The Sherwin-Williams Co has acquired a majority interest in Shanghai Kinlita Chemical Co Ltd, based in Shanghai, China, in order to participate in the growing Chinese automotive coatings market. The company, now named Sherwin-Williams Kinlita Co Ltd, will operate under the direction of Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes Corp.
Wu Guo Zheng, the previous president and primary shareholder of Shanghai Kinlita Chemical, has been appointed general manager of Sherwin-Williams Kinlita.
Founded in 1993 as a privately held entity specializing in electro-deposition coatings of OEM trucks and buses in the People's Republic of China, Shanghai Kinlita Chemical supplied coatings to Chinese truck and bus producers.