PPG Completes US$19 Million Waterborne Automotive Coatings Production line in China

On March 1, PPG marked the completion of a new US$19 million high-performance waterborne and high-solids coatings production line at its Wuhu facility in Anhui province, eastern China. The new line enhances the production and service capabilities of PPG’s automotive coatings business for customers in China.
With the implementation in China of stricter environmental regulations, automakers are requiring more low-volatile organic compound (low-VOC) coatings. The new line at PPG’s Wuhu plant adds production for environmentally-friendly waterborne coatings to meet this need as well as the growing overall demand of automotive manufacturers and parts makers across China. The new topcoat manufacturing facility adds process advancements and a higher degree of automation, and storage tanks added to the facility help reduce waste at the Wuhu plant.
“PPG’s high-performance waterborne and high-solids automotive coatings will enable our customers in China to meet environmental requirements while improving the quality of their vehicles,” said Vincent Robin, PPG vice president, automotive coatings, Asia Pacific. “With this added manufacturing capability in Wuhu, we significantly enhance our ability to serve our automotive customers all across China.”
PPG established its Wuhu plant in 2008, to grow its manufacturing footprint in China and supply automakers across the country. The facility now has the same production capability as PPG’s largest China facility in Tianjin, and it can offer dual sourcing for better risk management. To date, PPG’s investment in its Wuhu plant totals about US$39 million.