SHILDON, England, Oct. 1, 2014 – PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG) has upgraded aerospace sealants manufacturing operations at its Shildon, England, facility with installation of new equipment to increase capacity and efficiency to meet growing demand.
According to Sean Lambourne, PPG market manager for sealants in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region, the state-of-the-art equipment gives PPG flexibility to respond quickly to higher demand by being able to increase capacity several times, adjusting batch sizes and shift operation.
“This is a significant expansion for Shildon and positions us well for expected growth of aerospace sealants in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa,” Lambourne said. “The added capacity expands PPG’s global sealants manufacturing footprint, complementing the sealants product line made at Mojave, California.”
The first phase of the expansion was completed on the cell that produces accelerators used in two-component sealants for high-performance aerospace fuel tank and fuselage applications, Lambourne said. The second phase was on the cell that produces the base compound, supporting all polysulfide and polythioether polymer production for those same high-performance products, he said.
The Shildon facility predominantly services the EMEA region through PPG application support centers in Shildon; Hamburg, Germany; Gonfreville, France; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The ASCs repackage sealants in SEMCO(R) packaging and application systems with value-added packaging that includes premixed, frozen sealant and SEMKIT(R) packages that provide mixed sealant at customized fill weights. They also work with customers to develop and produce customized sealant solutions, such as PRC(R) seal caps that are used to dome-seal fasteners.
The Shildon facility has been in operation since 1967 and also produces aerospace coatings.
PPG Aerospace is the aerospace products and services business of PPG Industries. PPG Aerospace – PRC-DeSoto is the leading global producer of aerospace sealants, coatings, and packaging and application systems. PPG Aerospace – Transparencies is the world’s largest supplier of aircraft windshields, windows and canopies. For more information, visit www.ppgaerospace.com.
PPG: BRINGING INNOVATION TO THE SURFACE.(TM)
PPG Industries’ vision is to continue to be the world’s leading coatings and specialty materials company. Through leadership in innovation, sustainability and color, PPG helps customers in industrial, transportation, consumer products, and construction markets and aftermarkets to enhance more surfaces in more ways than does any other company. Founded in 1883, PPG has global headquarters in Pittsburgh and operates in nearly 70 countries around the world. Reported net sales in 2013 were $15.1 billion. PPG shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol:PPG). For more information, visit www.ppg.com and follow @PPGIndustries on Twitter.
