Center to lead region’s liquid coating research
WUPPERTAL, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE: AXTA), a leading global manufacturer of
liquid and powder coatings, officially opens its newly expanded European
Technology Centre (ETC) in Wuppertal, Germany today. The center will be
home to the company’s liquid coating research facilities for the Europe,
Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
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Opening Axalta’s expanded European Technology Centre in Wuppertal, Germany are (from left to right) Robert K. Roop, Axalta Vice President of Refinish Technology, and Head of Technology Europe, Middle East and Africa; Barry Snyder, Axalta Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer; Charles Shaver, Axalta Chairman and CEO; and Matthias Schönberg, Axalta Vice President, and President Europe, Middle East and Africa. (Photo: Axalta)
“Axalta is making this considerable investment in its EMEA research and
development facilities to expand, to upgrade and to centralize our
technological capabilities to support our growth in the region,” says
Matthias Schönberg, Vice President of Axalta and President of EMEA. “The
origins of our company can be traced back to the Wuppertal site, where
paint production first began 150 years ago. Today, over 300 technical
professionals will work on creating and developing next generation
paints and services to address regional market needs and to meet our
customers’ specific requirements.”
The ETC will comprise facilities that house the latest coating research
equipment. The entire campus encompasses 15,000 square meters of
laboratories, formulation and application capabilities, a weathering and
corrosion service, pilot-scale and full scale-up facilities, customer
demonstration center, as well as offices.
Dr. Barry Snyder, Axalta’s Senior Vice President and Chief Technology
Officer, says, “Axalta’s expanded ETC in Wuppertal will include several
new labs for light vehicle paint research, new laboratories for
industrial electrocoat research, as well as expanded labs for refinish
paints and new color development facilities for both the refinish and
commercial vehicle markets. Its central location for Europe, and
historical importance to the company as a whole, make it the ideal base
for regional liquid paint research and development work.”
Axalta has taken a strategic approach in expanding and enhancing its
global coating research and development capabilities, with recent
announcements of new technology centers to be constructed in North
America and Asia Pacific. The company is constructing a Global
Innovation Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, which will be the
hub of its worldwide technology network, and a new technology center in
Shanghai, which will support technology applications across the Asia
Pacific region. In EMEA, Axalta’s powder coatings technology hub is in
Montbrison, France, on the campus of its powder manufacturing facility.
For more information on Axalta worldwide, please visit www.axaltacs.com
About Axalta Coating Systems – Celebrating 150 Years in the Coatings
Industry
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 150 years of experience in the
coatings industry, the 12,800 people of Axalta continue to find ways to
better serve our more than 100,000 customers in 130 countries every day
with the finest coatings, application systems and technology. For more
information visit axaltacoatingsystems.com
and follow us on Twitter @axalta and on LinkedIn.
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Source: Axalta Coating Systems