Axalta celebrates 150 years in the coatings industry

In 2016, Axalta Coating Systems celebrates 150 years of creating innovative industrial coatings. Axalta’s heritage dates back to 1866 when its first products were developed in Germany and since then the company has grown into one of the world’s leading manufacturers of liquid and powder coatings.

"All of us at Axalta are excited to reach this important milestone in the history of our company,” explained Axalta Chairman and CEO Charlie Shaver. "Over the next 12 months we will celebrate our past and build on our extensive knowledge and experience for the next 150 years. With nearly 13,000 employees and 120,000 customers in 130 countries, we will continue to use advanced technologies to develop next generation coatings, while providing outstanding quality and service in the years ahead.”

From the earliest products that supplied European carriage manufacturers with colourful coatings in the 19th Century, Axalta evolved to meet the needs of an automotive industry that flourished in the 20th Century. In the 1920s, Axalta introduced the first quick-drying, multi-colour lacquer line for automotive production in the USA. Company scientists developed the L,a,b colour equations that became a key analytic tool in the catalogue of colour science. In the 1980s, the company ushered in the first environmentally responsible liquid coating systems with the introduction of waterborne coatings.

Building on experience acquired with its original Spies Hecker and Standox products, Axalta branched out to provide refinish technicians with improved coating products and systems. In the 1990s, the Cromax family of waterborne products was introduced to automotive body shops. Handheld spectrophotometer colour tools were developed to help provide excellent colour matching, which saves repair time and reduces waste.
Today, both functional coatings and a wide array of decorative Alesta powder coatings are used in thousands of applications.