Coatings World - August 2012

the design and development process while being more effective in communicating with our administration, program, aftermarket support and quality departments as well as our customers.” The staff of the new PPG sales office, which is located at 41 avenue Jean Monnet, 31770 Colomiers, France, provides regional support to original-equipment and maintenance customers in commercial, business and military aviation as well as military land-based transportation.

On the technology front, a chromate-free metal pretreatment and a chromate-free exterior decorative primer from PPG Aerospace are now standard on Boeing Next-Generation 737 production airplanes.

Desogel EAP- 9 metal pretreatment and Desoprime CF/CA 7502 epoxy primer by PPG Aerospace can be used with any qualified topcoats on Boeing Next-Generation 737 airplanes. Desoprime CF/CA 7502 primer is the only chromate-free primer on Boeing’s qualified product list for its BMS 10-72 (Revision Y) Exterior Decorative Paint specification said the company.

“After many years of successful testing and field evaluations, Boeing has selected Desoprime CF/CA 7502 primer as standard for Boeing Next-Generation 737 production aircraft,” said Kevin Brooks, PPG Aerospace global segment manager for original-equipment coatings.

Brooks said airlines are also requesting Desoprime CF/CA 7502 primer with a non-chromated pretreatment for Boeing 767 and 777 widebodies.

The C919 is the first Chinese medium-range aircraft developed and manufactured entirely in the People’s Republic.

The C919 is expected to make its maiden flight in 2014, and the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd. (COMAC) has scheduled first deliveries of the mass-produced aircraft for 2016.

According to information from the manufacturer, interest in the new plane has been high ever since COMAC presented the prototype of the C919 at the Airshow China in November 2010.

The C919 is being marketed as a serious contender to the passenger aircraft of industry heavyweights like Boeing and Airbus. All the Chinese airlines, from Air China through China Keeping with China’s high growth trend, PPG recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of PPG Aerospace Materials (Suzhou) Co. Ltd.

PPG Aerospace Materials (Suzhou) Co. Ltd. was established in March 2002 to meet the needs of major aerospace original equipment manufacturers as well as the rapidly growing Asia Pacific maintenance (MRO) market. It is one of 16 global Application Support Centers for PPG Aerospace.

“Over the past decade, ASC-Suzhou has expanded its prod-
uct portfolio and gradually localized its production of aero-
space materials in China and other countries in the Asia Pacific
region, significantly fueling the growth of the regional aero-
space manufacturing industry,” said Paul Bowman, PPG gen-
eral manager, aerospace materials, Asia Pacific. “Additionally,
achieving a decade of manufacturing safety is notable, partic-
ularly for a chemical company. We share the best practices that
lead to success here in Suzhou with PPG plants all around the
world.”
PPG Aerospace Materials (Suzhou) Co. Ltd. has improved
its quality management system through its first 10 years, gain-
ing qualification from both Boeing and Airbus. PPG also was
the first chemical company approved by the Civil Aviation Ad-
ministration of China (CAAC) to design and manufacture
dozens of coating products and other aerospace materials. To
meet growing demand in the Asia Pacific region, ASC-Suzhou’s
windshield framing repair service was added to offer customers
regional window assembly overhaul and repair, and PPG es-
tablished PPG Aerospace Materials (Tianjin) Co. Ltd. in the
Tianjin Airport Economic Area in 2010. CW

The Comac C919 is a planned family of 168-190 seat narrow-body airliners to be built by the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac). It will be the largest commercial airliner designed and built in China since the defunct Shanghai Y- 10. Its first flight is expected to take place in 2014, with deliveries scheduled for 2016. The C919 forms part of China's long-term goal to break Airbus and Boeing's duopoly, and is intended to compete against Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737.

China’s aerospace industry is taking off

While the commercial aircraft sector as a whole will continue to struggle with profitability issues that have resulted in several changes in the competitive landscape and in the operating models of the surviving companies, new aircraft orders from regional carriers, many based in emerging economies, are pushing order books and stretching lead times. The result for coatings suppliers will be increasing opportunities tempered by intense competition with regional suppliers for design wins. To participate fully in the evolving market opportunity for aerospace coatings, suppliers must be willing to invest heavily in pre-sales support by teaming with manufacturers to develop the pilot programs that will be required to bring new applications to market.

China is one high growth market whose aerospace industry is expanding rapidly. The country has discovered an enormous domestic market for passenger jets and plans to produce them itself.