PITTSBURGH, Jan. 31, 2012 – PPG Industries (NYSE:PPG) is convening 23 of the company’s color experts, representing six color-oriented businesses across three global regions, to share color trend observations and insights for a variety of markets during the company’s annual weeklong workshop in New York City, Jan. 31-Feb. 3.

As part of the meeting, PPG color experts will engage in interactive and dynamic workshops to discuss design trends, consumer preferences and priorities across each market as well as the role global, regional and cultural factors play in influencing customers. Attending color experts will represent varied industries served by PPG including automotive, aerospace, architectural, consumer products, industrial and optical.

“Through this unique workshop, PPG’s global color leaders can leverage expert resources and collaborate to understand color’s impact in each market, providing unmatched education and offerings to our customers,” said Lenna Edgos Cominos, PPG market manager for strategic growth platforms. “By developing a more thorough overview of color’s influence, PPG can help customers use it as a business vehicle to express their individuality or establish competitive advantage.”

The group will focus on the power of color, best practices for color communication tools and how product innovations and technologies impact surface design. The workshop will conclude with each expert contributing to a companywide trend forecast report used to help guide customers’ color-related choices. The perspectives of the participating color experts, most with 10 to 30 years of color planning and styling experience, will enrich the report, which will be released by PPG later this year.

The workshop provides an unmatched opportunity to compare color trends and examine color’s use on a variety of surfaces and textures across markets and regions, allowing attending experts to analyze industry trend overlap and define companywide, global color forecasts for both short- and long-term applications.

“The influence of color is often underestimated,” said Jane E. Harrington, North American manager for automotive color styling. “PPG’s expert color capability results from our unique ability to gather current macrotrends from across industries and regions to create palettes that best suit our customers.”

PPG’s extensive color capabilities are informed by a fact-based approach that involves researching color and how it affects people. From design through application, the company offers unique expertise to help guide customers’ color selections for markets ranging from automotive to consumer electronics. For more information on PPG’s color leadership and expertise, visit www.ppgcolorshare.com.

PPG: BRINGING INNOVATION TO THE SURFACE.(TM)
PPG Industries' vision is to continue to be the world’s leading coatings and specialty products company. Through leadership in innovation, sustainability and color, 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. Founded in 1883, PPG has global headquarters in Pittsburgh and operates in more than 60 countries around the world. Sales in 2011 were $14.9 billion. PPG shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol:PPG). For more information, visit www.ppg.com.