fabric printer, Blue Moon Printworks and
Surya Rugs, where he currently has a line
of floor coverings and accessories.
“Mike really got us thinking; his passion for research and finding a contextual reference to illustrate his designs is
one reason his work is so compelling,”
said Andersson.
Farrell’s presentation, “Connecting
the Dots,” compared his method of developing creative concepts to that of the series of dots that comprise a vintage comic
book illustration, known as the Ben-Day
dots printing process. Observed individually, the dots – and concepts – seem to
have no meaning or reference. Observed
at arm’s length, the dots – and concepts
– take shape, creating a comprehensive
picture or design.
“We try to take a similar approach
with designers and manufacturers who
visit our Global Color and Design
Center,” Andersson said. “Creating the
big picture from smaller yet important
elements can help our customers succeed
through innovative color and finish op-
tions that allow them to improve their
products and, ultimately, delight their
customers.”
Services offered through the Sherwin-
Williams Global Color and Design Center
include trend and finishes forecasting,
color consulting, color palette assessment
and recommendations, market-specific
trend boards, custom formulations, system
design and color card design. The Center
also provides hands-on training seminars.
PPG Opens Automotive
Coatings Development and
Application Center
PPG Industries recently held a ceremony
to celebrate the opening of its new automotive coatings development and application center in Tianjin, China. This
facility is the first of its kind locally, and
it will focus on the development of automotive coatings in China.
The ceremony also celebrated the
opening of PPG Coatings (Tianjin) Co.,
Ltd.’s new waterborne coatings manufacturing facility. The Tianjin plant is PPG’s
largest coatings manufacturing facility
globally, and the expansion significantly
increases the plant’s production capacity
for waterborne coatings.
“We are pleased to celebrate the com-
pletion of this critical expansion project
in China,” said Cynthia Niekamp, PPG
senior vice president, automotive OEM
coatings. “China’s automotive manufac-
turing industry is experiencing dramatic
growth, and in light of new environmen-
tal protection regulations, the increased
demand for eco-friendly waterborne au-
tomotive coatings continues to drive the
expansion of PPG’s business here.”
Last year, the Regulation on the
Access Management of Passenger Vehicle
Manufacturers and Products went into
effect, requiring that all automotive
basecoats and topcoats used in manufac-
turing have waterborne formulas, setting
a new entry threshold for automakers. As
a result, PPG’s waterborne coatings tech-
nologies have become increasingly popu-
lar with automakers in China.
“Following the environmental pro-
tection policies stipulated by the Chinese
government, we estimate that water-
borne coatings use on newly built ve-
hicles in China will increase from 40
percent of new builds to more than 60
percent within the next five years,” said
Vincent Robin, PPG vice president, au-
tomotive coatings, Asia Pacific. “PPG is
well positioned to help automakers in
China increase their use of waterborne
coatings products and technologies. For
example, the B1:B2 premium compact
process is an innovative waterborne
coatings technology that enables our
customers to eliminate the primer layer
and reduce the total cost of painting a
car, as well as the total weight of the ve-
hicle for fuel efficiency.”
In addition to the capacity expansion,
the new development and application
center is equipped with advanced equip-
ment to simulate the automatic car paint-
ing processes in a shop, which is another
example of introducing PPG’s best prac-
tices to China, Robin added.
Thai Paint Maker Beger to
Build Factory in Indonesia
Beger Company, a Thai maker and distributor of wood coatings and industrial paint products, plans to set up its first
foreign plant in Indonesia in the next
five years to tap demand there.
Vice-president Worawat
Chaiyosburana said the company is studying ways to set up
its first factory abroad, with Indonesia
offering potential as Asean’s biggest market. Beger will partner with Siam Cement
Group, Thailand’s top industrial conglomerate and which will provide sales
channels for Beger products.
With limited warehouse space, only
80-90 percent of production capacity
is being used even during peak periods,
the company reported. But the company
plans to expand warehouse space and
apply automation to improve efficiency,
so the utilization rate should rise by 1.5
times. Plant expansion will start at year-end and conclude in 2015.
Some 85 percent of Beger’s customers are in the retail sector, 10 percent are
in projects and 5 percent are international customers. Export markets include
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia
and the Maldives.
Once the Asean single market begins
in 2016, exports are predicted to grow to
20 percent of the company’s sales.
“Even before the AEC takes place,
potential in the foreign markets is quite
high,” said Chaiyosburana. “However, we
want to grow at a slow pace and keep our
image as a premium brand. Therefore,
we’ll take the time to select our business
partners carefully.”
Beger’s products include those in the
medium and premium price ranges, with
premium accounting for 60 percent of
overall sales. Beger forecasts revenue
growth of 20 percent this year from 4
billion baht last year.
Chaiyosburana said the overall market
for paint is expected to grow by 5-10 percent
this year, up from 19 billion baht in 2012.
“This is due to continued growth in the real
estate sector, as all developers have ongo-
ing projects, many of which can be found
outside Bangkok,” he said. “Meanwhile,
consumer confidence, increased purchasing
power and growing demand in the repaint-
ing market have contributed to the overall
growth of the paint industry.”
Beger has a 20 percent share of the
19-billion-baht building paint market,
second only to TOA, which dominates
