Wuppertal, Germany, 8 June 2016: Axalta Coating Systems (NYSE: AXTA), a leading global manufacturer of liquid and powder coatings, officially opens its newly expanded European Technology Center (ETC) in Wuppertal, Germany today. The centre 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 centralise our technological capabilities to support our growth in the region,” says 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, over 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 coating research equipment. The entire campus encompasses 15,000m2 of laboratories, formulation and application capabilities, a weathering and corrosion service, pilot-scale and full scale-up facilities, customer demonstration centre, as well as offices. 

Dr Barry Snyder, Axalta’s Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, says, “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 colour 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 has taken a strategic approach in expanding and enhancing its global coating research and development capabilities, with recent announcements of new technology centres to be constructed in North America and Asia Pacific. The company is constructing a Global Innovation Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, which will be the hub of its worldwide technology network, and a new technology centre 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. 

For further information on Axalta Coating Systems, please visit Axalta at www.axaltacs.com  

About Axalta Coating Systems – Celebrating 150 Years in the Coatings Industry

Axalta is a leading global company focused solely on coatings and providing customers with innovative, colourful, beautiful and sustainable solutions. From light OEM vehicles, commercial vehicles and refinish applications to electric motors, buildings and pipelines, our coatings are designed to prevent corrosion, increase productivity and enable the materials we coat to last longer. With 150 years of experience in the coatings industry, the 12,800 people of Axalta continue to find ways to better serve our more than 100,000 customers in 130 countries every day with the finest coatings, application systems and technology. For more information visit axaltacoatingsystems.com and follow us on Twitter @axalta and on LinkedIn