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Solomon Colors

At the ready mix plant
The ColorSelect System went through some initial trial and error, but product demonstrations are winning over ready mix plants across the country. Because the pigment is pre-dispersed in a liquid form, no admixes are required for dispersion. “When it hits the mix, it’s ready to disperse — and it does it quicker than dry pigment,” Solomon says. Solomon admits, “Overall, dry pigment is less expensive, but you recoup the cost in the benefits and advantages of the liquid color.”

Craig Tieck, concrete plants manager, San Diego, of Hanson Aggregates Pacific Southwest, describes the self-contained system set up: “The color is stored in four totes. A pump is stationed under each tote with a hose going to a pressurized container on a scale. Color is pumped from the totes to the container and weighed cumulatively. A touch screen is used to enter the [color] formula, the truck number, the percent loading, the sack content and the yards. You push the start button and the computer does the work.” The color is then discharged into the truck while the normal loading of rock, sand and cement takes place. “It takes two minutes to do the Solomon process [and] defaults are built into the system enabling you to make corrections if an error is detected,” he adds.

In Santa Ana, Calif., Rich Gibson, vice president of operations at Standard Concrete Products Inc., has been using the liquid ColorSelect System for about three years. He says, “The seller of the system is the saving on labor. We do a lot of color — the old process we’ve used for some 50 years, but with dry color there’s a lot of chance for error. [With ColorSelect], you have one person handling the color, so there’s less chance for error, as when drivers were involved.”

Accuracy, better quality control and timesavings are other benefits observed by Ron Reed, operations manager of Nevada Ready Mix Corp. in Las Vegas. “It’s cleaner, there are less injuries and we don’t have EPA issues or weather-related storage issues with the system,” he reports. Moreover, “Customers see a better color dispersement. We don’t get streaking. We can match whatever color [the customer] wants and there’s no leftover or shortage issues.”

“It’s a win-win for producers and clients,” according to Vince Bush, ready mix general manager with Rinker Materials Corp. in Las Vegas. From an inventory standpoint to consistency of the loads to safety advantages, Bush says, “We wind up with increased sales. We did an open house to introduce [clients] to the system. We offered an enticement to have them try it and they have kept buying. Whenever you can get enhanced value for the client, there’s an enhanced margin for the producers.”

Comments from the field
Advantages of the ColorSelect System also trickle down to the contractor. “I don’t have to call well in advance and I don’t have color left over — I just call in what I need and [my ready mix producer] batches it,” reports Frank Klemaske, executive vice president of T.B. Penick and Sons Inc. in San Diego, a firm that has been in business since 1905. Klemaske says you have to be careful with new products and go through a learning curve, but he hasn’t seen any failures since they began using the ColorSelect product.

Elden Peterson, president of Peterson Brothers Construction Inc. in Babrea, Calif., specializes in decorative concrete work — 70 percent residential, the rest in commercial work. He doesn’t use Solomon Colors exclusively, but he says he appreciates the uniformity in color he gets with the ColorSelect System. He also appreciates the supportive role Solomon Colors maintains in the industry. “Solomon Colors is a good ally for both the contractor and the supplier. The company understands the industry and the pitfalls. Often it may get squeezed between the contractor and the supplier, but Solomon Colors is diplomatic. The company goes above and beyond to get something resolved.”

A holistic approach
Its main product line is color pigment, but Solomon Color has expanded its offerings to include stamped concrete stamps, color release products and dry shake color hardener to complement its color expertise. “We want to offer one-stop-shopping. There are a lot of new techniques for concrete and we’re always looking for ways to make the job easier for contractors,” Solomon says.

Working hard to be an industry leader is a lot of work, but Solomon says, “Sometimes you’re at the right place at the right time. In 10 years, we hope to have ColorSelect systems in every state, so when an architect specifies a specific color it will be readily available.” With demand for its many products spreading beyond the United States and Canada, Solomon Colors is scheduled to open its second full-production facility, in Rialto, Calif., in April 2002.

Technology. Isn’t it great for business?

For more information about Solomon Colors and its ColorSelect System, call (800) 624-0261 or visit the Soloman Colors Web site.