Consistency key in Caterham/Spies Hecker partnership

Caterham is celebrating a year since it partnered with Spies Hecker to ensure consistent quality of the paintwork on its iconic cars.

For years the hand-built cars were being sent to several local bodyshops but Caterham encountered inconsistences in the quality of the finish and even issues with colour and colour matching.

Graham Macdonald, CEO of Caterham Cars, said, ‘We have been working closely with Spies Hecker for about a year since we made the decision to undertake the painting of the cars ourselves. Thanks to the excellent on-going on-site training our painters receive, the quality of the paint work and finish is exceptional, and we haven’t had a single customer complaint.’

The decision to go with Spies Hecker was made following a visit to the Axalta Refinish Academy in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, arranged by coatings distributor, Movac Group. A Caterham 7 was taken to the Axalta Refinish Academy and a team from Caterham Cars watched whole the refinish process using Spies Hecker products.

Caterham Cars installed a state-of-the-art mobile preparation booth and a spraybooth outside its Dartford premises. Each car is built from start to finish by the same person. Using Spies Hecker products, the aluminium chassis are hand prepped in the factory, then wheeled into the preparation booth on trolleys, where they are sanded and prepared. When ready for painting, they are moved into the spraybooth and finished, before going back to the factory for their final assembly.

Graham said, ‘The paint system is easy to work with and the help and customised support we receive is excellent. Spies Hecker technicians stop by on a regular basis to check how we are doing and to keep us abreast of the latest products and developments.’

Colour development was also a key priority for Caterham, and it has worked closely with Spies Hecker to develop a series of signature colours that are saved in the brand’s Phoenix digital colour database. This makes it easy for other bodyshops to identify the exact colour formulas for repairs.

Graham said, ‘Around 50% of the cars we build go abroad, so it was hugely important to us that refinishers around the world would be able to colour match effortlessly, keeping the cars looking as good as new.’