When a leading North American manufacturer of CNC machine tools was preparing to unveil new equipment at a major dealer event, the stakes were high.

The company needed 21 new casting part numbers—roughly 40 castings in total—to support machine builds that it would demonstrate to dealers from around the world. Many of the castings weighed thousands of pounds, and all needed to arrive in time for assembly before the event.

The challenge? A timeline of just six to eight weeks when the standard is 10-20. 

Tooling alone can often consume much of a production schedule. Design revisions, supplier coordination, manufacturing, quality checks, and global logistics only add to the complexity.

Meeting the deadline would require EQI to coordinate a team capable of moving every phase of the project forward simultaneously.

Step 1: Immediate Intake and Efficient Engineering

As drawings began arriving, EQI prioritized the project and mobilized internal resources. The customer’s delivery deadlines were non-negotiable, so speed became the priority from day one. 

Rather than simply processing an order, EQI acted as an extension of the customer’s engineering team. They quickly reviewed 2D prints and 3D models, providing manufacturability feedback and recommendations before production began.

This early collaboration helped identify potential issues, streamline production planning, and ensure castings could move into manufacturing as quickly as possible.

Step 2: Expedited Quoting and Supplier Coordination

With timelines compressed, quoting could not become a bottleneck. 

EQI rapidly evaluated requirements and provided pricing while simultaneously identifying the best manufacturing strategy. Leveraging multiple qualified foundries, the team distributed production across suppliers based on size, complexity, capacity, and lead-time requirements.

This approach enabled multiple casting programs to move forward in parallel, ensuring efficiency.

Step 3: Accelerating Tooling and Production

To help achieve the condensed schedule, EQI implemented a strategy that included prototype tooling and 3D-printed sand molds where appropriate. Production tooling and manufacturing activities progressed simultaneously, reducing overall lead time without sacrificing quality.

Even as engineering changes continued throughout the project, the team maintained progress and adapted quickly to evolving requirements.

Step 4: Dedicated Project Management

Throughout manufacturing, EQI coordinated daily with suppliers, engineers, quality personnel, freight providers, and customer stakeholders. Regular updates ensured complete visibility while allowing issues to be addressed before they could impact delivery.

Teams across North America and Asia worked together to keep production, quality, and logistics aligned.

Step 5: Optimized Global Logistics

Manufacturing the castings was only half the challenge. Once complete, the parts needed to reach the customer on an aggressive timeline. EQI coordinated a combination of expedited shipping methods, including air freight for critical components and direct ocean freight routes where appropriate.

Managing freight, customs, transportation, and delivery through a single point of contact simplified the process for the customer while helping reduce risk.

The Result

Despite the compressed schedule, ongoing design revisions, and the complexity of managing 21 casting programs simultaneously, every component arrived in time to support machine assembly and dealer demonstrations.

The project emphasizes what can happen when EQI’s engineering expertise, global supplier relationships, experienced project management, and efficient logistics work in concert as a single integrated solution.

Exterior architectural aluminium needs to perform for decades, but the real measure of quality is often determined long before the finished product reaches its destination. From surface preparation to coating application, every step of the process influences long-term durability.

Achieving Performance in Demanding Environments

Architectural aluminium is exposed to changing weather, UV exposure, moisture, and environmental conditions daily. Without the right coating process, components in high-exposure architectural applications, such as coastal environments and large-scale commercial developments, can experience premature fading, corrosion, and structural integrity.

By specifying a QUALICOAT-certified supplier like EQI Craigavon, you can be confident that your coated components are designed to withstand challenging real-world conditions. 

For projects exposed to coastal salts and other aggressive pollutants, EQI Craigavon is also licensed for QUALICOAT Seaside Specification—a more robust coating pretreatment designed to provide enhanced protection against corrosion.

Setting the Global Standard for Architectural Coating Quality

QUALICOAT is an internationally recognized quality label for liquid and powder organic coatings applied to architectural aluminium. Rather than evaluating only the final product, QUALICOAT focuses on the entire coating process to ensure consistent, reliable results.

