PPG Industries announced today that it has received the necessary approvals from Indian authorities to expand its coatings joint venture and also to create a second joint venture with Asian Paints Ltd. (APL), India's largest coatings company. Financial terms were not disclosed.

PPG and APL will expand their current 50-50 joint venture, Mumbai-based Asian PPG Industries, to now serve India's industrial liquid, marine, consumer packaging and transportation coatings customers. PPG and APL also will form a second 50-50 joint venture, Asian Paints PPG Limited, to serve protective, industrial powder, industrial container and light industrial coatings customers.

"The expansion of PPG's more than 15-year successful relationship with Asian Paints will position both companies for accelerated growth in nondecorative coatings to take advantage of the long-term growth of the Indian economy," said Mike Horton, president, PPG Asia Pacific, and vice president, automotive refinish and architectural coatings, Asia Pacific.

Both joint ventures leverage PPG's global scale, technology and customer relationships with APL's Indian customer base, manufacturing footprint, distribution channels and local relationships, according to Horton.

PPG will have effective management control of Asian PPG Industries, and APL will have effective management control of Asian Paints PPG Limited to best utilize the companies' respective strengths for capturing the growth in Indian markets, including infrastructure development, Horton said.

PPG Industries' vision is to continue to be the world's leading coatings and specialty products company. Through leadership in innovation, sustainability and colour, PPG helps customers in industrial, transportation, consumer products, and construction markets and aftermarkets to enhance more surfaces in more ways than does any other company.

Asian Paints is India's largest paint company and ranked among the top 10 decorative coatings companies in the world with a turnover of Rs 96.32 billion. Asian Paints along with its subsidiaries have operations in 17 countries across the world with 24 paint manufacturing facilities, servicing consumers in 65 countries through Berger International, SCIB Paints - Egypt, Asian Paints, Apco Coatings and Taubmans.