Axalta Coating Systems
Wilmington, Delaware/USA
www.axaltacoatingsystems.com
PUBLIC COMPANY
YEAR ESTABLISHED: 2013
$4.3 billion s (2011: 4. 28 bn)
MARKETS SERVED
• Automotive OEM • Collision repair • Industrial Coatings
KEY EXECUTIVES
Charles W. Shaver, chairman and CEO; John McCool,
president.
Global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group L.P. has completed its acquisition of DuPont Performance Coatings for $4.9 billion and renamed the company Axalta Coating
Systems. Axalta Coating Systems is a global supplier of coatings
to the transportation and industrial sectors. The investment was
funded primarily with equity from Carlyle Partners V and Carlyle
Europe Partners III.
“We are excited to invest in Axalta Coating Systems and believe its strong market position and global footprint will enable the
company to capitalize on opportunities in rapidly emerging markets
such as China and Brazil. As experienced investors in the industrial
and transportation sectors, the One Carlyle global network can help
Axalta Coating Systems grow and create value,” said Martin Sumner, principal of The Carlyle Group.
Charles Shaver, the company’s chairman and CEO added, “We
look forward to this exciting next chapter for Axalta Coating Sys-
tems. Our global scale with 35 plants and seven technology centers
around the world, combined with Carlyle’s industrial focus and
global network, position us well for the future.”
As an independent company, Axalta Coating Systems will build
on a foundation of more than 90 years in the coatings industry. The
company serves more than 120,000 customers in 130 countries and
provides customers with a full range of coating systems.
“In addition to driving performance and excellence, one of our
greatest strengths is the systems-based approach we take with our
customers,” said John G. McCool, president of Axalta Coating Systems. “Along with coatings, we provide customers a full spectrum
of tools and services to help them use our products effectively. We
offer customers hands-on opportunities to learn how to use these
products and applications tools in our 42 training centers throughout the world. This capability helps our customers improve their
performance and productivity while allowing us to enhance our offerings by gaining a better understanding of customer preferences.”
Axalta Coating Systems develops, manufactures and sells coatings
and application tools to automobile repair body shops and original
equipment manufacturers in the automotive and heavy-duty truck
markets. Its strong market positions are supported by global brands
including Standox, Spies Hecker, Cromax and Imron. The company’s
technology leadership is highlighted by its best-in-class third generation of waterborne systems developed to address growing customer
requirements for higher productivity and environmentally friendly
coatings. Axalta Coating Systems also serves the decorative, architectural, general industrial and job-coater segments of the powder coatings market under the brands Alesta Powder Coatings, NAP-GARD
FBE Powder Coatings and ABCITE Powder Coatings.
Axalta to Invest $50 Million in China
Axalta Coating Systems will invest more than $50 million to construct
a new facility to manufacture and supply up to 25,000 metric tons of
paint to automobile manufacturers that are expanding into south and
central China. The plant will be dedicated to production of the company’s waterborne coatings that meet both manufacturer and regulatory environmental standards. Pending final government approvals,
construction of the new facility is expected to break ground in the second half of 2013 with production beginning the first quarter of 2015.
“Our Board’s decision – reached only 100 days after becoming an
independent company – to invest and grow with our customers reflects
our long term commitment to the auto industry in China and around
the world,” said Charles Shaver, chairman and CEO of Axalta Coating
Systems. “That’s what Axalta customer focus is all about. Proximity
enables us to respond immediately to our customers’ needs.” The new
facility will be close to customers in the Shanghai area and have easy
access to major transportation routes reaching into western and southern areas of the country. This additional facility will complement the
manufacturing capacity of Axalta’s flagship OEM coatings manufacturing plant in Changchun that is already accelerating production to meet
extraordinary growth in automotive production in China.
“The waterborne coatings that will be produced at the new facility
will be used in two of the consolidated manufacturing processes that
Axalta has developed for automobile manufacturers to improve pro-
ductivity and save energy,” stated K. Peter Hurd, Axalta’s vice president
of operations. The specially formulated primer of Axalta’s 3-Wet wa-
ter-based system replaces the need for a full oven bake step required
after the application of traditional primers, enabling manufacturers to
replace larger ovens which are expensive to build and costly to oper-
ate. Products manufactured at the new facility will also be used with
Axalta’s EcoConcept production system, a proprietary technology that
combines the primer and basecoat, enabling manufacturers to replace
multiple bake steps with only one. According to Axalta regional opera-
tions director, Allan Tsai, “Reduced baking steps saves time and energy
and, along with the inherently lower-VOC quality of the paint itself,
reduces the environmental footprint of the auto industry.”
“China’s expanding car production is a reflection of the nation’s
fantastic economic growth. Axalta is excited to contribute to China’s
success story,” said Shaver. “We know our coating systems make
sense to manufacturers and the environment alike. We never forget
that the colors and performance of our coatings also are part of the
pleasure car owners receive when they buy a car. Axalta is proud to
be able to play such a multifaceted role in China’s accomplishments.”
54 | Coatings World
www.coatingsworld.com
July 2013
