US PPG completes expansion at China coatings plant

HOUSTON (ICIS)–PPG has completed a $19m production line for high-performance waterborne and high-solids coatings at its Wuhu facility in Anhui province, China, the US-based coatings and specialty materials firm said on Wednesday.

The new line produces environmentally-friendly waterborne coatings, meeting demand from automakers for low-volatile organic compound (low-VOC) coatings amid stricter environmental regulations in China, the company said.

“PPG’s high-performance waterborne and high-solids automotive coatings 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 across China,” he said.

PPG set up the Wuhu plant in 2008 to supply automakers across China.

The automotive industry is a major global consumer of petrochemicals which contributes more than a third of the raw material costs of an average vehicle. ICIS tracks the movement of petrochemical raw material costs in auto production both globally and regionally with the weighted ICIS Basket of Automotive Petrochemicals (IBAP).

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