Axalta Coating Systems has won six Business Intelligence Group (BIG) Innovation Awards for product innovation. The annual business awards program recognizes organizations, products, and people that bring new ideas to life in innovative ways. The awards recognize Axalta’s commitment to developing coatings solutions that address critical industry challenges in sustainability, productivity, and safety.

“We are grateful for this unprecedented recognition of six product innovations from the Business Intelligence Group, which is testament to Axalta’s unwavering commitment to help solve real-world problems for our customers,” said Robert K. Roop, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Axalta. “These six awards reflect the extraordinary work of our teams who continuously push the boundaries of what’s possible in science to provide solutions that deliver value to our customers worldwide.”

Axalta’s six BIG Innovation Awards span all three business units across Refinish, Mobility Coatings, and Industrial Coatings. Product innovation honorees are:

Refinish

Spies Hecker Permahyd Hi-TEC 8260 Premium Waterborne Clearcoat, Axalta’s most advanced waterborne clearcoat, provides a paint solution to body shop owners that reduces solvent emissions by more than 65%, has low odor, and eliminates application defects that detract from the appearance and aesthetics of the repair paint system. This sustainable clearcoat provides best-in-class appearance and productivity while enabling body shops to meet more stringent emission regulations.

Mobility Coatings

Axalta OEM Low-Bake Integrated Metal Body and Plastics Coatings Technology is a coatings system of basecoats and clearcoat for vehicle manufacturing that cures at 90 °C, over metal body and plastic parts, allowing both to be painted together in one paint line. Modeling by a major automotive OEM estimated that implementing this technology in a vehicle manufacturing plant that produces 100,000 vehicles per year could yield energy savings of up to 40%, reduce CO₂ emissions by about 343 tons per year – equivalent to the annual carbon absorption of 350,000 square meters of pine forest – and significantly decrease spray booth construction costs of greenfield plants. Additionally, it could bring annual maintenance cost savings of up to $40M.

Lumeera 3250 Low Bake Clearcoat offers the benefits of reduced energy use with the possibility of increasing manufacturing efficiency and reducing the overall carbon footprint of car manufacturing. Lumeera 3250 cures at 80°C instead of 145°C, the standard cure temperature of automotive clearcoats, so that metal car bodies and plastic parts can be painted in a single step, thus reducing CO₂ emission by at least 20% or ~16 Kg CO₂ per vehicle.

Industrial Coatings

Alesta e-PRO FG Black is a flame and heat-resistant coating that protects electric vehicle battery enclosures from thermal runaway. Excellent adhesion, corrosion resistance, and low-smoke emissions allow manufacturers to apply fire-resistant layers on the interior and exterior of battery cases, improving overall passenger safety through enhanced flame and smoke containment. Alesta® e-PRO FG Black is thermally robust and provides EV manufacturers with the flexibility to integrate fire-resistant coating materials into their custom designs for enhanced safety and reliability.

Axalta’s Total Cabinet Coating Solution helps manufacturers achieve superior aesthetics and sustainability. The 100% solids UV-cure roll coat enamel has zero VOCs and nearly 100% transfer efficiency, reducing overall energy use and enabling immediate handling of coated parts, streamlining production. The Solventborne Edge Primer and Topcoat fill the unsanded face frame edges, minimizing waste and required touch-ups. Together, these innovations support sustainability goals by reducing emissions, conserving resources, and improving operational efficiency for cabinet manufacturers.

Voltatex® 1255 Electrical Steel Coating for Dot-Bonding Processes contributes to enhancing high-speed bonding processes for the automated production of modern electric motors, enabling a precise and durable connection of steel laminations that results in more powerful and efficient e-motors.

Nominations for the BIG Innovation Awards were judged by a select group of business leaders and executives who volunteered their time and expertise to score submissions.

The full list of winners and more information about the BIG Innovation awards can be found here.