Posted in: Industry News
07

Axalta Named Supplier of the Year by GM

Posted on Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Axalta Coating Systems, a manufacturer of liquid and powder coatings, was named a “Supplier of the Year” by General Motors (GM) at its Supplier of the Year awards ceremony. Winning suppliers from around the world received the award for going above and beyond GM’s requirements, which are designed to provide customers with the most innovative technologies and the industry’s best quality.

“These companies are the bestof- the-best suppliers and deserving of special recognition for their outstanding contributions,” said Steve Kiefer, GM Vice President, Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. “We need them to continue to bring us their most innovative technologies, highest quality services and work, and we will continue to win together for the benefit of our customers.”

GM recognized 78 of its best global suppliers last Thursday evening during its 23rd annual Supplier of the Year awards ceremony. The Supplier of the Year award winners are chosen by a global team of GM purchasing,engineering, quality, manufacturing and logistics executives.

“The Axalta team around the world is proud to accept this recognition from GM,” said Steve Markevich, Axalta Senior Vice President and President of its OEM coatings segment. “This is a great accomplishment by the entire Axalta team and it is one that we will use as a building block for future success.”

In other Axalta news, the company has expanded its customer support by breaking ground on an 18,000-squarefoot facility in Houston, Tex., to train coating professionals. The facility is scheduled to open in summer 2015.

This center will be adjacent to Axalta’s Houston powder coating manufacturing plant and will serve both refinish body shop customers and customers who apply powder coatings for a variety of markets ranging from oil and gas pipelines to general industrial custom coaters. The center is expected to draw thousands of customers to attend instructor-led courses and gain hands-on experience.

In addition, Axalta has opened a new product development center at its facility in Lionville, Pa., in order to strengthen its performance testing capability. The center is equipped with a state-of-the-art professional spray booth and advanced HVAC infrastructure that enables specialists to simulate a variety of North American climate conditions. The simulation will help to assess refinish automotive paint application.

Axalta’s refinish coatings range from surface preparation to undercoats, basecoats, and high gloss clear coats across a portfolio of brands. Each product is formulated to be effective in different climates and when coating various substrates such as metals, plastics, and composite materials. The facility is engineered to enable a quick turnaround from product development to launch.

The new center is part of Axalta’s dedicated network of research and development facilities that focus on new products to meet evolving customer needs and evaluates ways to improve existing products.

For more information visit axaltacoatingsystems.com