Airblast Eurospray and AFC Finishing Systems, two businesses who both started from scratch, have embarked on a joint venture to bring Airblast Eurospray’s surface preparation products to the North American Market. The joint venture began when the two companies saw an opportunity that would equally benefit both parties. Airblast Eurospray would benefit from having a partner with a great reputation and advanced knowledge of the North American market while AFC Finishing Systems would be able to expand their range to include abrasive blast surface preparation equipment from a well-renowned UK supplier.
Founded in 1967 by Carl Hagan Snr, AFC Finishing Systems started out in Southern California as a provider of air filter products and spray booth maintenance. Since then, the company has expanded its product lines and customer base and now specialises in the manufacture of paint spray booths, air make-up units, powder coating equipment and related products. AFC Finishing Systems prides itself on being a friendly, family-orientated atmosphere and is located in the quiet city of Oroville, California.
Airblast Eurospray grew in much the same way having been founded by Richard Hiblin as a contract shot blasting business in the 1970’s. From there they have developed their offering to include a comprehensive range of blast rooms, hand blast cabinets, dust extraction systems and a full range of abrasives through to personal protection equipment, paint spray booths, painting equipment, spares and replacement parts and have built up a solid reputation for addressing customer’s needs. Airblast Eurospray’s products suit a wide range of applications from marine and civil to metal restoration and off-shore.
The partnership between the two companies sees them working together under the name Airblast AFC and they have recently completed a $1.4 million project for a major rail group that maintains a fleet of around 23,000 rail cars and locomotives. The project involved the design and installation of a blast booth, painting booth and drying booth for the maintenance of the Ohio-based rail group’s locomotives and carriages. Key features of the new facility included four blast machines allowing four operators to work simultaneously and an innovative Airflex Recovery Floor for the automatic recovery of abrasive materials throughout the blast booths. The project is part of $8million worth of projects already completed.
With the success of the projects to date, Airblast and AFC Finishing Systems have high hopes for the future of their joint venture. Airblast Eurospray Managing Director Jon Cook commented: “We are really pleased to be working with such a well-respected partner and Airblast AFC is already developing a strong reputation for the reliability and sophistication of its products and the quality of its service. We are looking forward to developing this relationship and continuing to deliver the highest quality products and services to the North American market.â€