PPG Industries celebrated the 50th anniversary of its electrocoat (e-coat) technology at the Coatings and Resins Research Center in Springdale, PA. More than 100 PPG employees from Springdale and the PPG Coatings Innovation Center in nearby Allison Park attended. They were joined by PPG retirees who were instrumental in developing the breakthrough corrosion-protection technology that is now used by automakers and industrial OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) around the world.
Viktor R. Sekmakas, PPG Executive Vice President, says e-coat technology has transformed PPG and had a lasting impact on industries around the globe. “Manufacturers would not have the product performance they enjoy today without e-coat,” he says. “E-coat has not only been a sustainable technology that is crucial to PPG’s success, it has been important to customers in every corner of the world as well.”
Kevin D. Braun, PPG Vice President, Industrial Coatings, adds that e-coat products by PPG are considered the industry’s gold standard. “We have a rich history of e-coat achievements,” he explains. “In addition to being a rich source of business, e-coat has enabled PPG to invest in many other technologies over the past five decades.”
Because the electrodeposition process is highly efficient and environmentally friendly, e-coat is growing in use among global companies embracing lean manufacturing and more sustainable coating technologies.
“By the very nature of how e-coat is applied – dipping metal parts into a tankful of coating – it is a nearly 100% efficient process that has significantly lower volatile organic compounds (VOCs) needed for application of traditional paints,” Braun explains.
PPG launched its first industrial e-coat service line in 1963 for General Electric. Today, PPG operates more than 1,000 e-coat tanks to support major global industrial and automotive manufacturers, including Caterpillar, General Electric, John Deere and Whirlpool.
