PPG has launched a new waterborne automotive coatings manufacturing plant in Samut Prakan, Thailand, aimed at bolstering production capacity for sustainable coatings in Southeast Asia.
The plant features an automated spray application centre and has the annual production capacity of 2,000t.
Go deeper with GlobalData
PPG Automotive OEM Coatings senior vice president Alisha Bellezza said: “Southeast Asia is experiencing rapid growth in the automotive sector. With the Thai government’s support for electric vehicles presenting vast opportunities for global automakers, including Chinese OEMs, we saw the need to expand our operations.
“This opening is a significant milestone, underscoring PPG’s commitment to sustainability and highlighting its strategic focus on the Southeast Asian market.”
The facility will increase the company’s production capacity of waterborne basecoats and primers, which will help meet rising demand for sustainably advantaged automotive coatings in Southeast Asia.
PPG Asia Pacific Automotive OEM Coatings vice president Thomas Li added: “PPG’s purpose to ‘protect and beautify the world’ is evident in its development of waterborne coatings with low VOC emissions. Our new plant in Thailand represents a significant step in PPG’s commitment to promoting sustainable transformation within the automotive coatings industry.”
Last year in May, the company announced plans to invest $300m in advanced manufacturing facilities in North America in 2024.
It aims to build a new paint and coatings manufacturing plant in Loudon County, Tennessee, which will be the first plant in more than 15 years.
PPG chairman and chief executive officer Tim Knavish said: “Innovation is at the forefront of PPG’s purpose in protecting and beautifying the world. These investments continue to modernise and digitise our manufacturing capabilities, and demonstrate PPG’s continued focus on quality and service to our customers as the premier single-source coatings supplier for every vehicle surface.
“As we continue to see a resurgence of manufacturing in the US, PPG will leverage this new facility and our other site investments to maximise quality, improve operational efficiency, and reduce product complexity within our manufacturing footprint.”
