Brief History

In 1954, PPG opened a new coatings and resins research center at Springdale, Pa., adjacent to the manufacturing plant there. This was an affirmation of PPG's commitment to the increasingly sophisticated coatings and resins field worldwide. A core group of scientists and engineers relocated from Milwaukee to the new center. While the foresight was admirable, it couldn't anticipate the explosion in research needs that came about in later years. In the early 1970s, it became obvious that a new coatings research facility was needed to accommodate the growing number of scientists and support personnel required for expanded research and global technical leadership. There was no room to expand at the Springdale research site, so a 73-acre wooded site in nearby Allison Park, Pa., was selected and in 1974 the new facility was opened. The first expansion, which included additional laboratories and an application area, was completed in 1978. Even this new space proved to be insufficient for the expanding drive to meet the needs of automotive, industrial and consumer customers. And a second major expansion, nearly doubling the working space at Allison Park, was completed in 1982. An additional building opened in 1986. Today, more than 400 people work at the Allison Park and Springdale centers, unlocking the technological advances in which the Coatings and Resins Group's progress is firmly rooted. Analysis, synthesis and product development groups, primarily for automotive and industrial coatings, are centered at the Allison Park facility. The Springdale center houses PPG's architectural finishes, industrial electrodeposition technical services and sales functions, and the largest pilot production facility in the coatings industry. In addition, Allison Park serves as headquarters for the Coatings and Resins Group's engineering department. Some measure of the research function's success was reflected by the fact that two of the eight charter members of PPG's Technical Collegium named in 1983 came from the Coatings and Resins Group. And the first two PPG President's Awards for Technical Achievement, awarded in 1983 and 1984, were made to the developers of cationic electrodeposition primer for automobiles and elastomeric coatings for flexible substrates. Not to be overlooked is the quality focus. The Allison Park and Springdale research centers strive to achieve total satisfaction of customer requirements and expectations through involvement of all associates in value-added innovative activities.