PPG has marked the completion of a $7.8 million investment at its Coatings Innovation Center in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, just 20 minutes from its global headquarters in Pittsburgh.

The upgrades to the facility include increased laboratory and testing space and upgraded equipment that improves the technical capabilities of the company’s primary R&D facility for paint and coatings. The upgrades enhance PPG’s resources for creating and testing sealants, adhesives and pretreatment solutions; for simulating the environments where customers use its automotive and industrial paints and coatings; and for training distributors, painters and collision-repair professionals to successfully use the company’s automotive refinish coatings.

“The PPG Coatings Innovation Center continues to provide an elite research and development environment where PPG scientists can ensure our customers have access to the most inventive coatings solutions,” said David Bem, PPG vice president, science and technology, and chief technology officer-elect. “Many times, the breakthroughs that help us to deliver color, durability and functionality in coatings for everything from cars and trucks to consumer electronics and heavy machinery begin at our Coatings Innovation Center.”

Michael McGarry, PPG president and CEO, said, “As PPG continues to expand its paint and coatings portfolio, the company’s science and technology activities become increasingly important for ongoing advancement to address our customers’ changing needs. Because it is the hub of our global research and development activities, enhancing the Coatings Innovation Center strengthens PPG’s overall capabilities as well as its presence in the Pittsburgh area – home to our global headquarters for more than 130 years.”

The investment at PPG’s Coatings Innovation Center enhances three main areas:

• The facility’s renovated coatings application center provides two robotic spray booths with environmental controls for variable temperature, humidity and airflow. The booths enable PPG to replicate the manufacturing environments of customers around the world to test the application of automotive, industrial and performance coatings products under a wide range of conditions, such as relative humidity ranging from 15 percent to 95 percent
• Space has been converted to laboratories for synthesis, adhesives and sealants, and pretreatment solutions to accommodate increased staffing and upgraded equipment that support PPG’s growing development needs in these areas.
• A completely renovated, 9,000-square-foot automotive refinish training center now provides state-of-the art facilities, including two new spray booths, a prep station, upgraded equipment and two large classrooms where body shop and collision repair professionals can learn about PPG products and application techniques.