How Mike Cherneta and Kapi Komera are redefi ning paint performance with POLIN-AC’s AIRFORCE
Walk into Mike Cherneta and Kapi Komera’s shop and you feel it right away: this place wasn’t built to keep up, it was built to move ahead. That intention shows up everywhere — from the way the space is organized to the pace of production, and most clearly in the paint department, where a deliberate decision was made to reduce cycle times, maintain consistent quality and take full control of the process. Th at decision led them to SBS, POLINAC’s Canadian branch, and ultimately to the AIRFORCE spray booth.
From the moment it was installed, the booth became central to the operation. Th is wasn’t a cosmetic upgrade, but a calculated investment in performance.
Like many progressive bodyshops, Mike and Kapi had reached a point where working harder was no longer delivering results. Longer hours only exposed the bottleneck. Cycle times slowed, minor defects became more frequent and rework quietly eroded margins. When they stepped back to assess the situation, it became clear the issue wasn’t their team or their process — it was the environment they were working in. More specifi cally, it was the air.
Once that realization set in, the path forward became much clearer. Airfl ow inside a spray booth isn’t just a technical specification; it directly aff ects fi nish quality, effi ciency and consistency. It determines whether a job is completed right the first time or needs to be redone, and whether a day runs smoothly or stalls under avoidable delays.
POLIN-AC designed the AIRFORCE system with that understanding at its core. Rather than operating at a fi xed level, the booth adapts to the job at hand. Inverter-driven technology, paired with a direct-fired burner, delivers rapid heat when required and maintains stable curing temperatures throughout the process, while avoiding unnecessary energy use. Highperformance fans ensure even air distribution across the entire vehicle surface, reducing turbulence and minimizing the conditions that lead to dust and imperfections.
Dust remains one of the most persistent challenges in any paint environment. Even with proper preparation and application, a single airborne particle can compromise an otherwise flawless finish. AIRFORCE addresses this at the source through multi-pocket filtration on both intake and exhaust, maintaining a clean, controlled environment throughout the spray and curing process. Over time, the benefi t becomes evident not in a single standout job, but in the steady absence of small, costly setbacks.
Lighting plays an equally important role. A diff used LED confi guration eliminates shadows and provides consistent illumination across every panel, allowing painters to see their work clearly in real time. It’s a subtle improvement that prevents missed coverage and reduces the need for corrections aft er the vehicle leaves the booth.
Concerns around installation and disruption are common when introducing new equipment, but AIRFORCE’s modular panel design — built in 0.5-metre sections—allowed the system to fit within the existing layout without interrupting production. Work continued throughout the installation, and the structure remains flexible enough to adapt as the shop evolves.
Th e impact of the change wasn’t immediate or dramatic, but it was consistent. Fewer vehicles required rework. Curing cycles stayed on schedule. Painters left the booth confi dent in their results. Over time, those incremental gains added up, improving throughput, stabilizing margins and restoring a steady flow of work. What Mike and Kapi ultimately invested in wasn’t just a spray booth, but greater control over their operation. In an industry where performance is measured in minutes and millimetres, that level of control can make a meaningful difference.
Supported by technical expertise and realworld experience, SBS, POLIN-AC’s Canadian branch combines local insight with global engineering to help shops raise standards, improve performance and invest with confidence.
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