Small to mid-size manufacturers, fabrication shops, fleet operations, and signage producers have long relied on industrial coatings to protect and enhance their products. But in today’s environment, it’s not just about coverage and color. These businesses face complex, evolving challenges that demand more from their coatings supplier than simply dropping off product. At Industrial Paint Solutions, a division of Arnold Motor Supply, we go beyond the coating to help our customers stay competitive, improve their operations, and meet rising expectations. Contact us to get the conversation started!
Across the Midwest, our team sees recurring themes. Paint lines bogged down by old processes. Legacy coatings that slow throughput. Compliance headaches and changing specs. Powder coating, in particular, is a growing segment, and many shops are exploring ways to scale that part of their operation—without adding complexity or sacrificing quality. And across the board, there’s less time, fewer people, and more pressure to get it right the first time.
"We’re not just moving product," says Brian Wegner, Branch Manager at Industrial Paint Solutions in Rock Island, Illinois. "We’re helping customers rethink how they coat. That might mean introducing a faster-cure formula, helping them reduce steps in the process, or even eliminating unnecessary masking. It’s small changes with real results."
For many shops, production slowdowns start in the booth. Long cure times or inefficient changeovers eat up labor and extend delivery timelines. Others are stuck using coatings that still work but no longer work well. These older materials may require higher bake temps, more coats, or more rework.
Meanwhile, regulatory expectations are evolving. Between VOC restrictions, sustainability goals, and customer specs, industrial painters can’t afford to guess. Having a distributor who understands the environmental and safety side of coatings is just as important as having the right color or gloss level in stock.
The complexity is amplified when a single business coats multiple types of substrates like fleet vehicles, fabricated steel, plastic signage, all needing different products and prep methods. In these cases, managing multiple vendors adds unnecessary friction.
That’s where the value of a knowledgeable, well-equipped coatings distributor comes in. By supplying proven solutions from trusted brands like PPG, Akzo, and BASF and backing it with technical insight and hands-on support. We help streamline sourcing, boost shop efficiency, and make sure coatings are doing more than just looking good.
With blend centers in Spencer, Iowa, Rock Island, Illinois, and Omaha, Nebraska, we offer rapid color matching and custom formulations on demand. Our team also provides paint booth consultations and preventative maintenance services to keep your operation running smoothly. These value-added services are designed to reduce downtime, improve finish quality, and keep your paint line optimized.
There’s no room for trial and error in today’s environment. Whether you're repainting a fleet of refuse trucks or producing a custom signage run, you need the process to work the first time. Our goal is to help you modernize without major disruption—and give your team confidence in every finish.
Ready to improve your coating process? Let’s talk.
