Axalta Partners With Shanghai Kinlita Chemical And Foton Daimler To Coat Heavy Duty Trucks With More Sustainable Coatings

Shanghai - Axalta Coating Systems, a leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings, Shanghai Kinlita Chemical, a renowned player in China’s industrial coatings industry, and Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive, a joint venture between Beiqi Foton and Daimler, have agreed to a partnership for the supply of Axalta’s more environmentally responsible waterborne primer and basecoat. Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive Co. Ltd., one of the leading manufacturers of heavy duty trucks in China, will use Axalta’s advanced waterborne technology to coat its latest line of heavy duty trucks with strong technical support provided by Kinlita, which has a long and rich history of partnership and collaboration with Foton Daimler. With an annual output of more than 100,000 Auman heavy duty trucks, Foton Daimler’s use of Axalta’s waterborne coatings will help the company reduce its overall environmental footprint.

A major factor contributing to Foton Daimler’s selection of Axalta to supply paint for its new line of heavy duty trucks was the speed with which Axalta was able to adapt its waterborne products and colors to meet Foton Daimler’s needs. As the global leader in the heavy duty truck coatings market, Axalta applied its established technology in waterborne primers and basecoats and quickly provided the products in the requested colors during Foton Daimler’s pilot period, setting a new company response time in comparison to the customer’s standard coating line start-up timetable. In addition to Axalta’s tailor-made color development service, the partnership was further strengthened with the online technical support and logistics services provided by Shanghai Kinlita Chemical.

Michael Cash, Senior Vice President of Axalta Coating Systems and President of Axalta’s Industrial Coatings business, said, “Our partnership with Shanghai Kinlita Chemical and Foton Daimler provides a good snapshot of our excellent capacity to customize products, provide superior customer service with a great partner, and demonstrate leadership in developing advanced waterborne coatings recognized by customers and the industry alike. As the leader in the heavy duty truck coatings market in other regions of the world, we hope to continue to demonstrate our strengths by supporting the sustainable growth of renowned brands such as Foton Daimler with the high-performance, low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints they need.”

Guozheng Wu, Chairman of Shanghai Kinlita Chemical, said, “As the only domestic listed coating company, Kinlita has a rich history of supporting our heavy duty truck customers’ long term growth in China. Given our in-depth understanding of Foton Daimler that follows from our long-term collaboration, we are able to deliver quality services and meet their needs by combining Kinlita’s technical expertise and Axalta’s eco-responsible waterborne primer and basecoat.”

The VOC emission levels of Axalta’s waterborne technology are designed to meet European and North American environmental regulations. Axalta’s waterborne products have been adopted by automobile and commercial vehicle manufacturers alike seeking new technology to address the industry’s increasing demand for sustainable coatings.

Hao Yao, Vice President of Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive, said, “It has become increasingly important for the industry to adopt the latest environmentally responsible coatings technology as OEMs, the government, and end users are seeking to reduce air pollution and increase energy conservation. Axalta’s waterborne products and Kinlita’s technical expertise represented the best option for us provided by the industry leaders. This powerful combination will support our efforts to save energy in the manufacturing process, positively contribute to the environment, and help improve the quality of appearance of our Auman heavy duty trucks.”