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Public Power Corporation (PPC), Greece, Switches from the Competition to Si-COAT 570 High Voltage Insulator Coating

Being a country of many islands, Greece is plagued by the problem of leakage current and flashover due to salt-fog from the Mediterranean Sea. The problem in Greece is so accute that even regular water washing programs were not effective.

So, PPC, the Greek power authority, turned to insulator coatings to help alleviate the problem. For a number of years, PPC used an insulator coating that competes against Si-COAT 570 HVIC.

In 1999, Si-COAT 570 HVIC was introduced to PPC. Reluctant to change, PPC tried a very small sample of Si-COAT 570 HVIC at a substation on the island of Crete. As is common wherever Si-COAT is used, the impact was immediate and positive.

PPC assumed it was a rule that an insulator coating required regular cleaning and replacement in a relatively short period of time. They also assumed that the health problems the applicators were encountering when using the competitor's coating was an unavoidable evil.

Needless to say, PPC was pleasantly surprised when they noticed that by using Si-COAT, their applicators no longer experienced any negative health issues. Of even greater impact was the fact that insulators coated with Si-COAT 570 HVIC required no maintenance while those coated with the competition's product still required water washing and reapplication after a relatively short period of time.

But what really convinced PPC was their own application crew. Si-COAT applied much more easily than the competitor's coating and cured to a smoother, more superior finish. After observing these differences, PPC's application crew acted as a stronger advocate for the product than Si-COAT's technical experts!

From a product performance standpoint, Si-COAT 570 HVIC has lived up to all its promises. Once tried by PPC, the product literally sold itself. Since the initial application PPC's orders for Si-COAT 570 HVIC have steadily grown to fill 90% of Greece's demand for insulator coating. Initially, Si-COAT 570 HVIC was only being used in substations. Now, the product is being applied to insulators along transmission lines as well.

Building upon the successes in Greece, Si-COAT is spreading throughout the Mediterranean region like wildfire. In fact, in early 2000, Si-COAT 570 HVIC was introduced to Israel Electric Corporation, Ltd. (IEC) through Si-COAT's Greek offices. In the year 2000 alone, IEC purchased 13 tonnes of Si-COAT 570 HVIC and just placed an order for 8,000 kg in the first week of January, 2001.