Sep 11 2014
Axalta Coating Systems, a leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings, today broke ground in Wuppertal, Germany, on construction to expand its capacity to produce waterborne coatings.
Johannes Slawig, Treasurer of the city of Wuppertal; Otmar Hauck, Chief Operating Officer of Axalta in Europe, Middle East and Africa; Norbert Weckes, Wuppertal operations head for Axalta; Charlie Shaver, Axalta Chairman & CEO; Holger Lassen, HR Director for Axalta in Western Europe; Peter Jung, Mayor of the city of Wuppertal. (Photo: Business Wire)
The new facility will increase the footprint of what is already the largest of the company’s 35 manufacturing centers. Production is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2015.
At the ceremony to mark the event - attended by Wuppertal’s mayor, Peter Jung, media and Axalta employees - Axalta Chairman and CEO Charlie Shaver underscored the company’s commitment to the production of environmentally responsible waterborne paint technologies.
“A growing demand for high-performance waterborne paint solutions prompted our decision to expand in Wuppertal,” Shaver told the assembled guests. “This facility will use a number of advanced technologies to decrease waste and reduce the environmental footprint of our operations. Waterborne coatings also meet our customers’ interest in coating systems that enable them to reduce their own impact on the environment and operate more productively.”
The new Wuppertal facility will manufacture coatings for some of the largest European light vehicle automotive original equipment manufacturers, as well as for Axalta’s three global refinish brands - Cromax®, Spies Hecker® and Standox®. It will also supply waterborne paints for manufacturers of commercial vehicles and industrial applications.
Peter Jung, the mayor of Wuppertal, said: “I am pleased with the substantial investment in the new production facility. With it Axalta not only secures 2,000 jobs but also expresses a long-term commitment in the Wuppertal site.”
Otmar Hauck, Axalta’s Chief Operating Officer of the company’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region, said, “We are proud that Wuppertal provides a strong operations base for us. With our next generation facility we will be able to offer our customers the products they expect from us. The members of our Wuppertal organization are highly qualified and motivated to contribute to the success of our company.”
Production at the new facility is intended to supply Axalta’s waterborne paint to customers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America.