PPG plans aerospace coatings and sealants facility in Shelby

PPG plans a $380 million Shelby plant for aerospace coatings and sealants, with manufacturing, warehousing and completion targeted for the first half of 2027.

PPG plans to invest $380 million in an aerospace coatings and sealants manufacturing facility in Shelby, North Carolina. The planned operation will combine manufacturing and warehousing on a 62-acre site and supply the company’s aerospace product range.

Construction is scheduled to begin in October 2025, with completion expected in the first half of 2027. The 198,000-square-foot facility is intended to employ more than 110 people. These are the company’s announced development targets; the new factory has not been described as an operating plant at the publication date.

Production and distribution in one location

The Shelby location is close to Interstate 85 and to Charlotte Douglas and Greenville-Spartanburg International Airports. PPG expects these transport connections, together with the additional production capacity, to improve shipping logistics and customer service. Manufacturing and warehousing will initially form the two principal functions of the new operation.

The company plans to install advanced manufacturing technologies and practices aimed at reducing the facility’s environmental impact while maintaining product quality and safety. PPG has not supplied a numerical emissions-reduction target for this announcement. Its development timetable and expected operational benefits remain forward-looking commitments subject to project completion and the realisation of the planned improvements.

Coated panels and samples on a laboratory bench — Aerospace coating samples

Aerospace manufacturing expansion

Chairman and chief executive officer Tim Knavish linked the investment to demand growth for PPG’s aerospace technologies and the modernisation of its facilities. Sam Millikin, vice president for global aerospace, described the new location as an expansion of the company’s aerospace manufacturing footprint. Both executives presented the project as part of the company’s response to customer requirements, rather than a disclosure of achieved production from Shelby.

PPG develops paints, coatings and specialty materials for construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and their aftermarkets. The company is headquartered in Pittsburgh, operates in more than 70 countries and reported net sales of $15.8 billion for 2024. Information about the aerospace portfolio is available through https://www.ppg.com/aerospace.