PPG donates digital refinish tools to 15 vocational schools across Europe

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PPG donates digital refinish tools to 15 vocational schools across Europe

2024-12-17 22:03 Last Updated At：22:10

ROLLE, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 17, 2024--

PPG (NYSE: PPG) today announced that it has donated the PPG LINQ™ digital automotive refinish ecosystem to 15 vocational schools in over 10 countries during the last 15 months. This effort is part of the company’s $2 million commitment through 2025 to invest in workforce development initiatives aimed at addressing the skills shortage and attracting young talent to trade careers, including the automotive refinish industry.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241217151820/en/

“We understand the transformative power of innovation and digitalization in education,” said Jérôme Zamblera, PPG vice president, EMEA, Automotive Refinish. “The PPG LINQ ecosystem represents our vision for modernizing the car refinishing industry and inspiring young talent to build careers in this dynamic field. Our investments in schools, including further initiatives planned for next year, reflect our commitment to preparing the next generation for the exciting opportunities in the automotive sector.”

The donations enable more than 1,500 students to gain hands-on experience with digital tools, preparing them for modern automotive refinishing careers and tackling the industry's growing skilled labor gap. They will help to address challenges outlined in the European Commission’s report on vocational education and training (VET) 1, such as limited access to modern equipment, funding constraints and gaps in work-based learning.

The PPG LINQ ecosystem connects, automates, and digitizes the entire refinish process. It enables painters to modernize the repair processes using its interconnected digital hardware, software, and innovative services. Tools include the PPG MOONWALK® paint mixing system; PPG DIGIMATCH™ multi-angle color camera; PPG VISUALIZID™ 3D rendering software and PPG LINQ Color digital color identification software.

“We are proud to partner with PPG to bring advanced technology and expertise to our educational program,” said Daniel Krarup Jørgensen, automotive education manager at College360, a vocational school in Silkeborg, Denmark. “This partnership will give our students a unique opportunity to work with some of the most innovative tools on the market. We hope this will motivate more young people to choose a career in automotive refinishing and thereby mitigate the shortage of qualified professionals in the industry.”

To learn more about the PPG LINQ system, visit https://ppglinq.com/.

PPG’s global community engagement efforts and the PPG Foundation aim to bring color and brightness to PPG communities around the world. We invested more than $17.5 million in 2023, supporting hundreds of organizations across nearly 40 countries. By investing in educational opportunities, we help grow tomorrow’s STEM innovators and skilled workforce in fields related to coatings and manufacturing. Plus, we empower PPG employees to multiply their impact for causes that are important to them by supporting their volunteer efforts and charitable giving. Learn more at communities.ppg.com.

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD®

At PPG (NYSE:PPG), we work every day to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and specialty materials that our customers have trusted for more than 140 years. Through dedication and creativity, we solve our customers’ biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, we operate and innovate in more than 70 countries and reported net sales of $18.2 billion in 2023. We serve customers in construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com.

PPG LINQ, DigiMatch, MagicBox and VisualizID are trademarks and MoonWalk, the PPG Logo and We protect and beautify the world are registered trademarks and of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.

1 "The future of vocational education and training in Europe": https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications/5590

CATEGORY Automotive Refinish

CATEGORY Community Affairs

The heaviest snowfall in a decade is possible as a wintery blast roils parts of the US

2025-01-06 01:49 Last Updated At：01:51

A blast of snow, ice, wind and plunging temperatures stirred up dangerous travel conditions in parts of the central U.S. on Sunday, as a disruptive winter storm brought the possibility of the “heaviest snowfall in a decade” to some areas.

Snow and ice blanketed major roadways in nearly all of Kansas, western Nebraska and parts of Indiana, where the state's National Guard was activated to help any motorists who were stuck. At least 8 inches of snow were expected, particularly north of Interstate 70, as the National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings for Kansas and Missouri, where blizzard conditions were reported. The warning extended to New Jersey for Monday and into early Tuesday.

“For locations in this region that receive the highest snow totals, it may be the heaviest snowfall in at least a decade,” the weather service said early Sunday.

