"With increasing demands from customers and public authorities on using environmentally acceptable processes there is a great need for SMEs within the metal surface painting industry to change pre treatment process. Today’s pre treatment system, zinc phosphating, is a chemical process with high consumption of water and energy and with use of potentially toxic chemicals like nickel and zinc. The need to substitute zinc phosphating is also related to pretreatment of light weight material e.g. aluminum and magnesium. These substrates cause sludge formation and quality problems. New environmentally acceptable pre treatment processes based on non dangerous chemicals, free from heavy metals, causing no sludge formation, and requiring less process control have been developed during the last 10 years. The project addresses the problem to replace the “standard” pre-treatment process for out-door use, zinc phosphating with a new process. This is the only way to meet the increasing demands from customers and authorities. The magnitude of the problem can be understood by the fact that the process in use has 40 years of experience and the new processes have a completely different way of protecting the product. The SMEP will considerably improve their competitive position by being in the lead with the new silane/zirconium based processes. That is if the “process for change” will be successful regarding selection, adaption and running the process and if the dissemination will succeed. The strategic objective of the project is hand-on- knowledge to the SMEs packaged in a “Tool box for successful implementation of new pretreatment systems”. The toolbox will contain procedures for how to evaluate, adapt and implement the new pretreatment systems and how to control the new pretreatment processes. The research performed in the project will result in improved and verified test procedures; quality assured corrosion protection and process control."