Certification requires strict control across each stage of production, including surface pretreatment, the use of approved coating materials, application processes, laboratory testing, and ongoing inspections. This comprehensive approach helps ensure coated aluminium components meet demanding performance standards before they are installed.

The additional QUALICOAT Seaside Specification licence requires a deeper surface etch that removes more aluminium and contaminants during pretreatment. This creates a more robust foundation for the coating and significantly increases resistance to filiform corrosion, which can spread beneath a coated surface. Seaside-licensed applicators must demonstrate their ability to consistently perform and monitor this enhanced process, with coated samples undergoing additional laboratory testing.

Advancing Architectural Coating Capabilities 

The EQI Craigavon facility combines QUALICOAT certification and Seaside Specification licensing with the scale, flexibility, and technical capabilities needed to support complex architectural projects.

With five powder coating lines and the ability to process aluminium components up to eight meters long, EQI Craigavon provides high-quality finishing solutions for projects of varying size and complexity. The facility has the capacity to coat hundreds of parts while maintaining the precision and consistency required for architectural applications.

Beyond powder coating, EQI Craigavon offers additional value-added services, including wet paint capabilities, warehousing, assembly, repairs, and sequenced delivery. This integrated approach simplifies supply chains, reduces complexity, and helps ensure components arrive ready for the next stage of production or installation.

Ensuring Quality from Start to Finish

A coating is only as strong as the process behind it. By partnering with EQI Craigavon, a QUALICOAT-certified provider with a Seaside Specification licence, you can enhance performance, improve longevity, and deliver architectural solutions built to last. Ready to get started? Connect with us today.

At EQI, we continually invest in the processes, certifications, and technical capabilities needed to support our customers’ evolving needs. Our facility in Craigavon, Northern Ireland, exemplifies this commitment, recently achieving QUALICOAT certification and a QUALICOAT Seaside Specification licence for architectural aluminium coating applications.

Ready for the Toughest Applications

The customers EQI serves across the UK and Ireland face the demands of high-exposure outdoor environments where quality and durability are critical. QUALICOAT is a globally recognized quality label that reinforces EQI Craigavon’s ability to deliver consistent, high-quality finishes designed to withstand challenging real-world conditions and support long-term product performance.

QUALICOAT certification covers pretreatment, approved coating materials, application methods, laboratory testing, and ongoing inspections. This comprehensive approach gives customers confidence that their components are manufactured to perform reliably and withstand the elements for years to come. 

EQI Craigavon’s additional QUALICOAT Seaside Specification licence further strengthens these capabilities for projects exposed to coastal salts and other aggressive pollutants. The enhanced pretreatment process uses a deeper surface etch to remove more aluminium and contaminants, creating a more robust foundation for the coating and increasing resistance to filiform corrosion.

Adding Value Beyond Coating

QUALICOAT certification and Seaside Specification licensing are just two of many reasons why customers choose EQI Craigavon as their trusted architectural aluminium coating partner.

• Enhanced Seaside Protection: The option for a more robust pretreatment process increases resistance to filiform corrosion for coastal and other demanding environments.
• Standard and Marine-Grade Guarantees: Applicable for 25 to 40 years on specific coatings through our five-stage dip pretreatment process.
• Daily Testing with On-site Lab Equipment: Ensures products meet rigorous global standards, along with quality verification for salt spray corrosion, impact and abrasion resistance, and adhesion.
• High Production Capacity: Able to process components of diverse shapes and sizes, including aluminium louvers, cills, flashings, and facades using our advanced semi-automatic powder line.
• Value-Added Services: Offering wet paint, warehousing, assembly, repairs, and sequenced delivery services to simplify your supply chain.

With QUALICOAT certification, Seaside Specification licensing, advanced equipment, and a team dedicated to quality and personal service, EQI Craigavon is ready to provide architectural coating solutions designed for durability, consistency, and long-term performance.