Axalta Coating Systems has officially opened its newly expanded European Technology Centre (ETC) in Wuppertal, Germany. The center will be home to the company’s liquid coating research facilities for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
“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,” said 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, more than 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 coatings research equipment. The entire campus encompasses 15,000 square meters (16,100 square feet) of laboratories, formulation and application capabilities, a weathering and corrosion service, pilot-scale and full scale-up facilities, and a customer demonstration center, as well as offices.
Dr. Barry Snyder, Axalta’s senior vice president and chief technology officer, added, “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 says it has taken a strategic approach in expanding and enhancing its global coating research and development capabilities, with the establishment of new technology centers to be constructed in North America and Asia Pacific. The company also is constructing a Global Innovation Center in Philadelphia, 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.
