Need-Based Formulation Maximizes Custom Coating Results: MaxEpoxy

Q: How has the firm's focus on application-specific products created a distinct competitive advantage when serving the diverse and often remote operational needs of the mining sector?

A: The value we bring to the mining industry centers on protective metal coatings and anticorrosive technology, specifically addressing abrasion, chemical attack, and general wear. While these coating technologies have existed for three decades, MaxEpoxy is a relatively young company, which has been a major advantage.

We have not relied on reverse engineering products. Instead, we focus on developing proprietary formulations tailored to the specific needs of our clients. Our company originated in Minas Gerais, Brazil, which immediately exposed us to the demanding mining market. Consequently, many of our initial products were designed to meet specific gaps in the Brazilian mining sector. These clients were already familiar with coating technologies but sought solutions that integrated newer processes. 

Because we began manufacturing with modern equipment, we were able to incorporate the latest high-technology components, including nanotechnology, from the outset. Unlike long-established manufacturers who were and are often restricted by existing product lines that their clients continue to demand, we have the flexibility to start from zero and develop a product using the most advanced components available.

Beyond the novelty of our production system and the quality of our final product, our main added value is the strength of our distribution chain and our sensitivity to client needs. We do not sell directly to end-users but operate through a global network of exclusive commercial partners. These partners are not merely resellers; they are highly educated and qualified by us. They are trained to certify applications, provide training, analyze failures, and conduct troubleshooting. Today, customers seek comprehensive solutions.

While a product can solve a specific problem, clients truly require complex solutions that encompass recommending the best product for a given application, supervising the application regardless of who applies it, providing education, and offering robust post-sale support. Our value proposition is therefore a combination of our modern production system, the quality of our product, and the expertise offered by our distribution network.

Q: What are the primary differences in client needs between the mining and oil and gas sectors, and how has your product portfolio been tailored for these distinctions?

A: We do not adapt formulas when a need changes; we create the formula based on that need from the outset. The major difference between the oil and gas and mining sectors lies in the type of aggression the asset faces. While the oil and gas sector often deals with chemically aggressive products and corrosive gases, the primary factor causing wear and tear in the mining industry is abrasion.

It is true that some mining processes, such as copper mining, involve strong chemicals that need protection against them. Solution providers must prioritize the cost of downtime over asset replacement. For example, a few hours of downtime for mining equipment can cost thousands of dollars, while the same delay offshore in the oil and gas sector can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. This difference creates a greater sense of urgency for repairs in the latter. While mining may allow time for a traditional procedure, the oil and gas sector demands an emergency-level response.

Environmental risks also dictate the solutions we provide. Explosive and controlled environments in both sectors often prohibit certain types of surface preparation, such as abrasive blasting, because it can generate sparks or dust. All these restrictions must be taken into account when proposing a solution.

Ultimately, the goal for any asset remains the same: to increase the time between failures and boost productivity. The key metric is not how much the product costs or how much one saves by choosing one product over another; it is about how we manage to increase the time between failures and extend the useful life of the asset by protecting it against damage.

Q: Given the high cost of unplanned downtime, what is the most significant return on investment that your clients in the mining sector can expect from using MaxEpoxy solutions?
A: We do not normally work with product prices and costs; I prefer that discussion to happen at the end. We focus on providing a strong technical justification and demonstrating the Return on Investment (ROI).

Even if they do not ask for it, the training of our specialists ensures they present the ROI to relevant departments. We must be able to justify an engineer's or director's decision to switch to our technology. However, when you compare this to the value of production lost or gained, the initial cost is negligible, especially considering the additional costs associated with conventional methods, such as abrasive blasting or area containment.

We offer solutions through consultation, which translates directly into a compelling ROI. We demonstrate that using the correct product will increase the asset’s production life, result in fewer uncontrolled failures, extend the time between failures, and ultimately increase the equipment’s useful life. This is the only way to justify adopting a new technology. 

Q: As the mining industry faces pressure to meet ESG standards, how do your polymer composite systems directly contribute to a client's sustainability and safety goals?
A: Industries like oil and gas or mining are the ones contributing the most and introducing the newest technologies to increase sustainability and reduce their carbon footprint. No industry spends more money on carbon capture than the oil and gas industry. While one could argue that many of these companies were or are major polluters, they have simultaneously been leaders in seeking solutions to these issues.

We fundamentally believe in sustainability. One of our biggest contributions is extending the life of assets. If you can coat and protect a pipe so that it lasts 20 years, you do not have to discard it after 10 years. Instead, you repair it after 20 years because what has been consumed is a sacrificial film, which is what a reinforced coating essentially is.

We provide a coating that acts as a protective layer. As it wears down, it is the coating that is consumed, not the metal or the concrete underneath. When the coating reaches the end of its useful life, you simply recoat it without impacting the underlying asset. Therefore, our contribution is increasing the useful life of equipment and reducing the consumption of new equipment. Consider the carbon impact of manufacturing a new pump with cast steel or molded production; all that reduction is achieved by reusing and protecting existing equipment.

