Strengthening Innovation Leadership in the Coatings Industry
SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE: AXTA), a leading global supplier of liquid
and powder coatings, has begun construction on a new Asia-Pacific R&D
and Technology Center. The new facility, which has been approved by
Axalta’s Board of Directors, will be located in Shanghai’s Minhang
Industrial Development District. The Center will feature product
development and application laboratories as well as technical support
capabilities that will serve the company’s global light vehicle OEM,
commercial vehicle, refinish and industrial customers. The new facility,
which is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2016, will also
house the company’s global refinish color development center and a new
training center for the company’s refinish customers.
The new 15,500 m2 (165,000 ft2) facility will be
designed for the over 500 Axalta personnel engaged in our R&D, product
development and technology support across the Asia-Pacific region. The
new facility will enable Axalta to build on its legacy of innovation and
capitalize on its existing regional R&D network based in China. Today,
Axalta has R&D and technology capabilities as well as a customer
training center in Shanghai, a new OEM technology development center
adjacent to the company’s manufacturing center in the Jiading district
of Shanghai, and a technology center within the company’s operations
center in Changchun. The new facility will become Axalta’s largest
technology center in Asia-Pacific and join Axalta’s global R&D and
laboratory network, integrating development capabilities in the region
with those in Europe, Latin America and the United States.
“This new facility in Shanghai will help us meet the growing demand for
innovative coatings in the global market and especially those of our
expanding customer base in China,” explained Charlie Shaver, Axalta
Chairman and CEO. “The new facility will enable Axalta to streamline our
ability to rapidly develop world-class products with benefits that
include more advanced protective properties, superior temperature
performance and additional durability. We’ve been a pioneer in the
coatings industry, and our new Shanghai center will keep us in the
vanguard of product innovation and development.”
The new laboratory will house the latest generation paint formulation,
color development, dispersion, resin development, spray application and
analytical characterization facilities, further strengthening Axalta’s
position as a premier coatings solution provider. With well-designed
facilities and a focus on optimum work flow, the R&D center will be
engineered to facilitate fast, high-quality product development that
will help enhance productivity for Axalta customers in the region and
around the world.
“With this new center, Axalta will be positioned to develop and bring to
the Chinese market and the region the most advanced coatings products in
the world,” said Dr. Barry Snyder, Axalta’s Senior Vice President and
Chief Technology Officer. “We envision that leading edge technology
developments from China will also flow outwards from the region to find
their way into products used by our customers in rest of the world. In
this way no matter where our global customers call home or operate, they
will benefit from our global perspective.”
About Axalta
Axalta is a leading global company focused solely on coatings and
providing customers with innovative, colorful, beautiful and sustainable
solutions. From light OEM vehicles, commercial vehicles and refinish
applications to electric motors, buildings and pipelines, our coatings
are designed to prevent corrosion, increase productivity and enable the
materials we coat to last longer. With more than 145 years of experience
in the coatings industry, the over 12,000 people of Axalta continue to
find ways to serve our more than 120,000 customers in 130 countries
better every day with the finest coatings, application systems and
technology. For more information visit www.axaltacoatingsystems.com
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Source: Axalta Coating Systems