Powder holds just 15% of the global coatings market, but several factors are contributing to its status as the world’s fastest growing finishing technology today.
PPG's Sumare, Brazil, Powder Production Plant Expands Capabilities
In this era of sustainable manufacturing, powder is well positioned for growth with formulations that are generally made without solvents that release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a paint process that produces no hazardous waste and the ability to reclaim and reuse overspray.
As a company focused on reducing its environmental impact, PPG is committed to achieving 50% of sales from sustainability advantaged products by 2030. Powder coatings have played an integral part of these efforts since 2019.
PPG has acquired four key companies, focuses heavily on developing advanced formulations through research and development (R&D), and is making sizeable investments to upgrade plants in U.S. and Latin America.
These investments reflect PPG’s strategic efforts to expand its powder coatings offerings and increase global production to meet growing customer demand for sustainably advantaged products.
Most recently, PPG invested $2.7 million (13 million Brazilian reals) in its Sumaré, Brazil, plant to boost powder production capacity by 40%.
Located in the state São Paulo, the facility has been equipped with new, state-of-the-art, highly automated equipment, allowing for better process control and quality and less setup time for color matching and production. Additional investments in automation are planned at the site, including the integration of connectivity devices and process synchronization technology.
This investment aims to meet the growing demand for powder coatings from local manufacturers of appliances, agricultural machinery, transportation, and other industries for products such as steel furniture, storage structures, gym equipment and electrical panels and transformers.
"Powder coatings are one of the fastest-growing coating technologies in the world, and PPG is committed to meeting the growing global demand by investing in R&D, facility expansions, and acquisitions to develop our production capacity and expand our global presence," said Marizeth Carvalho, PPG general manager, Latin America South and global business director, Powder Coatings.
PPG's Commitment to Powder Technology
As one of the oldest and largest coatings manufacturers in the world, PPG is helping to accelerate the adoption of powder coatings and is the leading supplier of powder coatings to the automotive, general industrial, appliance and furniture industries.
The company invests roughly 3% of net sales in R&D annually, which has resulted in the development several powder solutions that are forging new frontiers for both the company and the powder industry as a whole, including:
- PPG ENVIROCRON® LUM Retroreflective powder, the world’s first commercially available retroreflective powder that enhances visibility in low light conditions
- PPG Envirocon HIGH TRANSFER EFFICIENCY (HTE) powder with a first pass build rate of 85%
- PPG CORAFLON® PLATINUM powder for architectural applications with 20% higher transfer efficiency than standard FEVE powders and a wider gloss range to create novel finishes never before possible with a powder
- PPG Envirocron® HEATSENSE powder, a low-bake coating for heat-sensitive substrates like wood and dense, oversized metal
PPG has an expansive global powder footprint with 21 manufacturing plants – seven with bonding capabilities – a powder resin plant, an R&D development center and a global center of excellence.
But PPG's expertise is not limited to powder coating technology. The company is also the only global coatings manufacturer that offers solutions in all major coating platforms, including liquid, electrocoat, pretreatment and UV/EB cure, as well as protective coating application services.