PPG Industries opened a $30 million application center in the north China city of Tianjin to test coatings and related technologies for battery packs used in electric vehicles.
The facility, inaugurated on June 1, will allow PPG to “accelerate development of key coating technologies for electric vehicles” in China, the Pittsburgh-based automotive coatings supplier said.
The center will conduct application testing for powder coatings, fire protection coatings, dielectric coatings, adhesives and sealants as well as surface pre-treatment and electrophoretic coating technologies, PPG noted.
Its modular design will allow the facility to simultaneously carry out projects across application areas for current and potential customers, it added.
On June 1, PPG also opened a joint color creation lab with major Chinese carmaker Chery Automobile Co. in the east China city of Wuhu.
The lab’s color stylists and Chery designers will “create new colors tailored to specific vehicle designs, from initial color recommendations to final materials for application in Chery’s manufacturing plants,” PPG said.
PPG established an automotive coatings plant in Wuhu in 2008 to supply Chery and other automakers producing in China.
