Issue link: https://ppgrefinish-na.uberflip.com/i/592053
PPG RANKED NUMBER ONE PPG Industries is the world's number-one manufacturer of paints, coatings, adhesives and sealants, according to the "2015 Top Companies Report" published by Coatings World magazine. The report is based on extensive research of annual sales in U.S. dollars and is regarded as the most accurate ranking of paint and coatings manufacturers operating in the global industry. Sales of PPG's coatings reached $14.25 billion in revenue in 2014, up from $12.78 billion the year before. MCGARRY IS NEW PPG CEO Michael H. McGarry is now president and the new CEO of PPG Industries, succeeding Charles E. Bunch, who continues as executive chairman. Upon taking on the leadership role, McGarry said his vision is to strengthen PPG's dominance in coatings and maintain the company's position as the world leader. Coatings business now represents 95 percent of PPG's portfolio. During his 34 years with PPG, McGarry has served in a variety of key business and functional leadership roles in the United States, Europe and Asia, and most recently served as PPG's president and chief operating officer. PPG's packaging coatings business has launched INNOVEL ® HPS™ coatings, the next generation of internal protective spray lacquers, which have been approved for use on aluminum and steel beverage cans by major brands around the globe. The groundbreaking spray coatings are water-based acrylic polymer resin coatings designed to meet the evolving regulatory requirements and deliver enhanced characteristics for flavor neutrality and pack resistance, according to Dave Cole, PPG vice president, packaging coatings. NEXT BIG THING IN CAN COATINGS Greg Benckart Vice President, PPG Automotive Refinish Americas INSIDE LINE EMBRACING CHANGE Take a moment and reflect on how our lives and our industry have changed over the past 5-10 years. Smartphones, social media, the growth of MSOs, increased concern for the environment, and intensified focus on cycle time performance are just a few of the influences that have had major effects on the way business is conducted today. It all points to the fact that change is the one thing we can be certain about in the fast-paced business of collision repair. Consequently we all need to continuously adapt and improve in order to stay competitive. The need to embrace change applies to all facets of the collision business—from marketing and customer service; to estimating; the repair and refinish processes; and right through to customer follow-up. On the paint operation side, for example, PPG continues to introduce new products yearly for each paint brand. Some are designed to increase throughput, while others improve the quality of refinish repairs or better meet compliance requirements. So keeping pace with ongoing product enhancements to your refinish system is key to remaining competitive. One way to stay on top of change is by ensuring your paint technicians attend PPG's recertification training courses every two years. They'll learn about new products and gain hands-on experience on how to take advantage of them back at the shop. Our MVP Paint Shop Throughput course is another way to ensure continuous improvement. Participants can learn techniques for evaluating their refinish operations, study work flow and resource planning concepts, as well as gain knowledge for implementing standardized processes that foster continual enhancements. Of course critical to embracing change in the collision center is establishing a work culture that is open to new ideas, products and processes for continuous improvement. For assistance in that regard, owners and managers could consider attending our MVP course, Leading Change. Regardless of how your business gets there, we hope this issue of Repaint Reporter offers new ideas, information and insights to help you succeed.