INCORPORATING IN THE UNITED STATES as Weilburger North America Inc., Weilburger Coatings GmbH is making a strong effort to expand into the U.S. hearth, patio, and barbecue industries with its line of high-temperature coatings. The initial focus will be on the Senotherm®Classic line (a standard quick-dry, solvent-based, high-temperature coating) and the Senotherm UHT series (an easy-to-apply Non- Smoker®coating).

Weilburger Coatings is the leader in high-temperature coatings in Europe and is growing significantly. It has production facilities in Germany, Italy, France, Poland, China, India, and Brazil. Given that China produces many of the parts used in the North American hearth/patio market and that Weilburger has production facilities located in Southern and Northern China, Weilburger is ready to be a full-service vendor for North American customers.

To facilitate shipments and supply its customers, Weilburger North America has contracted Doug Willis of Willis & Associates in the Northwest to provide warehousing services. Dan Geiter, a longtime OEM supplier to the hearth/patio industry, has invested as one of the principals.

“I met the Senotherm people at the 2013 HPBExpo,” Geiter explains. “At that time, I thought they had something with their Non-Smoker paint. I kept in touch with them over the next couple of years, and they made a test entrance into the U.S. market. Now, there is a U.S. company to build the business, with a midterm goal of installing a coating production line locally. In my mind, the future holds great promise for this company.”