PPG expands in Europe with new facility in France

Pittsburgh-based paint and coatings company PPG has opened a facility in France to improve its operations in Southern Europe and North Africa.

The $17 million aerospace application support center in Toulouse, France, will provide filling and packaging capabilities for aerospace materials, including coatings and sealants for aircraft, according to the 140-year-old company.

“This new facility will significantly enhance our responsiveness and customer support capabilities, while enabling the qualification of our unique materials earlier in the product development cycle,” said Francois Buehlmann, PPG general manager EMEA, Aerospace, in a statement.

The facility comprises a laboratory for the development of aerospace materials, a color blending area for coatings and a spray booth for hands-on training of paint applications. It also houses filling lines for touch-up kits, a transparencies inspection cell, customized packaging capabilities for third-party products, chemical management resources, and a customer service center. It is the company’s 17th such facility worldwide.

PPG operates in more than 70 countries. It reported net sales of $17.7 billion in 2022.