continuing mission to remove
waste from the workplace,”
Meyer said. “Our transforma-
tion engages all employees to
constantly look for opportunities to im-
prove our process.”
Meyer cited several bright spots vis-
ible in the factory. “The most promi-
nent is a work cell where we process
parts for a commercial aircraft manu-
facturer. Through the efforts of the
people in the work cell, we have been
able to reduce lead times for select
high-volume programs.”
A new window may require thousands
of hours in design, development and qual-
ification by PPG employees in Huntsville
before it is certified for flight. On aver-
age, aircraft windows PPG makes today
are significantly larger and more complex
than those made decades ago.
“PPG has been able to maintain a
leadership position in a highly competitive industry by continually securing new customers and new programs,”
Meyer said.
He credited employees for their con-
tributions to successes with lean and new
program development. “It is a testament
to the talent and dedication of the people
who have worked here through nearly
half a century that PPG continues to
grow and meet the needs of the aerospace
transparency industry.”
In addition to housing production op-
erations, the PPG facility has employees
involved in design, development, testing
and certification of new windows as well
as ongoing support of windows for air-
craft operators.
Community involvement is important
to PPG, the company says, and its support includes U.S. Space & Rocket Center
Aviation Challenge program scholarships, University of Alabama-Huntsville
Girls Day on Campus scholarships and
donations to local public schools through
Public Education Leadership Community
grants of the PPG Industries Foundation
that totaled more than $65,000 in 2013.
PPG also provides community support
through employee volunteerism grants
that exceeded $30,000 in 2013, and it
annually sponsors a community scholar-
ship for a local high school graduate. The
company and its employees rank among
the largest financial supporters of the
United Way of Madison County. PPG’s
memberships include the Huntsville/
Madison County Chamber of Commerce,
Business Council of Alabama and North
Alabama International Trade Association.
PPG started construction of the
Huntsville aircraft products plant in
May 1968 on a 64-acre site and began
production April 9, 1969, with about
100 employees. The first shipment was
made May 27, 1969, of windshields for
the Convair 340 commercial airliner, for
which PPG still maintains tooling even
though it has been years since it produced
any of the windshields. Today, more than
1,000 different designs are made in any
month from windshields for commercial
airliners to helicopter windshields.
Axalta to Work with
Sabanci University
Axalta Coating Systems in Turkey has
announced a new cooperation initiative
with the Sabanci University’s School of
Management which will be an integral
part of the three Masters programs the
university offers. Through a variety of
projects, students will be able to gain
hands-on work experience with Axalta
in Turkey during their MBA, Executive
MBA or Master of Finance (MoF) courses. Sabanci University, an independent
university, is located near Axalta’s Turkish
manufacturing center in Sekerpinar.
“Axalta is a firm believer in the
power of innovation and we’re passion-
ate about nurturing young talent. We
see collaboration between industry and
academia as being absolutely vital, as it
can ensure a continued source of inno-
vation in the knowledge-based economy
of the twenty-first century,” said Heinz
Stolz, Director of Axalta’s refinish busi-
nesses across Turkey, the Middle East
and Africa. “It is with this goal in mind
that we are eager to mentor the leaders
of tomorrow in order to build the exper-
tise and graduate skills that will meet
employer objectives.”
The joint program will be coordinated
with Sabanci’s School of Management
and allows participating students to take
on actual projects at Axalta that are
relevant to their studies and to the com-
pany. With Axalta’s growing footprint in
Turkey, the company can offer students
projects in manufacturing, management,
sales or customer service, ensuring that
students meet their course requirements,
find the best match for their area of study
and contribute to Axalta’s operations at
the same time.
The Axalta education program with
Sabanci University forms part of a growing range of global education programs
that Axalta has set up together with academic institutions around the world.
AkzoNobel and Plan
Nederland Mark 20 Years of
Supporting Education
AkzoNobel and the Plan organization in
the Netherlands are celebrating the 20th
anniversary of a partnership which has
supported the education of thousands of
young people around the world.
Initially set up to improve the quality of education for children in developing countries, the company’s Education
Fund has since evolved to also support
the employability of young people and set
them on a proper career path. Over the
years, tens of thousands of young people
have benefited from dozens of projects in
countries such as Bolivia, China, Ecuador,
India, the Philippines and Vietnam.
AkzoNobel’s Visualizer App
Wins Technology Prize
The Visualizer app launched by
AkzoNobel’s Decorative Paints business e
has won a prestigious honor at the 2014
UK IT Industry Awards.
A first in augmented reality technology, the free app enables users to see in real
time what a room will look like in a wide
range of different colors. The innovation
beat seven other finalists in the Innovative
Mobile App of the Year category. The
core innovation behind the Visualizer is
the Computer Vision technology which
enables the user to apply realistic virtual
paint to their walls, in real-time, without
affecting picture frames and other furniture. Compatible with both Android and
iOS devices, it is currently available in 44
countries and will continue to be rolled
out over the coming months. CW
