Sprayer Strategies: When to Buy, When to Upgrade

Increasing productivity drives higher profits, and equipment plays a key role. Is it time to purchase or upgrade your spray equipment? In this article, Graco’s Dan Johnson offers expert advice and shares the latest advances in spray technology.

When it makes sense to purchase or upgrade your spray equipment

As a professional contractor and business owner, you make strategic decisions every day to make sure you exceed your customers expectations while making sure to maximize profits and keep the business growing. This is especially true when staying up to date with the latest technology – from the latest Sherwin-Williams coatings to the spray equipment you rely on every day.

New technology can increase productivity and profits

Every contractor knows increasing productivity drives higher profits. Higher productivity doesn’t always mean adding more employees. Even if a new technology saves only 20 to 30 minutes a day, the right equipment can increase productivity without adding a single new employee. Over time, these small increments will add-up and help you complete jobs faster.

For example, new lightweight, ergonomically designed airless spray guns help reduce fatigue so painters are providing maximum productivity throughout an entire day. New low-pressure spray tips can now be used on high volume and large surface area jobs to use less material and reduce overspray for less mess and shorter cleanup times.

In addition, new technology can significantly improve how to manage the business itself. Select new Graco sprayers for 2019 include BlueLink technology that syncs the sprayer with a powerful mobile app to track sprayers and their productivity information on each job as well as tracking regular maintenance so sprayers are running more often with less downtime. Contractors can now link the Sherwin-Williams Pro App together with BlueLink to easily check stock and even order paint and supplies right from their smart phone – maximizing productivity and their profits.

When unplanned maintenance adds up

The saying “time is money” is especially true for professional contractors. All too often, ongoing equipment maintenance is often ignored and helps create the potential for downtime. If the timing is especially poor, this unexpected downtime could result in a missed deadline that can hurt the business reputation and can potentially eliminate the chances for future jobs.

One simple way to prevent downtime from unplanned maintenance is to invest in equipment with industry-proven durability along with the latest technology. For example, select new Graco pumps include Endurance Vortex technology that rotates the piston rod while spraying to deliver 6 times longer pump life to eliminate costly downtime.

With new technologies like BlueLink and its convenient maintenance alerts, staying current with regular maintenance is easier than ever before and can help maximize uptime and ROI on the initial equipment investment.

Some new airless sprayers provide ProConnect replacement pumps for faster, easier servicing on the jobsite to prevent downtime. This plug-n-play repair technology can also be found on other spray equipment like airless spray guns. Select guns allow painters to replace all wear parts in seconds with a single ProConnect cartridge without using any tools. These solutions ultimately help finish jobs faster and get onto the next job quicker to increase productivity and profits.

Increased productivity and profitability can be one simple equipment upgrade away — especially if a new piece if equipment is already being considered. As a business owner, make sure to stay on top of new equipment and technologies when visiting your local paint store and browsing online. There is a good chance the equipment needed to transform your business is already available to you now.

Dan Johnson is the Global Total Markets Manager for Graco’s Contractor Equipment Division’s Pro Paint Segment. Dan is responsible for developing and implementing market development plans across the Professional Paint Business. Dan joined Graco in 2007 and has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration.