PPG Industries held a ceremony to
mark the completion of a $40 million,
65,000-square-foot plant for on-site resin production at its Sumaré, São Paulo,
Brazil, coatings manufacturing facility.
Resin produced at the facility will be
used to manufacture PPG’s electrocoat
products to meet growing demand from
automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and industrial coatings customers in the region. Attending
the ceremony from PPG were Michael
McGarry, president and chief operating officer; Cindy Niekamp, senior vice
president, automotive OEM coatings;
and Carlos Santa Cruz, general manager, Brazil.
“The expansion of the Sumaré facility
demonstrates PPG’s long-term commit-
ment to our automotive and industrial
coatings customers in this very important
region and enables us to further expand
our localized production capabilities,”
McGarry said. “PPG is committed to the
market in Brazil and the needs of our cus-
tomers across Latin America.”
With a presence in Brazil since 1973,
PPG produces coatings for a variety of
end-use markets in the region, includ-
ing aerospace, architectural, automotive
OEM, automotive refinish, industrial,
packaging, oil and gas and marine.
Axalta and APTA Open First
Integral Training Center in
Buenos Aires
Axalta Coating Systems and the
Automotive Workshop Owners
Association (APTA), an entity dedicated to educating future automotive repair professionals, opened the doors to
the first Center of Coating Technology
Training (CENTRE), in the Munro locality of Buenos Aires province.
This center marks the first time a com-
pany and a non-profit organization are
collaborating together to offer an integral
solution to the current lack of compli-
mentary training for automotive coatings
professionals. APTA provided its 800 m2
training center space, located at Sargento
Cabral 3431, and Axalta transformed it
into a sophisticated color lab with a mod-
ern coating booth and a compressed air
unit, as core equipment.
At CENTRE, new professionals will
be trained in the most innovative materials and application systems for automotive coating techniques, the most efficient
application methods, and product safety.
In the future, Axalta plans to train between 400- 500 people annually, not only
from Argentina but also Chile, Paraguay,
and Uruguay in a joint effort to provide
added value and to strengthen relationships with strategic partners.
Benjamin Moore Opens
New Distribution Center In
Oakland, California
Benjamin Moore & Co. has opened a new
distribution center in Oakland, California
to support demand of its growing West
Coast business. The Silver LEED Certified
Logistics Center will support distribution
of an expanded line of Benjamin Moore
& Co. products and serve as the key hub
for the company’s growing network of
Asia Pacific retailers and distributors.
The property is situated within the
Port of Oakland’s “Oakland Airport
Business Park,” a business-friendly enterprise and eco-conscious industrial zone,
located just east of the San Francisco central business district.
Benjamin Moore & Co. also has plans
to expand distribution operations later
this year in Landover, Maryland.
Major Chinese Building
Project Using Solar-Reflecting AkzoNobel Paint
A low carbon construction project taking place in eastern China is using
AkzoNobel’s Decorative Paints products
for its exterior walls, highlighting the
company’s focus on making cities more
liveable and sustainable.
Now in its second phase, the building work at the Ju He Jia Yuan project in
Jiangsu Province includes 21 residential
buildings of between 16 and 32 storeys,
as well as five commercial buildings with
single floor underground garages.
All the buildings are being coated
with Dulux Pro Ecosure Heatshield Flexi
Exterior, a solar-reflecting paint which allows structures to stand the test of time
by retaining elasticity in both normal and
low temperatures. In total, it has been
used to coat more than 260,000 square
meters of exterior walls, making it the
biggest project to date to use the product.
Already used extensively in projects
in Dongguan, Guangzhou and Xiamen,
Dulux Pro Ecosure Heatshield Flexi
Exterior strengthens the heat insulation
performance of exterior walls. By reducing emissions, annual energy savings can
reach 10 percent, due to interiors being
kept cooler. Launched in 2013, the second phase of the project is due to be completed this year.
Angie’s List Announce
Exclusive Paint Relationship
with Benjamin Moore
Angie’s List has announced its first exclusive paint manufacturer relationship
with Benjamin Moore. The alliance iden-tifies Benjamin Moore as the paint of
choice by Angie’s List and provides members with contractor services through its
private marketplace.
Angie’s List members will have access to best-in-class products and services
while helping Benjamin Moore contractors strengthen and build their businesses
with a professional and co-branded certification program.
As part of this agreement, Angie’s List
members will be able to use the Project
Visualizer on angieslistbusinesscenter.
com/benjaminmoore to preview what
hundreds of Benjamin Moore interior
and exterior paint colors would look
like in and on their homes. In addition,
PPG Marks Completion of
$40 Million Expansion at Brazil Facility
