global markets in automotive
industry sales.
In addition to this strategic
milestone in Axalta’s expansion in the Middle East and North Africa
(MENA), the industry leader in refinish
coatings also plans to commission a flagship regional Refinish Training Centre in
Dubai by early 2017. The new facility
will enable refinish technicians to hone
their skills and learn how to maximize
their use of Axalta’s refinish brands. Both
the office and training center help commemorate the company’s 150th anniversary in the coatings industry.
“Our investment demonstrates our
confidence in the region and our commit-
ment to serve our regional customers with
industry-leading coating solutions and
services,” said Charlie Shaver, Chairman
and CEO of Axalta, who formally opened
the new Dubai office today. “Our strength
in both transportation and industrial
coatings will enable us to support the
growth of consumer spending on vehicles
and the rapid industrialization being wit-
nessed across the region.”
With the United Arab Emirates top-
ping global growth rates for new car
sales during the first eight months of
2015, the wider Middle East car sales
market is predicted to grow twice as
fast as markets in North America and
Western Europe between 2012 and 2022
according to Carmudi*, a regional auto-
motive publication.
Forecasts of annual light vehicle sales
among the member states of the Gulf
Cooperation Council (GCC), the largest
economic body in the Middle East, estimate a surge of 25 percent to nearly 1.75
million new car sales due to strong economic growth, private sector activity, low
interest rates and government spending.
Added Shaver, “With our new facility, we will be more effective and efficient in building our brand and enabling
our customers to maximize the benefits
of our products, especially our industry leading waterborne coating systems.
Our investment in the Middle East sig-
nals our expectation for additional busi-
ness opportunities in this growing region
of the world.”
Axalta is an industry leader in the
development of products which reduce
the environmental footprint from coat-
ings. Waterborne coatings, other liq-
uid coatings with low-to-zero volatile
organic compound (VOCs) emissions
and powder coatings with no VOCs or
targeted hazardous air pollutants pro-
vide a number of options for custom-
ers. Axalta’s AquaEC electrocoat and
Voltatex Energy Solutions products are
available in tin- and formaldehyde-free
formulations, respectively, while con-
tinuing to offer substrates strong protec-
tion against corrosion.
“As more customers adopt water-borne systems, they will complete their
jobs faster and provide a better service
to car users across the UAE and greater
MENA region,” explained Fadi Medlej,
Managing Director of MENA for Axalta.