Industry: Food Processing / Dairy | Service: Industrial Painting / Pipe Coating | Contractor: TMI Coatings, LLC (AMPP QP 1 & QP 2 Certified)
Challenge
A prominent cheese manufacturer contracted TMI Coatings to repaint several hundred linear feet of piping in a congested mechanical room. The existing coating had deteriorated, leaving corroded pipe surfaces and an inconsistent identification system that made it difficult for maintenance staff to quickly identify pipe contents and routing. The facility needed a contractor who could work safely in a tight, equipment-dense space with limited access, apply a corrosion-resistant coating system, and install a six-color-coded identification scheme across all piping per the owner’s operational standards.
Solution
TMI Coatings, LLC (TMI) coordinated the color-coding plan with the owner and superintendent before mobilization, mapping each pipe to its designated color for accurate identification. TMI utilized rigging expertise to safely access piping throughout the congested mechanical room, setting up work platforms in tight spaces between equipment.
Sensitive equipment was poly-wrapped and taped for protection. TMI prepared all pipe surfaces by removing loose and delaminating existing coatings and solvent-wiping to ensure clean, contaminant-free substrates for coating adhesion. TMI applied a rust-inhibiting epoxy primer followed by a urethane topcoat in each pipe’s designated color. The six-color system provides immediate visual identification of pipe contents for maintenance personnel, safety compliance, and operational efficiency.
Result
TMI completed the project safely, on time, and on budget. The mechanical room’s piping now carries a corrosion-resistant, color-coded coating system that provides both long-term asset protection and immediate visual identification for maintenance and operations staff. Mechanical room and utility piping painting is a service TMI routinely performs across food processing, manufacturing, and institutional facilities. Work that requires rigging experience, tight-space access, and the discipline to maintain color-coding accuracy across hundreds of linear feet of complex pipe routing.
Why TMI Coatings
TMI Coatings is an AMPP QP 1 and QP 2 certified industrial painting contractor with 40 years of experience in food processing, dairy manufacturing, and industrial environments. TMI’s pipe painting capability includes color-coded identification systems, congested-space rigging, equipment protection protocols, and coating systems selected for the specific environmental conditions of mechanical rooms, including humidity, chemical exposure, and temperature variation. TMI deploys its own field crews nationwide with NACE CIP Level 3 certified inspection personnel.