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27 Sep 2006  -  United States

Blue Hawaiian Fibreglass Pools expands

The demand for fiberglass swimming pools has necessitated the opening of a second manufacturing plant by Blue Hawaiian Fiberglass Pools. 

The high quality of a Blue Hawaiian pool comes from a well-trained workforce and strict control of the manufacturing process. An essential component of process control is the use of consistent F010 vinyl ester and Altek H834 unsaturated polyester from AOC.

Most Blue Hawaiian Fiberglass Pools sales are to the Eastern United States and Canada, but the company has shipped as far away as Germany. Blue Hawaiian headquarters and its original plant are in Largo, Florida. The new plant being built in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, will significantly reduce transportation costs for pools shipped to several states and Canada.

The new plant will continue a management philosophy that emphasizes professional training. New workers are trained by Largo Plant Operations manager Nick Williams, who is a Certified Composites Technician - Instructor (CCT-I), the highest professional accreditation earned through the American Composites Manufacturers Association. As a CCT-I professional, Williams qualifies, mentors, schools and tests Blue Hawaiian workers to become Certified Composites Technicians. 

Complementing the dedicated workforce is a highly disciplined system for controlling the manufacturing process. Pool production starts with mold preparation and application of a pigmented gel coat. To keep moisture from causing gel coat blisters, workers next spray-up a barrier skin coat of chopped glass fibers in F010 bisphenol A epoxy vinyl ester.
The final layer is a hand lay-up bulk laminate using Altek H834 resin to impregnate fiberglass chopped strand mat and woven roving. Resin-impregnated combination mat is added to specific locations needing extra strength. 

Plant Operations Manager Williams pointed out how the consistency of AOC resins plays a key role in maintaining high levels of end-product quality. “The consistency of the previous supplier’s bulk resin was so bad that we had to keep retraining our workers,” he said. “They had to learn how to adapt to the latest shipment. 

“Since we switched to the Altek resin, every shipment we get is just like the one we got before,” Williams added. “We know what’s going to happen, so we’re able to run our process without making adjustments. Our experience with the Altek bulk resin was so positive that we switched to the other product for our barrier resin.” 

Source : AOC