PPG Industries

PPG Industries is an American global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products, specialty materials, chemicals, glass, and fiberglass.PPG Industries is an American global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products, specialty materials, chemicals, glass, and fiberglass. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PPG operates in more than 70 countries around the globe. Sales in 2012 were $15.2 billion. It is headquartered in PPG Place, a popular office and retail complex indowntown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is known for its glass facade designed by Philip Johnson. Founded in 1883 by Captain John Baptiste Ford and John Pitcairn, Jr., as the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company at Creighton, Pennsylvania; the company changed its name to PPG Industries, Inc., on 19 December 1968 to show its diverse offerings. Ditzler Color Company, established in 1902 in Detroit as an automotive color concern, was purchased by Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company (now PPG) in 1928. In 1990 it founded and continues to operate Transitions Optical as a joint venture with Essilor. On 2 January 2008, PPG acquired the SigmaKalon Group of companies for $3.2 billion from private investment firm Bain Capital, strongly increasing its paint and specialty coatings business. On April 1, 2013 PPG completed the acquisition of AkzoNobel North American architectural coatings business including Glidden, Liquid Nails, and Flood brands.

1896: Ford left the company in 1896, leaving Pitcairn firmly in control.

1898: 1898 The company develops a process for producing thinner glass with the plate process, thereby broadening uses for the high-quality glass.

1899: 1899 Pitcairn builds a soda ash plant in Barberton, Ohio, the first PPG chemicals business.

1907: PPG also diversified into the production of window glass through a factory in Mount Vernon, Ohio, which opened in 1907.

1915: In 1915 a second plant was opened in Clarksburg, West Virginia.

1923: Always seeking to diversify, in 1923 PPG began to use limestone screening, a waste product of soda ash, to manufacture Portland cement.

1924: In 1924 the company switched from the batch method of making plate glass to the ribbon method. In 1924 PPG produced its first auto lacquer, which the company marketed in only a limited number of conservative colors. In 1924 PPG produced its first auto lacquer- which the company marketed in only a limited number of conservative colors. In 1924 PPG produced its first auto lacquer which the company marketed in only a limited number of conservative colors.

1928: In 1928 the Creighton Process was developed. In 1928 PPG first mass-produced sheet glass, using the Pittsburgh Process, which improved quality and sped production.

1934: In 1934 PPG introduced Solex heat-absorbing glass. Also in 1934, it perfected a glass-bending technique that made the production of car windshields easier.

1938: In 1938 PPG introduced Herculite tempered glass.

1940: Diversification paid off again for PPG during World War II. In 1940, the year before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, the glass division had developed Flexseal laminated aircraft glass.

1947: The other major player in the coating industry, RPM International (RPM), was founded in 1947.

1951: In 1951 the company created the first latex-based interior paint and three years later brought a latex exterior house paint to the market.

1963: In 1963 PPG became the first United States company to manufacture float glass, used in place of plate glass by architects. In 1963 PPG introduced Herculite K, glass three to five times more shatter resistant than ordinary window glass.

1969: In 1969 the chemicals group won the Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award for developing a process for the simultaneous production of perchloroethylene, widely used in dry-cleaning, and trichloroethylene, a degreaser.

1973: In 1973 the last plate glass production line was phased out and was replaced by the float glass production method. Also in 1973, Wallhide Microflo consumer paints were introduced.

1975: PPG was the first major corporation to develop a flat-plate solar collector, a unit first marketed in 1975. In 1975 PPG continued to broaden its color line by introducing a new custom-tinting system for consumer paints called the DesignaColor System. In 1975 PPG established a fifth division, plastic fabricating, and closed several outmoded plants.

1987: In 1987, PPG's chlor-alkali business makes a splash when it introduces the SUSTAIN® Pool Care System, delivering chlorine more evenly and accurately for easier pool care.

1989: In 1989, PPG begins a flurry of acquisitions that expand the company's offering of automotive, industrial, aerospace and packaging coatings around the world.

1990: Sheeline, William E. "Managing a Clan Worth $1 Billion." Fortune, June 4, 1990. In 1990 the company acquired its partners' interests (the two-thirds not already owned by PPG) in Silenka B.V., a Dutch fiber glass producer, bolstering its already strong position in the European fiber glass market.

1993: In September 1993 PPG’s board surprised many when, for the first time in company history, it appointed an outsider, Jerry E. Dempsey, as chairman and CEO, to replace the retiring Sarni.

1997: Dempsey retired in late 1997, with PPG on the upswing and his having overseen an orderly leadership succession.

1998: LeBoeuf's targets proved too ambitious as PPG's late 1990s performance was undermined by the economic crises that hit certain Asian markets and Brazil and by the start of a deflationary trend in the manufacturing sectors of Europe and the United States. Thus, in 1998, PPG sold its European flat and automotive glass businesses to the Belgium firm Glaverbel S.A. for $266 million, while acquiring Courtaulds plc's packaging coatings and United States architectural coatings businesses in a deal valued at approximately $285 million.

1999: 1999 Two major acquisitions are completed: PRC-DeSoto International, Inc. and the bulk of Imperial Chemical Industries plc's automotive refinishing and industrial coatings businesses.

2006: In April 2006 PPG beefed up its optical products side, another key area for growth, by acquiring Parma, Italy-based Intercast Europe, S.p.A., the world's leading maker of nonprescription hard-resin sunglass lenses.

2015: In 2015, its coatings segment posted $14.2 billion of the company’s overall revenue of $15.3 billion.

2016: In March 2016, Sherwin-Williams announced that it would be acquiring Valspar for $11.3 billion.

2017: The merger is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2017.

2021: "Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company ." Gale Encyclopedia of United States Economic History. . Retrieved April 16, 2021 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/pittsburgh-plate-glass-company

2022: "PPG Industries, Inc. ." International Directory of Company Histories. . Encyclopedia.com. (June 21, 2022). https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/ppg-industries-inc-0

To meet future needs. Work safely, protect the environment and support the communities where we operate.

Our vision is to be the world’s leading coatings company by consistently delivering high-quality, innovative and sustainable solutions that customers trust to protect and beautify their products and surroundings. This vision will guide us on our journey toward our common goals and principles. To achieve this vision, we must: Act with integrity at all times and be true to our values and ethics. Deliver consistent sales and earnings growth. Develop innovative products to meet future needs. Work safely, protect the environment and support the communities where we operate. Achieve superior shareholder returns.