Axalta Coating Systems, the parent organisation behind the DuPont, Standox and Spies Hecker paint brands has invested US$5 million in a new pilot reactor to support product production development at its Coatings Technology Centre in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.

The state-of-the-art reactor system will enhance product development capabilities and accelerate the manufacture and introduction of the next generation of polymers that offer improved performance properties to meet customer expectations in the coatings sector. The polymers produced from the pilot reactor can be used for both traditional solvent based and more environmental friendly water based coating products.
“Coatings are about appearance and performance,” explains Axalta Chairman and CEO Charles Shaver. “Our goal is to provide our customers with the best possible coatings, ones that will cure faster, adhere better, offer the latest colours and be more durable than any others on the market.”

The new pilot reactor is a key component in the advancement of a variety of polymer technologies to support innovative coating development.  “Our reactor in Wilmington will enable us to manufacture and test new polymer concepts quickly with lower cycle times and bring them to market faster than before,” said Panos Kordomenos, Senior Vice President for Research & Development at Axalta.

The new facility will complement existing Axalta polymer research capabilities in Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.