PPG’s  automotive refinish business has developed several key advances in its popular array of color software and hardware tools. Denise Lu, PPG global marketing director, said that while specifics are still under wraps, dramatic enhancements to PAINTMANAGER color management software, the RAPIDMATCH X-5 spectrophotometer and the TOUCHMIX color retrieval system are clear expressions of PPG’s commitment to maintaining its leadership position in automotive refinish color technology.

“We have been working on critical initiatives that will elevate our color tools to a whole new level, all to the benefit of our customers,” Lu said. “Those individuals who attended the SEMA Show and saw our video about color tools have an idea of what’s coming. Our color management, identification and retrieval products are already highly efficient and accurate; they’re in daily use in collision centers around the country. Now we’re giving these products advanced features and capabilities to make automotive refinishing even easier, more productive and more quality-focused.”

The advanced tools will be part of a new Color Solutions product line branded XI. “XI means excellent, innovative, exciting, intuitive and exceptional, all key attributes for this line of tools. We firmly believe that our customers will quickly see and embrace the value of XI products, and we are proud of bringing 25 years of consistent, reliable color-matching technology to the refinish industry,” Lu added.

The first of the three initiatives, the TouchMix XI computer, was released this month in the U.S. and Canada. Exclusive to PPG, this robust Windows OS computer provides a secure and compact solution for the most demanding environments.

Second is the PaintManager XI program software. It will be rolled out across the U.S. and Canada this spring and introduced to additional markets soon thereafter. This next-generation software features numerous process improvements and a more intuitive workflow to help managers oversee the productivity and profitability of their paint mixing operations more effectively. The new software also provides greater opportunities for collaboration.

Rounding out the trio of new tools is the RapidMatch XI spectrophotometer. This third-generation spectrophotometer was designed exclusively for PPG to significantly advance collision repair. The innovative spectrophotometer combines 11 color angles and five texture angles for a total of 16 geometries powered with six blue-enhanced LEDs, making it the most advanced technology in the industry today. Technicians will be able to benefit from the five texture digital color images that provide real-time paint surface viewing. In addition, the intuitive touchscreen user interface captures vital job details with Wi-Fi connectivity directly to the PaintManager XI software. PPG’s extensive reflectance data and color image database will help provide the added confidence required in match rating and texture information.