PPG Asian Paints to expand India operations

November 28, 2012: Recognising the growth potential in the Indian automotive market, PPG Asian Paints, a joint venture between the North America-based PPG Industries and Asian Paints, is going ahead with plans to expand its coatings joint venture and also set up a second JV.

“The expansion of PPG’s more than 15-year successful relationship with Asian Paints will position both companies for accelerated growth in non-decorative coatings to take advantage of the long-term growth of the Indian economy,” said Mike Horton, president, PPG Asia Pacific, and vice-president, automotive refinish and architectural coatings, Asia Pacific.

Both joint ventures leverage PPG’s global scale, technology and customer relationships with Asian Paints’ Indian customer base, manufacturing footprint, distribution channels and local relationships, according to Horton. PPG Asian Paints’ OEM division broadly comprises two sections: OE, which deals with passenger cars and Multi-Utility Vehicles (MUVs), and General Industrial that deals with two-wheelers, three-wheelers, tractors and commercial vehicles. Key customers for the company in India include Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Ford India, General Motors India, Honda, Hyundai, Volkswagen and Fiat.

The OE division is the first Indian paint manufacturing company, which offers body and plastic coatings, to be certified with TS 16949. Among the benefits it offers the automotive industry is full service support, executed through in-house state-of-the-art R&D centres and PPG's International Colour Development and Application centres.

In sync with international trends, PPG Asian Paints has already introduced its VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds)-compliant waterborne basecoats -- Aquabase Plus and Envirobase HP -- in India. Both these brands are fully VOC compliant and have unique features that make them the ideal choice for a bodyshop converting to waterborne basecoats. These VOC-compliant refinish systems include high solids primers, clear coats and, importantly, waterborne basecoats.

The company, which is a market leader in the refinish industry, has a strong presence in the premium segment with brands like 2K Nexa Autocolor and Deltron Global Refinish System. In the economy polyurethane and alkyd segments, it is driving growth with its Bilux and Aspa brands respectively. Meanwhile, in the low-cost PU segment, the recently introduced Enza brand with its superior coverage and faster drying time has made a mark in the commercial vehicle market in India.

From the OEM perspective, it also helps that PPG Asian Paints offers servicing and training in a host of operations including optimum repair process performance and colour matching. The company has four regional training centres in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Delhi which help conduct various programmes like training of bodyshop painters and managers.