the next 12 months we will celebrate our
past and build on our extensive knowl-
edge and experience for the next 150
years. With nearly 13,000 employees and
120,000 customers in 130 countries, we
will continue to use advanced technolo-
gies to develop next generation coatings
while providing outstanding quality and
service in the years ahead.”
From the earliest products that sup-
plied European carriage manufacturers
with colourful coatings in the nineteenth
century, Axalta evolved to meet the needs
of an automotive industry that flourished
in the twentieth century. In the 1920s,
Axalta introduced the first quick-drying,
multi-colour lacquer line for automobile
production in the US. Company scien-
tists developed the L,a,b color equations
that became a key analytic tool in the
catalogue of colour science. In the sub-
sequent decades, technology at Axalta
evolved to produce coatings that were
increasingly durable and productive. In
the 1980s, the company ushered in the
first environmentally-responsible liquid
coating systems with the introduction of
waterborne coatings.
Building on experience acquired with
its original Spies Hecker and Standox
products, Axalta branched out to provide
refinish technicians with improved coat-
ing products and systems. In the 1990s,
the Cromax family of waterborne prod-
ucts was introduced to automotive body
shops. Handheld spectrophotometer co-
lour tools were developed to help provide
excellent color matching, which saves re-
pair time and reduces waste.
As the need across many industries
evolved, so did Axalta’s portfolio of
products. To serve a growing number of
industrial customers, Axalta introduced
Nap-Gard powder coatings for oil and
gas pipeline manufacturers. Today, both
functional coatings and a wide array
of decorative Alesta powder coatings
are used in thousands of applications.
Voltatex electrical insulation coatings
enhance the productivity of motors and
a host of electrical components.
Vehicles ranging from heavy
duty trucks, and buses to trains
and other rail stock, rely on
Imron to protect their vehicles from the
elements while using vibrant colours to
build recognition for Axalta’s custom-
ers’ brands.
“We have been expanding both the
global capabilities and global reach of
Axalta,” added Shaver. “We have accelerated our investments to expand production capacity in Germany, Brazil, China,
Mexico and India. We announced construction of a new Global Innovation
Center in Philadelphia, Pennslyvania,
USA, and began construction of an Asia-Pacific technology center in China that
will keep our technology at the cutting
edge. We’ve taken strong regional brands
and introduced them globally. All of these
measures, plus the many advances we are
making in colour technology, are focused
on meeting the needs of our customers
well into the future.”
