A special collaboration has seen the opening of a Colour Creation Lab, in Wuhu, China, which showcases the strong partnership between Chery Automobile Co. Ltd and PPG while adding a range of dedicated capabilities.
The facility will give PPG Colour Stylists and Chery designers everything they need to create new colours tailored to specific vehicle designs, from initial colour recommendations, through to final materials for application in Chery’s manufacturing plants. As a result, the Colour Creation Lab will feature innovative solutions for colour digitisation, analysis and evaluation on interior and exterior automotive parts. The process will include extensive sampling and formulation testing to ensure a new colour will have a uniform appearance, provide proper adhesion and extend durability when it moves to mass production and application in automotive plants.
“As the leading single-source coatings supplier for automotive manufacturing, PPG is excited to partner with Chery, a company that prioritises technological innovation and sustainable production,” said Thomas Li, PPG Vice President Asia Pacific, Automotive Coatings. “We will leverage our global colour leadership to predict future trends, while advancing paint technology for the next generation of Chery vehicles.”
PPG began supplying Chery with coatings for its paint lines in 2003, before opening an automotive coatings plant in Wuhu, in 2008, to further support Chery and other manufacturers in China. When Chery opened its Qingdao plant in 2022, it featured PPG’s innovative B1:B2 Compact Paint System which streamlines the painting process by removing the need for a separate primer layer. The system requires less energy to apply, allowing the Qingdao plant to increase efficiency. Earlier this year, Chery also introduced the B1:B2 system to its Wuhu plant.