PPG has announced the acquisition of land in Tianjin, China, where it plans to build a new, state-of-the-art paint and coatings research and development (R&D) center. Plans for the facility, which will be located in the Tianjin Economical and Technological Development Area (TEDA) and is scheduled to be completed in 2021, are currently being finalized.

The new facility will be part of the company’s efforts to continue to strengthen its R&D footprint to better serve customers in China, across the Asia-Pacific region and globally, and will service all of PPG’s strategic business units.

“PPG continues to enhance its research and development capabilities to ensure consistent, ongoing innovation and service to customers,” said David Bem, PPG vice president, science and technology, and chief technology officer. “The new Tianjin R&D center will best position the company to leverage scale, promote collaboration and continue enhancing our capabilities.”