Pretreatment can be a source of friction… or a fast track.
When you’re quoting new business or preparing to support a new tractor model, combine platform, or sprayer assembly, three things determine how fast you can move:
- The number of stages in your pretreatment system
- How consistently the chemistry holds spec
- Whether the OEM has already validated or approved the system
If those answers point to a multi-stage, high-maintenance system the OEM hasn’t seen before, approvals stretch out and the line runs slower than it should.
As a preferred pretreatment supplier to leading agricultural OEMs, CPI helps remove those roadblocks. Our Steelcote™ 2000 zirconium pretreatment is already qualified across a wide range of OEM paint systems. That means fewer process changes, faster validation, and less back-and-forth during onboarding.
Whether you’re coating tractor chassis, baler panels, or grain bin components, a stable pretreatment process can be the difference between meeting a platform launch date—or missing it.
That’s why having the right system in place matters. It keeps suppliers fast, cost-efficient, and aligned with customer timelines from day one.
Here’s how those gains show up on the line, with help from a four-stage zirconium system:
Increased Speed and Efficiency
Most traditional pretreatment systems follow the same pattern: clean, rinse, rinse again, coat, rinse some more… and wait.
Those extra stages come at a cost (not just in money), but in time. More steps mean more chances for something to go sideways. And a qualification process that drags because the OEM hasn’t seen it before.
Steelcote™2000 simplifies the entire pretreatment process to just four stages:
- Custom Cleaner – Tailored to your soils and substrates, so parts get clean the first time (no over-processing).
- Rinse – A single-stage rinse that works with city water. No multi-step rinse sequence.
- Steelcote™ Application – Forms a stable, sludge-free zirconium layer for corrosion protection and adhesion.
- Final Rinse – Clears off any residuals. No seal coat needed. No extended dwell time.
By reducing complexity, you reduce lag. This isn’t about speeding things up just to check a box. It’s about removing the friction that’s been slowing you down all along.
For ag suppliers, that friction often starts during onboarding, especially when the chemistry is unfamiliar. Steelcote™ helps avoid those delays. Because it’s already validated across a range of OEM paint systems, it aligns with existing expectations and simplifies the approval path.
Cost Savings
Every unnecessary stage hits four expense lines at once—chemicals, water, energy, and labor.
Simplifying the process eliminates those hidden drains. With fewer stages and no sludge, plants cut operating costs without cutting reliability.
Here’s where those savings show up:
One Tier 1 supplier coating sprayer components switched from a phosphate system to Steelcote™ and eliminated sludge cleanouts entirely. What used to take hours of tank shutdown and burnout now takes a quick rinse–freeing up labor, reducing waste, and keeping the line on schedule.
The result isn’t just lower spend; it’s smarter process design that cuts waste and raises performance.
OEM Satisfaction Without the Stress
When your process runs better, your customers notice.
Ag OEMs care about process capability as much as finished-part quality. When pretreatment is simple and statistically stable: Adhesion and corrosion tests pass on the first run. Launch timelines stay intact (no rework cycles triggered by chemistry drift).
Qualification also moves faster when the chemistry is already proven in similar environments.
Streamlining your pretreatment process reduces the variability that usually creates headaches. And when you’re not stopping for cleanouts or scrambling to fix out-of-range tanks, it’s easier to hit the deadlines your customers are counting on.
That means less friction with the people who matter most (your customers).
The Bottom Line
Streamlining pretreatment isn’t about chasing marginal gains; it’s about removing the drag that slows everything else down. When the system is stable, simple, and already aligned with Ag OEM expectations, production moves with fewer interruptions and fewer compromises.
And the chemistry does its job without becoming a daily variable. Over time, that kind of consistency becomes a competitive advantage.
Want to see if your process is ready for a smarter switch? Let’s talk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What makes Steelcote™ 2000 “OEM-approved”?
Steelcote™ 2000 has passed qualification testing across a range of paint systems used by leading agricultural OEMs. CPI holds preferred supplier status, which means many OEMs already have documentation and performance data on file—shortening approval cycles for suppliers.
Q: Will switching to Steelcote™ require major changes to my existing line?
Not necessarily. Steelcote™ is designed to integrate with existing paint line infrastructure. Many suppliers can convert by removing unnecessary rinse stages and burning out their phosphate tanks.
Q: How does this impact my time to production?
Using a pretreatment system that’s already validated by the OEM significantly reduces delays during qualification. Fewer stages, no sludge, and stable chemistry help you ramp faster and stay on schedule.
Q: What kind of cost savings should I expect?
Suppliers who switch to Steelcote™ typically see reductions in chemical usage, water consumption, energy costs, and maintenance labor. While savings vary by line setup, it’s common to see a 20–40% reduction in overall pretreatment costs.
Q: Does zirconium match phosphate performance in corrosion resistance and adhesion?
Yes. Steelcote™ 2000 is a fifth-generation zirconium system engineered to meet or exceed the corrosion resistance and paint adhesion benchmarks expected by top OEMs. It’s proven on ag components exposed to harsh field conditions—so you’re not trading performance for simplicity.
