About Roll Coater

• Roll Coater, headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, operates five coating facilities, six coil coating lines, five slitters, six in-line tension levelers, and two stand-alone embossers.
• Roll Coater has six decades of coil coating experience.
• Roll Coater is ISO 9001 certified.
• Roll Coater's Weirton and Greenfield facilities are ISO 14001 certified.
• Also see Products, Services, and Markets

Roll Coater History

Roll Coater was established as a division of Kool Vent Awnings, in the central Indiana town of Pendleton. Incorporated as a separate company in the early 1950’s, Roll Coater began coil coating
with an 18 inch line, painting aluminum for awnings, siding and trim.

Click to View Classic Photo Slide Show from Pendleton, IN

In 1961, with the need for expansion and no land available, the plant was moved to a new site twenty miles south of Pendleton to Greenfield, Indiana. A 48 inch single-coat line with vinyl-to-metal lamination capabilities was added when the plant was moved.

The Arvin Industries, Inc. acquisition of Roll Coater, finalized in December, 1966, fulfilled the need of capital for Roll Coater to expand, and provided Arvin with vinyl-to-metal lamination in coil for its automotive trim lines. Following the acquisition, Line 2 was tandemized and the new 60 inch Line 3 began operation in 1969. A 60 inch slitter was also added.

When built in 1974, the 68 inch Line 4 was the largest coil coating line in the world. It featured a quick-change finish coating head, speeds up to 600 feet per minute, and the first in-line tension leveling in the country. Located in the Kingsbury Industrial Park, 7 miles south of LaPorte in northwest Indiana, Line 4 was at capacity within months of startup, painting the new Zincrometal® zinc-rich coatings for the automotive industry. A 60 inch slitter was installed when Line 4 began operation.

Line 5 began operation at Kingsbury in 1979 with 72 inch width capability, four quick-change coating heads, and speeds up to 700 feet per minute. The Kingsbury facility has the world’s largest capacity of coil coating under one roof. A 72 inch slitter was added in 1997 to complement the width capabilities of Line 5.

Between 1979 and 1996, the equivalent of another coating line was added through increased line speeds, capital expenditures and efficiency improvements. Line 2 was increased from 150 fpm to 300 fpm. A tension leveler was added to Line 3 and its speed was increased from 350 fpm to 500 fpm. Coil handling capacities were increased to a minimum of 25 tons in all locations. Improvements in receiving and shipping have facilitated the movement of trucks in and out of each plant. A 60 inch out-of-line embosser was added at the Greenfield site in 1984.

A third site in Weirton, West Virginia, is the home to Line 6, which began operation in the spring of 1997. Line 6 features 56 inches of coating width, quick-change capability in all four coating stations, in-line tension leveling and is capable of painting at 600 fpm. The Weirton facility also houses a 60 inch slitter.

In January, 1999, Roll Coater acquired WorldSource Coil Coating in Hawesville, Kentucky.  The Hawesville location added 62 of inches of coating width, in-line tension leveling, in-line embossing and processing speeds up to 600 feet per minute to Roll Coater's capabilities. The Hawesville facility features slitting and a stand-alone embosser.

In April, 2006, Roll Coater announced plans to expand the coil coating operations in Northeast Arkansas. Building began in late 2006 and opened for operations in August, 2007.