PPG Opens Distribution Center
in Hermosillo, Mexico
PPG has recently opened a distribu- tion center in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, to serve its PPG-Comex
business. The company recently marked
completion of the project, which helps to
maintain more than 200 jobs in the region, with a grand-opening ceremony attended by Jorge Vidal Ahumada, Sonora’s
minister of economy.
With nearly 34,200 square feet ( 3,176
square meters) of space, the new center
accommodates storage of about 3. 5 million liters (about 924,600 gallons) of
paint and coatings to help improve the
distribution and commercialization of
Comex brand and other PPG products in
the Pacific region of Mexico.
“With this new distribution center, we
will grow the presence of and loyalty to
the Comex brand in the Pacific region,”
said Marcos Achar, chief executive officer
of PPG-Comex and PPG vice president
of architectural coatings, Latin America.
“This will strengthen our distribution
model and allow us to maintain growth
rates of double national GDP, by enabling
us to more efficiently help our growing
base of Mexican retail customers, espe-
cially those in the Pacific region, to pro-
tect and beautify their homes and build
lasting projects.”
Achar said the new distribution center
is part of a larger effort by PPG-Comex
to expand its presence in northwestern
Mexico. “The Pacific region is a signifi-
cant part of Mexico’s paints and coat-
ings market, with growing cities such as
Mexicali, Chihuahua, Los Cabos and La
Paz. Our Hermosillo distribution center
not only reduces our shipping time to re-
gional paint stores to one day or less from
five days, but it also supports our plan to
open 30 additional paint stores in the re-
gion during 2016.”
PPG-Comex is PPG’s architectural
coatings business in Mexico and Central
America. The Comex brand has 4,000
stores and is a leader in the manufacture,
marketing and distribution of decorative
paints, wood care products, industrial
coatings, drywall, accessories and more in
the region. The Comex brand fortifies its
leadership with constant innovation and
expansion and offers more than 15,000
solutions that beautify and protect life.
Axalta Opens Europe,
Middle East and Africa
Management Headquarters
in Basel, Switzerland
Axalta Coating Systems has opened
its new Europe, Middle East and
Africa (EMEA) headquarters in Basel,
Switzerland. Members of Axalta’s
EMEA leadership team, who had been
located in different offices, have all been
in the new Swiss premises as of July 1
when the regional headquarters became
fully operational.
Matthias Schönberg, Axalta vice
president and president of EMEA, said,
“This move reflects our commitment to
have a truly regional vision. By having
our EMEA leadership team, who set the
strategic direction of the EMEA busi-
nesses, in one location, we can lever-
age synergies and focus fully on driving
growth in our markets. This in turn al-
lows our country management teams
to concentrate on the all-important
daily local operations. But ultimately,
this change is designed to make all of
us in the region even more focused on
our customers through improved cross-
functional collaboration.”
Switzerland was chosen because of its
central location in Europe and an accom-
modating environment and talent pool
for international business. The Basel area
also has easy access to two international
airports that provide a gateway to the en-
tire EMEA and global community.
Toyota Names BASF
Glasurit Shop Certified
Collision Center of the Year
A-1 Toyota, a BASF Glasurit shop in
New Haven, Connecticut, won the
Toyota Certified Collision Center of the
Year award. This marks the first time a
Toyota dealer from the Northeast received the recognition since the award’s
inception. Criteria for the award include: achievement of master level
training in all departments, strong financials, consistent improvement of key
performance indicators, and exceptional customer satisfaction scores.
“As a Glasurit customer for more
