Benevue Color Management System

Introduction

The paint industry has long had a need for a portable color reader and a color customization system that is accurate, cost-effective, easy to set up, and easy to use. If you are amongst those who have felt this need, look no further.

Benevue is pleased to launch the Benevue Color Management System (BCMS). This system is the invention of experienced color scientists and computer experts working alongside experts in the paint industry. It represents the culmination of a multi-year effort. It is based on the latest digital color management technology, and everyday field usage has shown that it clearly exceeds the color formulation demands of the paint industry.

The paint industry has three important needs: accurate measurement of color, determination of formulas for competitor's colors using their own paint line, and creation of custom formulas for the measured colors. Until recently, expensive and sensitive spectrophotometers were the only means available to measure colors. In the last few years, several hand-held devices have been introduced by Benevue and others that can measure colors of opaque samples but they cannot support custom tint. With the exception of Benevue's devices, these color readers are stand-alone instruments, are specific to a paint manufacturer, and internally convert the measurements to the closest color in the manufacturer's color deck. They do not support custom tinting.

Benevue's solution, on the other hand, meets all these needs with one instrument. This all digital solution is accurate, cost-effective, and simple to deploy. It is briefly described below.

Overview

In Benevue's color management system, sample colors are read by the Benevue Color Reader, a hand-held, portable device that provides three four digit readings for the color being read. These readings are entered into a web page for accurate determination of color, that is device independent and from that a subsequent calculation of formulas, competitor's colors or custom tints. The firmware in the color reader and the digital color management software on Benevue's server work in tandem to ensure that the color readings are accurate enough so that determination of actual color is correct more than ninety five percent of the time. Furthermore, these readings are accurate enough for custom tinting and therein lies the novelty and efficacy of the solution one device meets all three needs. It is worth bearing in mind that the ultimate formulation accuracy is a product of two numbers - accuracy of color capture and accuracy of formulation for the specified color value. Conventional systems, even if they use a nearly 100% accurate color reader, have a formulation accuracy of less than 70% (as verified by independent testing). Hence the Benevue system that has accuracies in the high nineties for the two numbers is far more accurate than conventional systems.

Since the result is accurate more than 80% of the time, retailers are tinting in gallons directly rather than quarts. A mistint of a gallon (less than 20% of the time) is more cost-effective than accurate mistinted quarts (more than 80% of the time) that have to be wasted!

Features

Introduction of digital technology and connection to the server brings about the following benefits:

•  Update the electronic formula book on the server; there is no need to send its copies to each dealer.

•  Maintain selected information about consumers so that their earlier tints could be recalled for re-filling.

•  Suggest matching and/or contrasting colors that could be used for moldings, doors, and chair rails.

•  Since, all the calculations are performed on the server, the system takes very little table space in the store.

•  Low cost and portability enables a store to have multiple units to loan to contractors and others.

•  Since each unit has a serial number, the reader cannot be used in any unauthorized way. In particular the consumer can use it only in a way intended by the paint manufacturer.

•  Usage of each color can be tracked on the server, and the data thus collected can be used to perform a variety of market analyses to determine, for example, what is selling well, to whom, and in which regions.

As a matter of fact, the connection to the server implies that a variety of enhanced services can be provided by simply enhancing the software at the server. The dealers only need access to Internet through a desktop or laptop computer or Internet ready phone such as iPhone, Nexus, Galaxy etc. They do not need to install any software on their computers. Furthermore, their transactions would be totally safe because access would be password protected and the data would go over secure links.

Differentiation

•  Even though the other handheld color readers on the market can find the closest colors in a fan deck with some level of accuracy, the number of fan-deck colors is limited to a few thousand so that the colors are not too close to each other. Because of increased accuracy achieved through proprietary calibration software, the Benevue color reader is capable of distinguishing amongst hundreds of thousands of colors which may be similar to each other.

•  Since the device is used in conjunction with a central server; there is practically no limit to the size of the database of competitor's colors that can be supported on the system.

•  The Benevue color reader has the intrinsic accuracy of measurement so that the same instrument can be used for custom tinting. This is not the case with other hand held readers; a separate system would be needed for custom tinting.

•  Since this system uses a central server for calculations, all modifications and changes can be made at one place, and there is no need to update each unit individually.

•  Deployment of a high-speed, state-of-the-art database at the server allows us to provide additional analytical services related to color usage and market movements. Even though such analysis is not yet common place in the paint industry, we believe that it will be needed in the future. Our system is ready to grow in this direction.

•  Performance of this system for custom tinting as well as formula for competitor's colors will improve over time as additional data is collected from dealers and through our own work. This is in contrast with the existing technologies, wherein the performance is bound to remain at present levels because of inherent limitations of systems that use synthesis as opposed to analysis of formulas.

Conclusion

The Benevue Color Management System, along with its portable color reader and Internet-based server is an ideal vehicle to measure color, determine closest fan-deck color, and most importantly create customized formulas. Easy to use and easy to deploy, this system brings the power of Internet to paint manufacturers, dealers, and contractors in an inexpensive way at the present and holds the promise of providing additional services in the future.