October 2013
| Business World Magazine | 249
als was started on a shoe-string budget in
1983 and some of its first customers were
former U.S. Steel clients who had come
to trust and value working with Under-
wood.
Kenwood flourished for providing a
“one order, one source, one invoice” solu-
tion, says Underwood. This means clients
not only access any kind of coating they
need, but secure processing and inven-
tory stocking services too. “Customers
appreciate that we carry their inventory,”
explains Underwood. “ That means we’re
carrying financial responsibility for that
inventory ... We try to run a ninety day
supply and we’ll carry the burden of the
inventory, stock it at different locations
across the country and customers only
pay for the portion they want released.
We put the investment up front ourselves
... to get the steel, get it painted, get it pro-
cessed, and ready to ship to them as their
just in time needs arise.”
Today, Kenwood Painted Metals has
evolved to supply goods for a range of
industries. From automotive parts and
accessories for the transportation indus-
try and appliances, office furniture and
HVAC systems in the consumer market
to the lighting fixtures, roofing, exterior
walls and doors used in the construction
field, Kenwood’s coatings cover a signifi-
cant swath of industry sectors throughout
America. When watching the opening/
closing of an electronic-controlled garage
door, or when seeing the skirting that sur-
rounds a mobile home, or when looking
up at the white metal canopy that covers
the gas pumps at a service station, there’s
a good chance you’re seeing the handi-
work of Kenwood PaintedMetals. As Un-
derwood explains, “We align the coating
for the particular application... all paints
have different properties of varying flex-
ibility or hardness. There are many vari-
ables that go into making a whole paint
system. Some coatings have to be able to
move with the metal while others have
to specially withstand environmental im-
pacts... part of our success comes from
understanding which coating works best
for each application.”
CONSCIENTIOUS COILER
Beyond its knowledge and expertise,
Kenwood’s market penetration could just
