Henkel Helps SAIC-GM Achieve a Technological Breakthrough

The paint shop at SAIC-GM's Jinqiao South facility, which opened in 2003, was using Henkel's traditional zinc phosphating pretreatment process annually for 300,000 passenger vehicles, including many premium models. In May 2016, with full technical support from Henkel China, the paint shop upgraded its pretreatment process to zirconium thin-film treatment and moved into serial production just one week after commissioning. Nearly all automotive OEMs are still using the traditional phosphating process method, which no longer meets strict environmental regulations due to its drawbacks including high energy consumption, high heavy metal content, and high solid and liquid waste streams. Henkel has implemented Bonderite® M-NT 1820 thin-film pretreatment technology, a revolutionary technology regarded as an alternative to traditional phosphating pretreatment, following the trend toward more environmentally friendly, cost-effective, high-quality and user-friendly pretreatment technology. This groundbreaking solution will redefine surface pretreatment technology in the automotive industry and set new standards for automotive manufacturers. As an alternative to traditional phosphating and passivation processes, Bonderite® M-NT 1820 surface pretreatment technology enables the coating process to be performed at room temperature without heating, while being compatible with all metal substrates and significantly reducing processing time. It provides cost savings in equipment investment and process control. With Bonderite® M-NT 1820, heavy metals, solid waste and wastewater are significantly reduced, thereby lowering resource consumption and wastewater treatment costs. Since surface conditioning and passivation process steps are eliminated, process and equipment footprint investment is reduced and operational costs including water, electricity, gas and chemicals are lowered. Bonderite thin-film technology, with excellent performance and strong capabilities in waste treatment and energy savings, has delivered high added value to Henkel's customers.