paint and how to apply it, so it will only take 20 hours to do per man at $35 per hour per man. Plus as the Contractor's staff have only one job there are no other factors involved. Let's look at the numbers now.

$1400 for the two men

$400 for paint

$1800 total for the job.

Already you can see a $500 difference to do the work, plus the Industrial Coatings Contractor will be fully insured and guarantees, their work. If your men get it wrong you will have to make goof the work out of your own pocket.

So in this case and if the Cost/Benefit Analysis proves the case you should get the work done by an Industrial Coatings Contractor. Please remember though ensure you do a very detailed Scope of Works, so that you can price the job correctly. Remember Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance, so work out everything you have to do, price it correctly and ensure the contractor includes everything in your Scope of Works and you should be able to do a proper Cost Benefit Analysis and deliver an outstanding job

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