Repaint Reporter

5 4 INSIDE LINE COLORS EDGE: PPG 2014 PLATINUM DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR Colors Edge, Inc., was honored as the 2014 PPG Platinum Distributor of the Year at the annual PPG Platinum Distributor Conference held in Scottsdale, Ariz. Colors Edge President Darren DeWitt accepted the award on behalf of the Colors Edge team. "I was absolutely shocked when I heard our name mentioned," said DeWitt, who attended the conference along with Colors Edge field manager Chris Parr, store manager Tyler Tomlinson, and tech representative Tom Place. "It was a total surprise, and we are honored by this award. Our employees all work very hard, and it's rewarding to be recognized in this way." Colors Edge was established in 2004 in Greensboro, N.C., and immediately became a single-line PPG distributor. DeWitt states he chose PPG because it represented the values he wanted for his company—quality products and a commitment to customer service. In 10 years, Colors Edge has grown to six stores and 33 employees serving collision centers, fleet refinishers, manufacturers and other paint coating operations throughout North Carolina's Triad, Triangle and Appalachian Foothills area, as well as southern Virginia and parts of Tennessee. The company vigorously promotes PPG waterborne products to its customers even though the region is not a mandatory low- VOC area. Colors Edge is also actively involved with the PPG MVP program and has made a significant investment in employee support and training programs. In a market facing continued decline in accidents, collision repair is undergoing many challenges to contend with, from greater use of advanced materials and new OE coatings, to higher expectations for customer satisfaction and throughput performance. Fortunately, our industry and the collision shops that comprise it are blessed with a highly entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to embrace change and adapt to new challenges. Peruse this issue of Repaint Reporter, and you'll find excellent examples of how our customers are successfully responding to the times with the help of PPG Refinish. The tremendous revenue growth seen at Tom Wood Automotive (p. 22) illustrates how a commitment to change has transformed this PPG customer into one of the most sought-after collision centers in the region. Playing an instrumental role in their success story is the continued support the shop receives from our MVP Business Solutions team. Similarly, service and support is the major reason why Roger's Rod & Customs made the recent change to PPG (p. 24), ending a 30-year relationship with its former paint supplier. Increased popularity of sophisticated, more vibrant colors in OE finishes has been another significant catalyst for change in the refinish paint booth. A must read is our technical article (p. 28) on how the translucent nature of PPG's waterborne basecoat technology, combined with our spectral gray undercoat system, best mimics the factory application of today's exotic finishes and delivers superior color matches. Embrace this new technology and your shop will be well positioned for the future. Whether your business is a small, single-location operation or a large MSO, success can be achieved by those who remain committed to a proactive plan for continuous improvement. Likewise, you can be assured that PPG will support these efforts as we continue with our long-term commitment to the industry. To use the words of our recent slogan, "Only one thing lasts longer than our coatings. Our commitment to you." Greg Benckart Vice President, Americas PPG Automotive Refinish THE CHANGING TIMES ATC TRAILERS EARNS PPG AND NATM'S GREEN MANUFACTURING AWARD PPG Commercial Coatings and the National Association of Trailer Manufacturers (NATM) have named ATC Trailers, Inc., of Nappanee, Ind., a manufacturer of custom-built, precision trailers, as the recipient of the fourth annual Green Manufacturing Award. The honor was presented at NATM's 26th annual Convention and Trade Show, recently held in Las Vegas, Nev. The competitive award recognizes the NATM member with the year's best solution or innovation that positively affects the environment. Lucas Landis, ATC marketing director, accepted the prize on behalf of company CEO and founder Steve Brenneman. PPG LIGHTS IT UP Many say organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology is the "next big thing" in lighting. That's why companies are investing in new technologies in this area. This includes PPG Industries, which recently opened a world-class OLED materials production facility at its Barberton, Ohio, plant. The new site will foster the expanded development and production of Universal Display's phosphorescent OLED (UniversalPHOLED ® ) materials. Universal Display is the leading supplier of phosphorescent OLED materials, which are used to produce high-performance, thin, energy-efficient display and lighting products, including smartphones, televisions and solid-state lighting applications. JOHN DEERE SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR The industrial coatings business of PPG has earned recognition as the Enterprise Indirect Material and Services (IM&S) Supplier of the Year in the John Deere Achieving Excellence Program. PPG was also awarded Partner-level status for 2013. PPG supplies electrocoat, liquid and powder coatings, and pretreatment chemicals to John Deere's global operations. HAMLIN RIDES PPG TO BRONZE Erin Hamlin of Lake Placid, N.Y., became the first American luge racer to win an Olympic medal when she earned a bronze in singles competition at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. It was a great finish for the three-time USA Olympian. Her sled also had a great finish, comprised of DELTRON ® DBC Basecoat and CERAMICLEAR ® clearcoat. Who knows? The slick paint job just may have shaved a few milliseconds off her runs. SEE YOU IN MOTOWN PPG Refinish is heading to Detroit for the NACE/CARS 2014 Expo and Conference, to be held July 30th to August 2nd. If you plan to attend, make sure to visit the PPG booth where we'll be showcasing new products and our team will be on hand to answer your questions. MOST ADMIRED PPG was named one of the top three "World's Most Admired Companies" in the category by Fortune magazine. PPG registered the highest year-over-year improvement in the chemicals category by moving up three spaces to No. 3. It also had that category's highest year-over-year score increase, from 5.65 last year to 6.81—one of PPG's highest-ever scores on this list. 4 TEAM PPG Left to right: Greg Benckart, VP, PPG Automotive Refinish Americas; Darren DeWitt, President, Colors Edge, Inc.; John Outcalt, VP, PPG Global Automotive Refinish

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