Every industry, without exception, has gone through these boom and bust cycles: the paper, sugar, gas, and mining industries all face waves of high and low prices. There were times when it was simply cheaper and more practical to discard a piece of equipment and buy a new one.

Today, solutions exist not just to repair damaged equipment, but to protect it from the moment it is purchased, granting it a lifespan superior to what it would have from the factory. Instead of giving an asset a five-year life between shutdowns, you install a protective coating. 

Q: How does the firm's R&D strategy balance the development of new products with the continuous improvement of its existing product line to meet the evolving needs of extractive industries?

A: The early exposure to demanding mining needs taught us not only to reduce cure times but also that every type of abrasion is different. The protection required for an asset depends on the particulate matter of the abrasive being resisted. This distinction, which often relies on ceramic particles within the coating, changes the particle shape to suit the abrasive environment.

While we always aimed to offer a global, comprehensive solution, we have been careful not to abandon our core identity. MaxEpoxy is a manufacturer of two-component, reinforced epoxy coatings. Initially, we produced a line of epoxies reinforced with ceramics and another reinforced with metal to reconstruct damaged or eroded pieces. We then began to integrate other solutions. For example, when erosion consumes the metal thickness of a pipe, the client needs structural protection. Although simple fiberglass wraps with our resins were once sufficient, structural reinforcement is now highly regulated and standardized. We adhered to these norms, producing the fiberglass that combines with our resin to offer structural reinforcement solutions.

Following this path of solving wear-and-tear problems, we noted that many new pipes we protected internally, for instance, at the weld points, lacked external protection. Since Fusion Bonded Epoxy is too slow and cumbersome for field work, we started manufacturing our visco-elastic line. This process is how we arrived at our current portfolio of product lines. We are concentrated on this universe and do not intend to produce standard industrial paints or other types of resins. We have only diversified slightly to provide a more complete package solution.

Q: What operational advantages does the Mexican market offer that your company is leveraging for its presence in North America?
A: For me, Mexico is not simply a gateway to the United States. Perhaps this is because I previously worked with many US companies that were already established. However, for a company of our type, Mexico is a sufficiently large and important market in its own right. It is a market much like Brazil, where everything is large; Mexico offers a similar situation.

The market is excellent for us, spanning mining, oil and gas, petrochemicals, food, services, electricity, and water. A significant advantage is that by working correctly and finding the right partners and distributors, we can be more culturally flexible and adaptable in the Mexican market than a traditional European or US company.

Q: Given recent trade tensions and the threat of tariffs in the region, how has your firm adapted its supply chain and pricing strategy to ensure business continuity for your clients?

A: All our products are manufactured in Brazil. Therefore, we must wait to see how potential Mexican tariffs will affect us. However, when the market is good and there is demand for your product, there is no reason to change direction. We are just entering Mexico. If we were an established company with large existing numbers in Mexico, we might need to rethink our operating strategy.

Today, we are simply cultivating the market through our commercial partners, building recognition, and opening new doors. We are prepared to work with the conditions that arise. Mexico remains a large and important market for us.

Q: What are MaxEpoxy’s goals within the next five years? 

A: Mexico is a large country that benefits from managing numerous business verticals. It is entirely possible to spend five years focusing on the oil and gas sector with one commercial partner and still not have engaged the mining industry, or vice versa.

Our objective for the next five years is to establish our brand recognition among the Top 3 most important brands within the lexicon of Mexico's main industrial verticals. This goal encompasses every segment we manage across mining, oil and gas, and petrochemicals, aiming also to expand into the utilities market, including energy and water.

Our primary focus is brand recognition and shifting the paradigm. Although our brand is relatively new to Mexico, having spent many years solely in Brazil before expanding globally, we want to prove we are a high-level company not comparable to the majority of products available in the general market. Customers are aware of the top-tier brands, and we intend to be positioned among those Top 3 in each of our production segments.

Q: How is the company working to achieve those goals? 

A: Our objectives require a very aggressive market penetration strategy. We have already initiated this by signing an exclusive distribution agreement in Mexico with a partner in the Gulf region. Our operational model requires the partner to establish a dedicated sales department solely for MaxEpoxy. We will educate them, foster their knowledge, and provide comprehensive technical and commercial support as they penetrate each industrial vertical.

We place significant value on education and knowledge transfer. We believe that by correctly educating and treating these specialists, they will become a powerful sales force that is proud to bring innovation to the market. Similarly, we will educate clients to demonstrate that we aim to be consultants, not merely daily vendors, ensuring we are there to assist them with their needs.

This is the ideal formula, coupled with multiplying our efforts by adding new business verticals and establishing regional sales management. Given Mexico’s size, it is difficult to manage the entire territory from a single office with one sales manager. We are prepared not only to establish regional management but also, should the factory determine it is necessary, we would place a permanent, direct factory representative in Mexico to fully support our distribution network.

MaxEpoxy is a Brazil-based company that formulates and provides high-performance polymer composites for industrial maintenance and repair. Its products offer protection against abrasion and corrosion, serving sectors like mining, steel, and oil and gas.