Computer Aided Manufacturing Becomes ``Indispensable'' to New PPG Product Line.

Business Editors

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 1, 2001

PPG Industries' (NYSE:PPG) general industrial coatings group will extend the use of computer aided manufacturing (CAM) to SPECTRACRON liquid coatings -- a product line designed to meet the needs of a variety of end-use markets, including heavy equipment and automotive parts and accessories.

SPECTRACRON coatings will be manufactured by a new automated manufacturing cell that will become operational next year at PPG's Oak Creek, Wisc. coatings plant. The company believes that this "supercell" will be the largest of its type in the world.

Rich Alexander, global general manager of PPG general industrial coatings stated, "From a customer perspective, CAM offers a tremendous range of benefits, including dramatically improved product consistency, reduction in order item lead times to as little as three days, drastic reduction of inventories, and elimination of waste stemming from over-ordering. The net result for the customer is `faster and better'."

Michel Ludlow, PPG vice president of industrial coatings, emphasized that, "Our investment in CAM is significant, but is necessary to deliver higher quality products, eliminate waste, and increase service levels to our customers. Our customers have enthusiastically welcomed the CAM manufacturing process since we first implemented it four years ago as part of our lean manufacturing initiative. Last year, we produced over 18,000 batches of industrial coatings on 18 automated production cells worldwide."

PPG Industries is the world's leading producer of transportation coatings and a major global supplier of industrial and packaging coatings, flat and fabricated glass, continuous-strand fiber glass and chemicals. It is also a leading North American supplier of architectural paints. Sales exceeded US $8.6 billion last year.

Internet: www.industrial-coatings.com