When you see a room full of repairers get genuinely enthusiastic about the introduction of new products, you know you it’s something special, says John Hristias, PPG sales director Australia. That is exactly what he saw at launch events across the region to introduce a trio of readymade, PPG low energy cure solutions, comprising LVP565 Air-Dry Primer, along with LVC-177 Rapid Performance Clearcoat and LVC-131 UHS Clearcoat.
These next gen products are just one of the advantages of PPG’s incredible investment in research and development on a global scale, says Hristias. This pipeline of advanced coatings solutions gives the local ANZ team an unprecedented treasure-trove of industry leading product technologies to help support local customers.
“Through feedback from local customers, it was clear that rising energy costs were becoming a real concern. Looking around the world, we could see a lot of similarities with trends in large markets, such as Europe, over the past few years. As a result, we were able tap into PPG product technologies which had been developed with the key aim of significantly reducing the traditional cost of electricity and gas required for a booth cycle,” he said.
“The really impressive thing is that, during the launch events, you could see local repairers recognise these low-energy cure products as gamechangers. Our technical team was able to explain how they are easily capable of slotting into the modern refinish process with no equipment investment required. And they can make an instant difference whether it’s a collision centre doing one car a day or a large business turning out 20 or 30 cars per day.”
With these low-energy cure solutions now available to local customers, it has taken the region’s most popular basecoat system, ENVIROBASE High Performance to an all-new level with lots of options for repairers to cost and efficiency changes to suit themselves, says Hristias.
“The single biggest feature which has really made people sit up and take notice is the air-drying capabilities – we are talking minutes to cure, not hours with no reliance on factors such as humidity! At the same time, it gives repairers complete flexibility – you can run in air-dry mode to save on energy usage and, if a job needs to be pushed through quickly, simple choose the bake mode that suits your cycle-time / energy consumption requirements,” he said.
“With LVP565 you have a primer that can air-dry in just 30 minutes @ 20°C and it’s not dependant on humidity. It’s fast, too, with a single visit application mode where absolutely no flash-off is required, as well as excellent film-build and a super smooth lay down that makes it extremely easy to sand.
“When it comes to clearcoat, LVC-177 also offers a game-changing air-dry mode where it’s dust free and ready to handle in just 20 minutes @ 20°C. Alternatively, you can choose from the low temperature or high temperature bake cycle to suit your needs. It also features single visit application mode to help boost process speed. For all round performance, LVC-131 offers multipurpose application from a single panel to a full respray, different bake options and a fast, one visit application mode.
“Apart from the ability to make significant savings on energy, the air-dry options offer another big advantage. With the overwhelming trend towards plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles, the ability to use air-dry mode gives repairers an instant option to deal with these vehicles. By avoiding a bake cycle, it minimises the potential for heat to impact the battery cells.”
Whether a collision centre is looking to reduce its carbon footprint to enhance its green credentials or whether it’s about minimising their energy costs (or both!), this new range of options really made repairers sit up and take notice, says Hristias.
“The most common feedback I heard at the launch events was ‘I am really impressed!’, as it got people very excited about the possibilities. As a result, many customers put in orders for these new products before they even left the launch events. They are now off and running and enjoying the benefits to their business,” he said.
For more information about PPG low energy cure products and the entire Envirobase High Performance range, speak to your PPG Territory Manager or call the PPG Customer Service Hotline on 13 24 24 (Aust) or 0800 320 320 (NZ).