PPG is more than a leading global manufacturer of paints, industrial coatings and specialty materials. Through the company's Coatings Services business, PPG is also a global leader in protective coating application services, a designer of custom paint lines and equipment and an operator of in-house paint shops for a wide range of customers.
As a complete coating solutions provider, PPG is equipped to help companies from small manufacturers to global OEMs streamline every aspect of their finishing operations in ways that no other competitor can.
"We are the only coatings company that is designing and building paint lines and equipment, can operate that equipment for customers and supply the actual coatings for that equipment," says Bill Fish, general manager of Coatings Services and a 30-year PPG veteran.
Coatings Services' capabilities and reach are vast. More than 2,000 professionals work at one of 29 offsite regional application centers positioned around the globe or at an INSITE™ facility where PPG operates the in-house paint line on behalf of customers.
Through offsite and in-house operations, PPG coats over a million parts a day for a wide range of industries, including agriculture, appliance, automotive, computer, construction equipment, electrical components, fasteners, furniture, industrial equipment, recreational, truck and bus and alternative energy. The range and type of parts is expansive, from the smallest nuts and bolts to entire chassis for pick-up trucks.
Meeting the demands of such a diverse group of industries requires an equally diverse range of custom coating services and solutions. Coatings Services' full range of expertise includes electrocoating (e-coat), powder coating, liquid paint, DRAGONHIDE™ polyurea coating, lightweight aluminum coating and other custom coating and packaging solutions.
Today, over 700 OEM, tier suppliers and parts manufacturers utilize PPG's coatings application services to extend the life of their parts and streamline finishing operations.
Coating Equipment Design and Installation
PPG entered the coating application business when the company acquired MetoKote in 2016, followed by The Crown Group in 2017. Since that time, Coatings Services has expanded its services to include engineered and installed paint line booths and equipment for customers.
While PPG's engineering solutions business is relatively new, it is becoming an important focus as demand for these services is growing exponentially.
"Over the years, we've designed a lot of electrocoat, liquid and powder coating equipment for our customers," said Kevin Cross, director of equipment sales for PPG's Coatings Services business.
The core focus, according to Kevin, is to engineer and custom-build production lines in ways to maximize finishing efficiencies, reduce logistics costs and enhance the performance and longevity of the parts.
The commercial team works closely with PPG engineers to create a conceptualized layout based on budget and the myriad of factors that go into coatings operations, including daily and weekly volume needs, size of parts and overall budget."
But not every manufacturer needs to install a brand-new paint line. The team also excels in helping aging facilities get up to speed by retrofitting old equipment with new components to handle larger production volumes regardless of size or shape or part, converting existing lines to new technologies and redesigning racks, carriers and containers.
Evolving to Meet the Needs of the Times
There is so much complexity in coating operations due to different coating technologies, various performance needs and size of parts.
PPG's Coatings Services business strives to develop best-in-class coatings operations that deliver on both efficiency and performance, whether its state-of-the-art equipment, advanced coating formulations or a combination of both.
"By leveraging PPG's wealth of coatings expertise and services, our customers can focus on their core function of product design and manufacturing," stated Bill.
