AGILON performance silica by PPG to provide product development platform
PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 2016--
PPG (NYSE: PPG) announced today that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
is providing funding to support a $1.25 million collaborative project
with Bridgestone Americas, Inc., (Bridgestone). This project focuses on
improving the fuel efficiency of truck and bus radial tires using PPG’s
AGILON® performance silica platform. The goal of the project is to
deliver prototype tires to DOE that help trucks and buses achieve
fuel-efficiency improvements of 4 to 6 percent while maintaining or
improving tear strength and tread wear. Research and development work
for the project will be completed at PPG’s Monroeville, Pennsylvania,
facility.
Anup Jain, PPG vice president, specialty coatings and materials, said
PPG’s collaboration with Bridgestone has the potential to significantly
change the truck tire industry. “We are excited to partner with
Bridgestone on this important project,” he said. “The DOE funding
validates what our preliminary research already has shown – that Agilon
performance silica has significant potential as a next-generation filler
to help increase truck tire fuel efficiency.”
Improving the fuel efficiency of trucks and buses would provide
significant economic and environmental benefits. According to DOE
reports, heavy-duty vehicles comprise only 4 percent of all vehicles on
U.S. roads but consume approximately 20 percent of all fuel. PPG
estimates that if even 25 percent of all tractor-trailers on the road
improved fuel efficiency by 4 percent, they would consume 750 million
fewer gallons of diesel fuel annually, saving nearly $2 billion and
reducing carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions by nearly 8 million metric tons.
According to Kurt Danielson, president, Bridgestone Commercial Group,
Bridgestone has a long-standing commitment to environmental
sustainability. The company’s environmental mission is “to help ensure a
healthy environment for current and future generations,” and as the
world’s largest tire and rubber company, Danielson said Bridgestone
believes it has a corporate responsibility to produce sustainable
products in the most sustainable way. Using 2005 data as a baseline, the
company’s midterm target is to achieve a 35 percent reduction in CO2
emissions by 2020.
“Our partnership with PPG was created for our customers,” Danielson
said. “We are constantly working to deliver innovative solutions that
not only align with our company’s environmental mission but will also
carry cost saving benefits for our truck and bus radial tire customers.”
Jain added that Agilon performance silica is part of PPG’s global
commitment to helping the transportation industry and its suppliers
manufacture more sustainable products. “From coatings that contribute to
lighter, more fuel-efficient and more corrosion-resistant vehicles, to
paint systems that enable automakers to conserve water, we are dedicated
to developing products such as Agilon performance silica that
help protect the planet and help customers such as Bridgestone meet the
safety, performance and value demands of car and truck owners around the
world.”
Agilon performance silica is a high-value technology platform of
chemically modified precipitated silica that can improve the performance
of rubber products in which it is used. Testing indicates that the
chemical modifications used to produce Agilon performance silica
make the silica more compatible with the natural rubber typically used
in truck and bus radial tire applications. This will allow the silica to
better mix with the rubber, enabling better tire performance than is
possible with conventional silicas.
PPG pioneered synthetic precipitated silica products, becoming one of
the first manufacturers to bring them to the marketplace in the 1930s.
Today, PPG’s silica products group is a global technology leader in the
manufacture of precipitated silica products for use as reinforcing
fillers in tire, industrial, footwear and silicone rubber applications;
as microporous fillers in battery-separator applications; as flatting
and thickening agents in coatings, adhesives and sealants; and as
anti-caking, free-flow and carrier agents in food, feed and industrial
applications. As part of PPG’s specialty coatings and materials
business, the silica products group serves customers through a global
network of manufacturing, research and technical-support facilities. For
more information about PPG silica products, visit www.ppgsilica.com.
About Bridgestone Americas, Inc.
Nashville, Tennessee-based Bridgestone
Americas, Inc., (BSAM) is the U.S. subsidiary of Bridgestone
Corporation, the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BSAM and its
subsidiaries develop, manufacture and market a wide range of
Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires to address the needs of
a broad range of customers, including consumers, automotive and
commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers, and those in the
agricultural, forestry and mining industries. The companies are also
engaged in retreading operations throughout the Western Hemisphere and
produce air springs, roofing materials, and industrial fibers and
textiles. The BSAM family of companies also operates the world’s largest
chain of automotive tire and service centers. Guided by its One Team,
One Planet message, the company is dedicated to achieving a positive
environmental impact in all of the communities it calls home.
PPG: BRINGING INNOVATION TO THE SURFACE.™
PPG’s 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. Through leadership in innovation, sustainability and
color, PPG provides added value to customers in construction, consumer
products, industrial and transportation 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 more
than 70 countries around the world. Reported net sales in 2015 were
$15.3 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.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this news release relating to matters that are not
historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of
the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 reflecting PPG
Industries’ current view with respect to future events or objectives and
financial or operational performance or results. The forward-looking
statements contained herein include statements relating to the success
of the project in meeting its goals and the projected fuel-efficiency
improvements. Actual events may differ materially from current
expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties,
including the timing of the completion of the expansion; the ability of
PPG Industries to achieve the expected benefits of the expansion; and
the other risks and uncertainties discussed in PPG Industries’ periodic
reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, and its current reports on Form 8-K
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date of their initial issuance, and PPG
Industries does not undertake any obligation to update or revise
publicly any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
Bringing innovation to the surface is a trademark and Agilon
is registered trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160209006189/en/
Source: PPG
PPG
Brande Juart
Specialty Coatings and Materials
724-352-5203
juart@ppg.com