The paint process for the civilian Hummer must produce a world-class, automotive finish quality and this was the process for which the company requested assistance. The civilian Hummer is manufactured on the same assembly line as the military version. The mechanics are the same, but due to safety requirements, the civilian version requires certain modifications. The fully assembled, civilian version is painted in a separate process because it requires a Class A automotive finish. AM General is committed to maintaining these reduced emissions and is interested in reducing them further.
Operators traditionally tend to apply more paint than is required.
This over-application not only increases cost and rework, but also increases VOC and HAP emissions. STAR personnel visited AM General and proposed a spray paint operator training program. This proposal was accepted by AM General and is scheduled for early October 1996. The program will consist of a review of the paint application techniques currently practiced by the operators and will include training for increasing efficiency through improved paint application techniques. Current usage is 9000 gallons per year.