PPG Industries International & Australia

PPG Industries protecting and beautifying the world since 1883

PPG Industries was founded in 1883 by Captain John B. Ford and John Ford in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Originally known as Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co., the company expanded quickly and now, 135 years later, PPG Industries has 156 manufacturing facilities in 70 countries and 47,000 employees. In 2017, PPG made total net sales of AU$19.2 billion, and the company is ranked 182 on the Fortune 500. The key coating markets served by PPG Industries are aerospace coatings, architectural coatings, automotive coatings (OEM and refinish), industrial coatings, packaging coatings, protective and marine coatings, and specialty coatings.

In this article we look at PPG Industries, their presence in Australia, and the coating sectors served by their brands including Glidden, Taubmans, and Deltron. We will also delve into the coatings themselves, and PPG Industries’ plans going forward.

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PPG decorative & architectural coatings

The decorative and architectural coatings market makes up over 40% of the global coatings market. 60% of the Australian coatings market value is due to decorative coatings; 60% of the architectural coatings are trade paint and the remaining 40% is retail. PPG industries have a solid position in the Australian coatings market, due to their strong portfolio of brands and coatings.

Brands include PPG Paints, Olympic paints and stains, Glidden paints, Sico paints and stains. The Australian PPG brands are White Knight, Taubmans and Bristol which became part of PPG Industries’ portfolio as a result of the 2007 acquisition of Barloworld Coatings Australia. Across these brands PPG can provide the latest technologies and broadest range of colours for interior and exterior paints. These brands provide products through company owned stores, home centres, and independent dealers for homeowners and professionals. Below is a sample of the products manufactured by PPG.

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PPG Industries – the leading OEM automotive and refinish coatings manufacturer

PPG is the global leader in automotive coatings. Two out of three cars made in North America and Europe today use PPG technology, and PPG is the supplier of choice for both OEM and body shops. With so much of the OEM market using PPG products it makes sense that PPG would also be a key provider for the automotive refinish and aftermarket.

When the body of the a vehicle hits the paint shop, it goes through a coating process that takes it from bare metal to clearcoat. The five main steps are pretreatment, electrocoat, primer, basecoat, and clearcoat. PPG has a range of coatings for each step, including 2K Scratch Resistant and Diamond Coat clearcoat options. PPG also produces a ‘Compact Paint System’ which allows for a reduction in VOC emissions, energy consumption, and costs. The B1:B2 system eliminates the primer coat, combining the primer layer’s protection properties with the topcoat’s colour.

For the refinish market PPG provides coatings for collision repair, total respray, and commercial vehicle coatings in brands such as Amercoat. Commercial vehicles require more heavy-duty coatings to deal with the longer hours and rougher conditions they meet on the road. Fleet refinishes are also catered for.

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The PPG protective and marine coating brands

The PPG Industries’ protective and marine coatings business delivers products for marine, offshore, oil and gas, mining, infrastructure, chemical, and power sectors. These sectors require the hardest-working, most durable, and fit-for-purpose coatings on the market. From infrastructure in bridges, airports, and stadiums to offshore power, mining, and pipeline structures, these coatings protect substrates in the most demanding and corrosive conditions and environments. For example, PPG Hi-temp 900 provides corrosion protection in high temperatures – it is heat resistant over an extreme temperature range from 150°C to 500°C.

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High performance and industrial coating brands by PPG

PPG industrial coatings serves a wide range of industries including appliances, transportation, heavy duty equipment, furniture, and specialty UV coatings. The number and variety of substrates here is reflected in the wide array of coatings and brands. The technologies used in this sector include liquid paint, electrocoat, and powder coating in a variety of chemistries including alkyds, urethanes, epoxies, and acrylics.

The performance and industrial coatings sector also includes PPG’s coil coating or prepainted metal coating line. Coil coating is a continuous and automated process of pre-painting a sheet of metal (usually steel, galvanized steel, and aluminium) which goes from pretreatment to painting to curing at a rate of up to 200 metres per minute. These are used for storefronts, HVAC components, garage doors, and roofing.

In high-performance coatings PPG produces a line of satin industrial enamels under the brand name Pitt-tech which are designed for corrosion, chemical, and solvent resistance for direct-to-metal application. For epoxy flooring they have Megaseal, a range of epoxies with varying properties for any flooring needs.

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PPG Industries’ future plans – quality, sustainability & innovation

Going forward PPG Industries plans to continue its focus on quality, performance, innovation, sustainability, and community engagement. Their sustainability goals include 40% of sales from sustainable products and processes by 2020 and a 10% reduction in total waste disposal intensity by 2020 from a 2012 baseline. They are also busily producing greener products that are designed with their vision of sustainability in mind – heat-deflecting coatings for airplanes to reduce the need for air conditioning, buildings coated in material that absorbs pollution, foul release coatings that are biocide-free, drag-free wind turbine coating.

In 2016, PPG invested AU$632.6 million in research and development, and 30% of net sales were from sustainable products. That investment into research is paying dividends; PPG produces about 80 patents a year to protect its discoveries. Scientist at PPG facilities across the world are working to produce coatings that are more sustainable, more durable, safer, lighter, more energy-efficient, and in ever increasing numbers of colours – despite already having a range of some 300,000 different colours. And for the homeowner or designer they have the online Voice of Colour tool, allowing renovators to visualise the PPG range in their own homes.

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PPG Australia – presence and operations

PPG Industries have their Asia-Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong, and multiple business units around the area including Australia. PPG Australia PTY Ltd. in Clayton, Victoria is the largest industrial coating manufacturing plant in Australia including research & development, quality control and colour laboratories. The industrial coatings manufactured in the plant include automotive refinish products, industrial coatings and packaging coatings.

Next to the Clayton business units, PPG Industries are manufacturing architectural coatings in Villawood, New South Wales, and have an aerospace coating application support centre in Tullamarine, Victoria.

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All in one: summary of the PPG brands

The PPG Industries brand and product portfolio is wide and varied. Below is a list of the main market segments and coatings that PPG offers for each.

Architectural coatings

Industrial coatings

Automotive OEM and refinish coatings

Protective and marine coatings