During Thursday’s Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce event, Peerless Product, Inc., gave visitors a tour of their facility as well as their new powder coat paint line that came online in February.
Peerless joined the community in 1952, providing what President Coby Jones described as reliable but mediocre windows and doors. But in the past decade, the company has taken steps to improve their work efficiency and customer service, rebrand themselves and provide some of the best products available.
“We went and studied the globe on where can we buy the best components, the best materials to make our products exceptional,” Jones said, saying they now buy materials from Germany and Italy that provide durability as well as thermal protection to keep exterior temperatures out.
Peerless makes between 1,100 and 1,400 window a week, much of their products going to areas such as Boston, New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco and Dallas/Fort Worth. The windows and doors are frequently used at universities, hospitals, public schools, military bases and hotel chains, with the product customized for the customer, such as needing to protect the buildings from earthquakes, hurricanes or car bombs.
Jones said the new powder coat paint line is one of only five in the world and the only one in North America. The powder paint is sprayed on the metal, sticking to it via static electricity, and is then put through a heating process that melts it into the smooth coat that provides an attractive finish and lasts longer.
“We think this is very desirable for the work we’re doing,” Jones said.
Along with the addition of the new paint line, further changes have been made to other areas of the plant as well to improve the appearance as well as the efficiency of the work. In recent years, Peerless also became Fort Scott’s greatest employer, with about 400 employees.
“At the end of the day, what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to make this place to be the best we can be,” Jones said, adding they are trying to put the best products into their customers’ hands as well as draw others into Fort Scott to see the city as well as the plant.
