Coatings World - October 2017

company’s Automotive Color of the Year, which for 2017 is Gallant Grey. The combination of these three resources give OEMs a valuable overview of customer color decisions in the previous year, the latest trending colors, and a glimpse into what will drive car buyers’ color choices in the future.

“While Axalta’s various comprehensive color insight initiatives track global automotive colour trends, the Color_gen concept considers the behaviour and tastes of different car buyer target groups. Every generation is exposed to different influences, so their lifestyles, ambitions and choices vary,” Elke Dirks, Axalta’s Colour Designer for Automotive OEM Coatings in Europe, Middle East and Africa, explained.

The current Color_gen show has
analyzed three key target groups for car
manufacturers to allow them to under-
stand purchasing decisions related to
automotive style, brand and color.

The GENNext demographic consists of 16 to 35 year-olds who are predicted to account for more than 50% percent of the working population by 2020. This generation is likely to perceive cars as lifestyle objects. Colors predicted to appeal to individual tastes within this demographic range from ceramic-like, solid pastels to subdued, natural-looking colours, such as olive and smoky green or terracotta and bright colours for practical, functional vehicles.

The GENHere&Now segment addresses consumers aged between 36 and 55. They lead busy lives, are at the peak of their career and strive to maintain a work-life balance. The forward-looking Color_gen show presents intense, mid-range colors for busy families, unusual, fashionable metallics for the sporty singletons, and a refined palette of chromatic colours such as grey, black, silver, and effect white for “double income – no kids” couples.

GENLux focuses on the over 55s, the most important group of car buyers. They, generally, have the luxury of having a little more time and money, and are focused on quality. Premium effect colors, glass flakes and solid metallic variants of classic colors such as burgundy and variations of British Racing Green are among the colors likely to appeal to this demographic.

Dirks addsed, “Axalta’s annual color
initiatives – such as the Color_gen show,
trend mapping and popularity predic-
tions – are of great benefit to car manu-
facturers who are interested in using this
insight to innovate. In addition, they
count on Axalta’s more than 150 years of
expertise, and Axalta’s international team
of designers, to help them stay ahead in
the market.”
Axalta established the first-ever Color
Advisory Committee 90 years ago to
create colors specifically for cars. Since
then, Axalta has remained committed to
innovative color technology and contin-
ues to build on its tradition of provid-
ing customers with dependable insights
into consumer colour trends. Axalta also
provides vehicle manufacturers and re-
finish technicians with one of the most
extensive color databases in the world,
which consists of more than four million
colors, as well as providing high quality
car paint systems.

BASF Named one of
Canada’s Best Workplaces
in Manufacturing

BASF was recently recognized as one of the best workplaces in manufacturing by Great Places to Work Canada. Great Places to Work analyzes employee feedback gathered through their Trust Index Survey to evaluate employee experience and the culture of the workplace. The Trust Index Survey includes principles such as credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie.

“At BASF, we take great pride in our employees as they are a key pillar to our success,” said Marcelo Lu, President BASF Canada. “We work together every day to ensure that we are an inclusive and diverse workplace where our colleagues feel safe, supported, and encouraged to

Use grind gages more consistently.

Little Joe Industries offers the ADM Automatic Draw-Down Machine for use with grind gages. The ADM automates the draw down process controlling scraper angle, speed, and force. Since these aspects are no longer operator dependent your grind gage draw-downs will be more consistent while requiring less operator training and supervision.