About 63 million people in the U.S. were under some kind of winter weather advisory, watch or warning on Sunday, according to Bob Oravec with the National Weather Service.

The polar vortex of ultra-cold air usually spins around the North Pole. People in the U.S., Europe and Asia experience its intense cold when the vortex escapes and stretches south.

Studies show a fast-warming Arctic is partly to blame for the increasing frequency of the polar vortex extending its icy grip.

In Indiana, snow fully covered portions of Interstate 64, Interstate 69 and U.S. Route 41, prompting Indiana State Police to plead with motorists to stay off the roads as plows worked to keep up with the pace of the precipitation.

“It’s snowing so hard, the snow plows go through and then within a half hour the roadways are completely covered again,” Sgt. Todd Ringle said.

Part of I-70 was closed in central Kansas by Saturday afternoon. Roughly 10 inches (25 centimeters) of snow had fallen in parts of the state, with snow and sleet totals predicted to top 14 inches for parts of Kansas and northern Missouri.

Parts of upstate New York saw 3 feet (0.9 meters) or more of snow from a lake effect event expected to last until late Sunday afternoon.

The storm was then forecast to move into the Ohio Valley and reach the Mid-Atlantic states on Sunday and Monday, with a hard freeze expected as far south as Florida.

The National Weather Service warned that travel in numerous states, including Kansas and Missouri, could be “very difficult to impossible.”

Indiana State Police reported a handful of spinouts and crashes Sunday.

A day earlier a fire truck, several tractor-trailers and passenger vehicles overturned west of Salina. Rigs also jackknifed and went into ditches, state Highway Patrol Trooper Ben Gardner said. He posted a video showing his boots sliding across the highway blacktop like he was on ice skates. He begged people to stay off the roads.

Governors in neighboring Missouri and nearby Arkansas declared states of emergency.

The storms also caused havoc for the nation’s railways, leading to cancelations. Amtrak said in a statement that “adjustments have been made with no alternative transportation being offered” for many rail lines.

More than 20 cancelations were predicted on Sunday and more than 40 were planned for Monday.

The cancelations affected many parts of the country, but the Midwest was hit especially hard. A train between Chicago and New York and several regional trains between Chicago and St. Louis were among those canceled Sunday.

Nearly 200 flights in and out of St. Louis Lambert International Airport were canceled, according to tracking platform FlightAware.

Starting Monday, the eastern two-thirds of the country will experience dangerous, bone-chilling cold and wind chills, forecasters said. Temperatures could be 12 to 25 degrees (7 to 14 degrees Celsius) below normal.

In Chicago on Sunday, temperatures hovered in the teens (minus 7 to 10 Celsius) and around zero in Minneapolis, while dropping to 11 below in International Falls, Minnesota, on the Canadian border.

The Northeastern states are more likely to experience several days of cold following what has mostly been a mild start to winter, said Jon Palmer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine. A plume of cold air coming down from Canada is likely to result in a cold but dry week, he said.

The cold air will likely grip the eastern half of the country as far south as Georgia, Palmer said, with parts of the East Coast experiencing freezing temperatures and lows dipping into the single digits in some areas.

Wind might also pick up as the week gets going, making for potentially dangerous conditions for people exposed to the elements for long periods of time, Palmer said.

The National Weather Service predicted 8 to 12 inches (about 20 to 30 centimeters) of snow for the Annapolis, Maryland, area, with temperatures remaining below freezing throughout the weekend.

In a statement on X, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of emergency Friday evening ahead of the storm and encouraged residents to vote before the state's special elections on Tuesday.

Similar declarations were issued in Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland and in central Illinois cities.

“This is the real deal,” meteorologist John Gordon said at a press conference in Louisville, Kentucky. “Are the weather people blowing this out of proportion? No.”

Read more of AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment

Associated Press journalists Julie Walker in New York, Sophia Tareen in Chicago and Summer Ballentine in Columbia, Missouri, contributed. Witte reported from Annapolis, Maryland. Whittle reported from Portland, Maine.