Our second Innovation Summit has come to an end and it was an outstanding success. The event took place in Montreux, Switzerland as part of our sponsorship of the Omega European Masters golf event.
It allowed us to showcase our breakthrough innovations as well as our #PaintswithPurpose campaign. We had inspiring speeches from some of our top technical minds, each of them focusing on one of the three core themes:
Sustainability
Olivier Magnin, EMEA technical director for Industrial Coatings introduced our strive towards sustainability and commitment to the environment and customers. Olivier presented four innovative #PaintswithPurpose. The products presented included a new product line; Seigneurie Phylopur® that is made from 97% bio-sourced materials and Envirocron® Extreme Edge Protection powder coating. He also showcased PPG Hoba® Varnishes, a game changer in the packaging market.
Olivier also spoke about the advantages of Xylan® which is resistant to extreme environments and is used on wind turbine blades! This innovative product is produced by Whitford, our new acquisition which recently became part of the 'One PPG' family.
Mobility
To present our new disruptive technologies that will impact mobility and the future of transportation was William Brunat, global director of product development for Automotive Coatings. He was joined by Gabrielle Lan Yin San, team leader in formulating wall paints.
Firstly, the pair talked about our LiDAR Detection technology, which helps increase the visibility of vehicles to autonomous cars. They also introduced CrystalClear, a high-performance anti-smudge organic coating used on vehicle camera lenses. They then moved on to IOCRON™ a new material that eliminates toxic solvent produced by electric vehicles battery coating and finally technology that protects the batteries from fire.
Productivity
To introduce the Productivity category was Kees Van Vliet, EMEA technical director for Protective and Marine Coatings, assisted by Barry van Houtum, senior application specialist from Architectural Coatings and Emeline Firmin, UV-EB and Wood Coatings lab manager from Industrial Coatings.
They presented new technologies that improve flexibility and productivity for our customers. First there was RAYCRON® a solvent-free coating system for floors and ENVIROBASE® our easy to use coating which makes for a speedy application process. Then there was our Quick Rain Resistant Technology that allows painters to apply paint to exterior surfaces when it rains at short notice, Sigma Perfect and finally PITT-CHAR® NX, the next generation hydrocarbon passive fire protection!
Overall the Innovation Summit was a great success, make sure to check out a video of the event with its best moments!