“Much of our recent efforts have been focused on wa-
terborne solutions, improvements in powder coatings (i.e.,
low cure powder coatings for engineered wood surfaces)
and UV curable technology; that is reflected in the products
that Sherwin-Williams introduced last year at IWF and the
Powder Coating Show,” said Bartoszek. “Sherwin-Williams
views the challenge to low VOC emissions as an opportunity
to improve quality, lower process times for our customers
and reduce energy requirements. To simply lower the VOCs
is not enough. We see these opportunities as our chance to
innovate and improve the coatings we offer to the market-
place, and we believe that our product introductions over the
past several years speak well to the work we have done to
achieve those goals.”
One of the key competitive advantages PPG has is its ability
to conduct advanced resin technology research, the company
stated. “We’re not solely dependent on raw material suppliers to
improve our coatings and, because of that, we are uniquely po-
sitioned to help customers meet environmental demands,” said
the spokesperson.
PPG recently achieved sustainability advances in a number of
coating technology platforms. Beyond new low- and zero-VOC
coatings for the architectural market, PPG introduced water-
borne refinish coatings for the automotive industry; anti-fouling,
non-copper-containing coatings for the marine industry; and
metal-free catalysts for e-coat.
“These types of developments are continually taking place
because sustainability is part of PPG’s core mission,” the spokes-
person added. “PPG also works closely with customers to make
coatings more environmental friendly, and with the EPA, govern-
ment agencies and other stakeholders to educate them about the
VOC limits achievable with new coating technologies. Legislation
and customer demand continue to drive the technology.” CW
Photo courtesy PPG Industries .
