PPG
PPG's new automotive adhesives and sealants laboratory in Cleveland OH.
PPG's new automotive adhesives and sealants laboratory in Cleveland OH.
PPG's new automotive adhesives and sealants laboratory in Cleveland OH.
PPG's new automotive adhesives and sealants laboratory in Cleveland OH.
PPG's new automotive adhesives and sealants laboratory in Cleveland OH.

PPG adds research laboratory to Ohio manufacturing complex

Oct. 31, 2019
PPG added a 2,100-square-foot research laboratory to its 42-acre manufacturing complex in Cleveland OH.

PPG recently added a 2,100-square-foot automotive adhesives and sealants laboratory to its 42-acre manufacturing and research complex in Cleveland OH.

The facility will focus on developing and testing structural adhesives, sealants and related products for passenger cars, light trucks, SUVs and commercial vehicles, the company said. PPG scientists also will use the lab to continue developing next-generation coatings for lithium-ion battery cells, modules and packs used in battery-electric and autonomous vehicles.

The new lab will include state-of-the-art equipment for testing product strength, flexibility, adhesion and sound-dampening characteristics of PPG products used by several leading global original equipment manufacturers (OEM), PPG maintained. The lab also creates several new high-tech chemistry and research jobs at PPG’s Cleveland facility.

“There is a tremendous amount of science in every paint layer on a modern passenger vehicle or commercial truck,” said Gary Bennett, PPG general manager for adhesives, sealants and automotive OEM coatings. “With this impressive new facility, PPG continues to invest in advanced research and manufacturing capabilities that benefit vehicle manufacturers, battery and component suppliers and, above all, consumers.”

PPG’s CORABOND adhesives enable vehicle manufacturers to achieve cost and weight savings by reliably joining an array of dissimilar materials without the need for expensive welds. The company also offers a range of sealants that supports auto and truck makers’ light-weighting strategies and helps enhance vehicles’ functional performance and durability.

PPG’s automotive adhesive and sealant technologies also serve a variety of electric vehicle battery pack needs, including sealing of pack shells and components, fixing of cells and modules into packs, structural reinforcement, impact resistance, and thermal management.

The Cleveland facility is PPG’s flagship manufacturing facility for automotive OEM coatings. Situated in the city’s West Park area, the plant has been an integral part of PPG since its acquisition in 1947 from the Forbes Varnish Company, which began operations in 1907.

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