PPG opens Wuhu plant for automotive coatings

New facility demonstrates commitment to Asia/Pacific region, partnership with Chery

PPG Industries celebrated the opening of its new automotive coatings plant here. Charles E. Bunch, PPG chairman and chief executive officer, and Yin Tongyue, chairman and general manager of Chery Automotive, were present, along with senior government officials from Anhui province and Wuhu city.

PPG began construction of the 40,000-square meter plant in April 2007, and has invested more than RMB 70 million in the facility. “Building a plant in Wuhu is consistent with our growth strategy, which targets emerging regions,” Bunch said. “I’m very happy to be here in Wuhu to witness this milestone, as PPG shows its commitment to development in the Chinese market and support of national-brand automotive makers such as Chery.”

PPG Coatings (Wuhu) Co., Ltd. will primarily serve the local market with state-of-the-art technologies. “One of the major reasons to invest in a new plant in Wuhu is to better support one of our key customers, Chery Automotive,” said Viktor Sekmakas, president, PPG Asia/Pacific. “We want to help our customers reduce costs, and building a plant close to Chery helps to shorten lead time and increase efficiencies. In addition, this plant will enable us to better support the market in Southern China.”

Michael Hartings, PPG general manager, automotive coatings, Asia/Pacific, said, “With more than 80 years of experience in automotive coatings, PPG is well equipped to support Chery. We feel very proud to be able to contribute to our customer’s growth.”

During the opening ceremony, Yin Tongyue, chairman and general manager of Chery congratulated PPG and expressed his confidence in the success of the strategic cooperation between the two companies.

The world´s leading manufacturer of transportation coatings, PPG was one of the first global coatings companies to invest in China in the 1980s. PPG produces automotive coatings in China for customers such as General Motors, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen, Chery and Hainan Mazda.