MUMBAI, India - Axalta Coating Systems is expanding its presence in India with investments that will enable the company to double production capacity and construct an automotive OEM coatings development laboratory at its operations center in Savli in Gujarat State. The added capacity will enable Axalta to meet the need for additional coatings among light vehicle automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in India. The Savli facility will continue to manufacture coatings for Axalta’s refinish, automotive parts and commercial vehicle customers.

The project, which is scheduled to be commissioned in the third quarter of 2017, will be able to expand production capacity of both high- and low-temperature bake coatings. Low-temperature bake coatings are needed for use on the latest lightweight plastic and composite materials, used in vehicles to reduce weight and fuel consumption, because they cannot withstand traditional high-bake-temperature curing ovens. Axalta’s products include primers, basecoats and clearcoats used in the full line of Axalta’s solventborne products for different substrate and process requirements. The facility will also be designed to scale-up to produce waterborne coatings when customers elect to convert.

The new automotive OEM coatings development laboratory is scheduled for completion during the second quarter of 2016 and will focus on developing special formulations to ensure superior color match, appearance and quality. Axalta’s improved laboratory space will feature contemporary robotic spray applicators that can precisely replicate line application conditions inside customer manufacturing plants. The equipment is designed to facilitate the development, approval, quality control and customer line support required by automotive customers. Additional new capabilities at the next-generation facility also include color measurement tools and accelerated paint testing equipment.

Axalta already has a strong presence in the refinish, commercial vehicle and automotive part segments in India and serves a growing network of distributors and bodyshops supported by offices and regional training centers in Mumbai, Vadodara, Gurgaon, Kolkata and Bangalore. The Savli plant today employs a range of environmental, health and safety processes and systems to reduce the facility’s environmental impact.