PPG adds adhesives lab in Cleveland

CLEVELAND—PPG Industries Inc. is investing to ensure it remains a force within the adhesive and sealants industry.

The firm unveiled its new advanced automotive adhesives and sealants laboratory with a ribbon cutting and open house in Cleveland on Oct. 29. The lab is designed to help it produce new technologies to help automotive original equipment manufacturers as they develop new mobility technologies like hybrid-electric, electric and autonomous vehicles.

Investment figures were not disclosed, but the firm said it intends to create six jobs initially and grow from there.

"PPG is very customer centric," said Gary Bennett, PPG senior global general manager for adhesives and sealants. "Our customers blueprint where they want to be in the future and we partner with them to help create those road maps. All of those technologies for the automotive coating space on the OEM side are all based here. We have the opportunity to flex that and optimize how the coatings will interact with one another."

PPG makes a variety of adhesives and sealants using silicone, polyurethane and other elastomeric materials. The lab will play an important role in developing new chemistries as substrates within the automotive industry continue to evolve and become more complex.

Keith Johnston, PPG technical director for North America, said as auto makers continue to blend steel, aluminum, carbon reinforced materials and new plastics for lightweighting—a critical requirement in order to enhance the range of electric vehicles—new ways of bonding these materials together will have to be developed.

"It's going to make us a force to be reckoned with in the adhesives and sealants business," Johnston said of the new lab. "As we increase our penetration into the market and what we earn, we can start adding resources and hire more people as we grow the business."

The lab is co-located with PPG's other automotive-focused labs within its existing 42-acre site that employs more than 700 people. It includes state-of-the-art equipment for testing product strength, flexibility, adhesion and sound dampening characteristics on a variety of structural adhesives, sealants and related products for use in the automotive industry.

The site develops and produces all coating layers used by global vehicle manufacturers, including Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Mahindra, Mazda, Nissan, Tesla and Toyota.

"Adhesives and sealants interact with every layer in some way, shape or form," Johnston said. "So if we have all the experts in one area and utilize the synergies we get from it, it's going to be extremely helpful for us. As manufacturers eliminate steps in the manufacturing process, the interaction between layers is magnified. The synergies you get by having all the layers in one place is becoming critical."

PPG employs 1,000 in the Cleveland area, also operating sites in nearby Euclid and Strongsville, and 3,000 throughout Ohio. Johnston said the firm works with local universities to find new talent and has had a presence in the Cleveland area since 1947.

"We want PPG to be a great place for people to come and grow their careers," Bennett said. "Whenever we have an external hire that comes in as a chemist or a technician, they get exposed to a wide variety of PPG products in the automotive space. As they do a great job, they have career opportunities across the organization that's all co-located here from a technical perspective. It's going to have a huge impact for the folks working here from a career-development perspective."