Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine March/April 2022 - 25

PAINT AND COATINGS MANUFACTURING: WOMEN IN COATINGS
the industry: " If you are someone who wants to accomplish
something with the possibilities that are presented to you, you're
headed in the right direction. Sometimes you have to start at the
bottom, but if you have a strong desire for more responsibility, it
is a huge advantage since employers are looking for people who
want to work. Companies appreciate this since it is difficult to
discover that characteristic in everyone. "
Kady Purvis
from Halton Chemical
Kady Purvis studied chemistry for
her post-secondary education before
starting her career at Environment
Canada as a lab technician. Soon
after that contract ended, she found
work at Katilac Coatings Inc (KCI),
an independently owned Canadian company. At first, Purvis was
hired as a lab tech/quality control technician. She then worked
her way up to Research and Development technician, then to
Application Chemist.
Before working at KCI, she had not had an education specific
to the coatings industry. Still, her chemistry background made
the learning curve much more straightforward. Since then,
Purvis has taken the CPCA Coatings Technology Diploma,
which she considered incredibly valuable and insightful.
When asked what drew her to pursue a career as an
Application Chemist, Purvis said: " Chemistry has always been
an interest of mine; I love understanding how things work down
to the molecular level. I didn't know which direction I wanted
my career to go in, just that I wanted a career in chemistry. " Most
of Purvis' time is spent in the lab researching new technologies,
formulating products for various improvements, and doing
quality control. In addition, Purvis also is heavily involved in the
marketing side of things for Katilac Coatings; she runs the social
media accounts and deals with any print ads.
" This ability to be so intertwined in many facets of the
business is both a reward and a challenge, " she says. " The reward
uses all of my talents to push the business forward from start
to finish. The challenge is always time! Time management is so
important when you have many differing responsibilities. "
When asked what areas of the industry interest Purvis the
most, she said: " The push toward green technology is a big
interest of mine. Water-based coatings have been around a
long time, but their adoption has been slow. Historically they
have been more expensive, harder to use, and have had inferior
properties than their solvent-borne counterparts. However, the
green technologies available have expanded in recent years and
are improving in performance every year. "
Purvis does her best to keep on top of the latest trends in
the industry, but such has been a difficult task the past few
years. Purvis points out how the pandemic caused so many
issues in the supply chain area of the industry and focuses on
ensuring Katilac Coatings Customers get products and that the
manufacturing facility keeps running at its highest capacity. " It
is seeming like we are finally nearing the light at the end of the
tunnel when it comes to the chaos the pandemic has caused;
hopefully, then, I can have more time to focus on the new trends
that are emerging. "
Purvis looks to Dr. Richard Johnston as a source of inspiration
and a mentor to her. " He has been involved in all aspects of
this industry for many years, and his experience and insight
have been invaluable to me. I came into this industry with a
chemistry background and only a basic understanding of the
world of coatings. He has taken me under his wing and taught
me more than I could have possibly hoped for. He has expanded
my knowledge not only in the world of chemistry and coatings
but in business as well. "
Purvis strives to continue to be an integral part of Katilac
Coatings' growth by helping to expand their distribution
network across North America while simultaneously improving
their line of coatings to keep up with all the latest technologies.
Janice Jacula
from Dynamix
Thirteen years ago, Janice Jacula
started in the lab at Dynamix Inc
and is now the lead ISO auditor and
Laboratory Manager. She learned a
great deal in the surface finishing
industry from the other managers and
Dynamix owners. Before her current role, she graduated from
Chemical Engineering Technology and has completed both ISO
auditor and management certification. She started in the surface
finishing industry as a lab technician for a metal pre-treatment
chemical company, then became the quality manager over time.
Jacula was first drawn to her position as she enjoyed the
challenges of the busy lab at Dynamix. " The surface finishing
industry is constantly changing and evolving. As new
technologies become available, so too do the regulations and
analytical procedures behind them, and it is my job to stay on top
of them. Being responsible for the internal quality of so many
products and customer analysis is different and challenging
every day. I enjoy troubleshooting customer solutions in our
lab at Dynamix and offer real-time support to customers when
they have finishing issues. I feel confident that the Dynamix
laboratory's advice has saved many countless hours of downtime
and saved our customers. I am proud to be a part of that. "
In her current role, Jacula is the lead ISO auditor as well
as Laboratory Manager; she is responsible for the quality and
regulatory compliance of raw materials and finished goods, as
well as customer samples, which are mainly plating solutions
from process tanks (i.e. zinc, nickel, brass, copper, chrome
electroplating solutions amongst others) but also wastewater
samples.
" I manage a team of laboratory technologists who provide a
comprehensive analysis to our customers, " she says. " The lab at
Dynamix is always a busy place. I have seen Dynamix routinely
grow every year. As our portfolio of products expands, we have
March/April 2022
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Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine March/April 2022

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