Key Takeaways
- Sherwin-Williams is a leading global manufacturer of protective coatings, specifically for semiconductor fabrication facilities.
- Customers face challenges including tight deadlines, labor shortages, and rising costs, which Sherwin-Williams addresses with efficient solutions.
- Sherwin-Williams distinguishes itself by acting as a partner to the semiconductor industry, offering rich expertise and guidance throughout all project phases.
Steve Howington is Global Vice President of Marketing for the Protective, Marine and High Performance Flooring Division of The Sherwin-Williams Company. During his 22 years with the company, Steve has held multiple commercial and business leadership roles in both the architectural and industrial groups within Sherwin-Williams.
Tell us about your company.
Sherwin-Williams is one of the largest paint companies in the world, with a portfolio that includes industrial coatings for advanced manufacturing facilities, like semiconductor fabs. Paint is often associated with aesthetics; however, safeguarding a facility’s investments and substrates requires protective coatings.
Our Protective, Marine & High Performance Flooring division has tailored advanced coatings systems designed to meet the unique standards of semiconductor fabs. These more robust coating systems can be seamlessly integrated to create more efficient Fab construction processes which compresses construction schedule and ultimately accelerates chip production. We have been able to continually find ways to make the fab construction process more efficient for some of the largest fab projects across the country.
What problems are you solving?
We simplify fab construction which accelerates chip production. Fab construction is a complex, costly, and lengthy process involving many partners, suppliers, and trades. Through our industry and mega project experience, along with our global research and development teams, we’ve found many ways to simplify this process and accelerate construction timelines while improving the lifecycle of each fab, without sacrificing safety and sustainability. Additionally, our coatings and application processes ensure extended maintenance cycles and overall reduced costs over the lifetime of each area and asset.
We do this not only through our products, but also through the preconstruction guidance and expertise we provide to the largest semiconductor companies in the U.S. and worldwide.
What application areas are your strongest?
We work in several critical areas of the semiconductor fab. Our protective coatings are designed to protect both clean and non-clean zones, including walls, ceilings, floors, and structural elements. We are leaders in cleanroom-specific applications, providing low VOC, high-performance coatings that meet outgassing standards and prevent contamination.
Beyond clean zones, we deliver durable coatings for industrial wastewater treatment plants, central utility buildings, gas chemical storage and other campus buildings that support the fabs operation and meet both performance and environmental standards. Our shop-applied steel and concrete protective coatings solutions streamline construction by application taking place offsite, reducing onsite labor and risks while accelerating timelines.
What keeps your customers up at night?
We’re all aware of the focus that is being placed on semiconductor chip production right now. With the worldwide implications of this technology, those who are responsible for making it must produce with speed and efficiency. That leads to our customers experiencing significant pressure to meet aggressive construction timelines and production targets. Tight deadlines, mixed with labor shortages and rising material costs, create a lot of stress for our customers as they navigate these issues.
What does the competitive landscape look like and how do you differentiate?
Participating in semiconductor fab construction mega projects demands deep knowledge of specific standards and requirements. There are plenty of coatings providers, but where we differentiate ourselves is our mindset – we don’t see ourselves as just a coatings company, we are a partner to the semiconductor industry and its stakeholders. That mindset shift helps set us apart from other coatings companies. We partner with every stakeholder in the construction value chain, know the technology and industry and we’re invested in the future of chip technology.
How do customers normally engage with your company?
Our Semiconductor Construction Solutions experts are available for direct consultation to answer any questions you may have no matter what phase of the project you’re in. We also have resources on our website, such as whitepapers like Maximizing Cleanroom Performance and Optimizing Facility Management with High-Performance Coatings, which help customers understand how our solutions simplify the most intricate aspects of fab construction. We work to ensure our customers feel supported at every step of their project, ultimately making their fab construction process safer, faster, and simpler.
To learn more about Sherwin-Williams Protective, Marine & High Performance Flooring coatings, visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn.
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