PPG Industries has relocated its regional office for automotive refinish operations in Southwest China to the Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone. The relocation ceremony also marked the inauguration of a new Chengdu training center for PPG’s automotive refinish business.
Guests from leading automotive manufacturers and their dealers, PPG suppliers and authorized distributors, and representatives from partner schools attended the ceremony and visited the new training center, along with officials from government  and industrial associations such as Wang Fengling, vice secretary general, China Automotive Maintenance and Repair Trade Association; Xu Donglan, deputy director, Automotive Maintenance and Repair Office of the Department of the Sichuan Province Administration for Transportation; Jia Luncai, vice director, Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Commission; Hao Jianping, chairman, Chengdu Automotive Maintenance and Repair Trade Association.
“The relocation of the southwest China regional office to the Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone marks a major step forward in our efforts to get closer to our customers and improve our overall services in this region,” said Pauline Yuen, PPG vice president, refinish coatings and light industrial coatings, Asia. “The southwest region has long been a focus for PPG’s business in China, and the new training center in Chengdu will enable us to respond faster to the growing demand from customers here and to accelerate PPG’s growth in the China market.”
Covering 1,000 square meters, the new Chengdu training center can host training programs for more than 1,200 people each year. The center’s design incorporates eco-friendly, state-of-the-art equipment such as a central vacuum system, a centralized exhaust system and an intelligent gas-powered room, providing trainees with an enhanced training experience and high-efficiency repair experience in a safe and comfortable environment.
“The new training center aims to bring PPG’s leading technologies and training programs to the growing automotive refinish market in China’s southwest region,” said James Yang, PPG general manager of automotive refinish and light industrial coatings, Greater China. “We are continuing to advance the general knowledge and management skills of spray-finishing professionals in China.”
Since it entered the China market in the 1980s, PPG’s automotive refinish business has built training centers in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu, providing training for thousands of technicians from automotive manufacturers, automotive dealers and refinish distributors. PPG offers a wide array of refinish brands such as DELTRON, NEXA Autocolor, ACS, EMAXX and V-PRO coatings. It was the first company to introduce waterborne automotive coatings to China, offering AQUABASE Plus and ENVIROBASE High Performance coatings to help promote a “greener” automotive aftermarket in China.  CW