color choices in the prior year,
the latest trending color, and
a glimpse into what will drive
consumer decisions in the future, respectively.
“While Axalta continues to track
global automotive color trends through
various color insight initiatives, the
Color_gen report examines additional
perspectives of consumer age groups,
such as their ambitions, personalities and
lifestyles. We look into what makes a
particular generation tick, because these
factors influence decisions when it comes
to choosing an automotive style, brand
and color,” said Nancy Lockhart, Axalta
Color marketing manager.
Steven Markevich, executive vice
president and president, Transportation
Coatings and Greater China for Axalta,
said, “Axalta’s color initiatives – such as
trend mapping and popularity predic-
tions – offer tremendous advantages to
our key auto OEM customers interested
in using this insight to innovate. Our cus-
tomers count on Axalta’s more than 90
years of color expertise to help them be-
come first-movers in the market.”
According to the Color_Gen report,
GenNext is comprised of people ages 16
to 35, GenHere&Now includes individu-
als aged between 36 and 55, and GenLux
represents those aged 55 and over.
Axalta established the first-ever
Color Advisory Committee 90 years ago
to craft colors specifically for cars. Since
then, Axalta has remained committed to
innovative color technology and continues to build on its tradition of providing customers with dependable insights
into consumer color trends. Axalta also
provides vehicle manufacturers and collision repair technicians with one of the
most extensive color databases in the
world which consists of more than four
million colors.
PPG Marks Completion of
$3 Million Expansion at Oak
Creek, Wisconsin, Plant
PPG has opened a nearly $3 million ex-
pansion for packaging coatings manu-
facturing at its Oak Creek, Wisconsin,
plant. The 3,300-square-foot facil-
ity adds capacity for the production of
food-can coatings to meet growing cus-
tomer demand.
PPG’s new generation of food-can
coatings is designed to help canmakers
and brand-owners meet increasing food-
contact regulatory requirements. The
coatings are certified by independent in-
stitutes as being food-contact compliant,
in accordance with both North American
and European regulations. As regulations
and market demands change, the Oak
Creek facility will now have greater flex-
ibility for production of specialized solu-
tions to meet new requirements.
“This expansion significantly increas-
es our packaging coatings manufacturing
capability in the U.S., enabling us to meet
growing demand for our industry-leading
food-can coatings,” said Ken West, PPG
vice president, packaging coatings. “This
investment shows PPG’s continuing com-
mitment to the packaging industry, and
it strengthens our ability to meet emerg-
ing customer requirements for innovative
technological solutions.”
PPG provides a comprehensive array
of packaging coatings products and ser-
vices to optimize customers’ processes,
meet their specific requirements and com-
ply with various regulations. It offers a
complete Bisphenol A non-intent (BPA-
NI, or with no BPA intentionally added)
system including NUTRISHIELD brand
products for coating various types of cans
and metal containers. For more informa-
tion, visit www.packagingcoatings.com.
Dutch Government
Recognizes AkzoNobel’s
Contribution to National
Energy Saving Goals
The Dutch government has signed an
agreement with AkzoNobel recognizing the company’s latest contribution to
meeting national sustainability targets resulting from investments at its chemicals
complex in Rotterdam.
It is the third agreement AkzoNobel
has signed under the “Energieakkoord.”
This is a pact between the Dutch gov-
ernment and over 40 public and private
groups which aims to reduce energy con-
sumption, increase the share of renew-
able energy and create jobs. Companies
can sign bilateral agreements with the
government to confirm the contribution
they have made to the overall goal.
The latest agreement recognizes an
investment in new “zero gap” technol-
ogy which increases the efficiency of the
company’s chlorine plant in Rotterdam.
The annual energy saving is equivalent
to the electricity consumption of 26,000
Dutch households. AkzoNobel also has
agreements in place that recognize energy
savings at its two other chemicals sites in
the Netherlands, in Hengelo and Delfzijl.
Said Dutch Minister of Economic
Affairs, Henk Kamp: “To achieve a low-
CO2 economy by 2050, initiatives leading
to energy savings are of great importance.
It’s good to see how AkzoNobel is work-
ing on innovative solutions to use energy
more efficiently. An initiative such as the
zero-gap technology not only contrib-
utes to saving targets, but also improves
the competitiveness of the companies by
reducing energy costs, thus ensuring a
stronger industry in the Netherlands.”
The agreements at Hengelo and
Delfzijl recognize the innovative use of
waste heat. In Hengelo, the waste heat
is supplied to the local heating sys-
tem, while in Delfzijl, it is used for salt
production. The three agreements are
equivalent to a CO2 emissions reduc-
tion of 73,000 tons annually. This makes
AkzoNobel the leading contributor to
the Dutch Energy Agreement.
Knut Schwalenberg, CEO of
AkzoNobel Netherlands, added. “New
initiatives and partnerships are needed
to make the next big step in the sustain-
ability of the industry and economy in
the Netherlands. We must seize these
opportunities and constantly seek new
forms of cooperation.”
Schwalenburg went on to say that
AkzoNobel’s sustainability ambitions
go beyond the Energy Agreement.
“Currently, 40 percent of our global en-
ergy is renewable and we aim to increase
this to 45 percent by 2020.”
Axalta Coating Systems
Recognized by General
Motors as a 2016 Supplier
of the Year Winner
Axalta Coating Systems was named a
GM Supplier of the Year by General
