‘An Unforgettable Experience’

One thing up front: Terry Gilhooley's favorite sport is not soccer. "Rugby," says the manager of Protective Coatings South and East Africa for Akzo Nobel subsidiary International Paint, "is a true gentleman's sport." This, however, didn't stop Gilhooley from coordinating the gigantic undertaking of providing the coatings for five of the 10 FIFA 2010 World Cup stadiums in South Africa. "It's a project I will remember all of my life," he said. Brandi Schuster asked Gilhooley about what needs to be taken into consideration when providing coatings in South Africa; how he managed the logistics of getting over 500,000 liters of paint to the stadiums; and who his pick is for the World Cup.

CHEManager Europe: What different scenarios must be taken into consideration when it comes to providing coatings for stadiums?

T. Gilhooley: Most stadiums these days require real technical solutions, not just a coat of paint like in the past. Most owners now expect a coating system that offers a lifetime of at least 30 years and can last with only a minimum of maintenance.

What kinds of challenges did the climate in South Africa pose for you?

T. Gilhooley: The climate posed real problems. There is extreme ultraviolet exposure there, and some of the stadiums are close to the coast. The high salinity in the air creates the perfect environment for corrosion; of course, the high humidity and temperatures are challenges.

International Paint used polysiloxane finishes on several of the stadiums in South Africa. What are the advantages of polysiloxanes when it comes to protective coatings?

T. Gilhooley: Three of the four new stadiums - Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth - used acrylic polysiloxane as the finish coat in the coating system, due to the extremely high UV exposure and marine coastal environment.
For the Soccer City Stadium in the Soweto township of Johannesburg, we also used acrylic polyurethane. The weather there is not as harsh as on the coast, with no aggressive winds or weather conditions. This shows that acrylic polysiloxane finishes are versatile and can be used in a broad spectrum of climates.

How did International Paint manage to coordinate such a large undertaking - involving over 550,000 liters of paint of which 150,000 liters was acrylic polysiloxane - across continents?

T. Gilhooley: The main challenge for me was to manage and coordinate, as the stadiums were not only fabricated in South Africa, but also in countries like Kuwait, Germany, Italy and Poland. It was a huge task to keep everything under control and to keep up our high standards.

Did International Paint produce the coatings in South Africa or were they shipped over?

T. Gilhooley: We manufactured primers, intermediates and the acrylic polyurethane finish coats in four different countries, the acrylic polysiloxane was manufactured only in Sweden, and so color matching was extremely important. A deviation of only ΔE 0.5 was allowed in the color coatings specification.
The normal standard primers, intermediates and polyurethane finish coats were produced in Sweden, Italy, Kuwait, Germany and South Africa. The polysiloxane finish coats - Interfine 979 and Interfine 878 - were produced only in our main manufacturing plant in Angered close to Gothenburg in Sweden because of their extremely tight specifications.

How and where were the coatings applied?

T. Gilhooley: Nearly all of the coatings were applied by airless spray, in Germany, Italy, Kuwait, Poland, South Africa etc.

It's not every day that you get to participate in the creation of stadiums for the World Cup. What has been the most memorable experience for you? What lessons have you learned that will help you in future projects?

T. Gilhooley: For me, the most important thing was to coordinate and work on such a high-focus project like the 2010 World Cup. I got the most satisfaction from working across several country borders with my International Paints colleagues; our whole effort and team work was excellent, together with the products - and that's why we regularly win such iconic projects like these. We have a real worldwide operation where everybody does their part in a concerted team effort. It is something I will never forget.

Who is your pick to win the World Cup?

T. Gilhooley: As usual, Germany will probably be in the top three, but my tip to win is either Spain or Argentina.