Axalta Coating Systems is celebrating 40 years of manufacturing in Australia as it also cracks 150 years in operation.
The company still operates out of its Riverstone plant in Sydney's north-west which launched as a local paint company, Regal Paints in 1976. Since then the plant has seen several owners and, consequently, many changes over the years.
Regal paints started out producing and selling paint thinners. Over the years it expanded its refinish line and started manufacturing paint products under the license from Ault & Wyborg. Ault & Wyborg was then acquired by Herberts and Regal Paints was acquired by Croda Paints in the UK in 1991.
This led to the next phase for the Riverstone site, the joint 50/50 venture that brought together both Croda Paints UK and Herberts in 1993. This venture proved vital, giving both companies the opportunity to not only manufacture in Australia but also establish themselves as dominant players in the market with their two brands Standox and Spies Hecker (at that time were only imported into Australia). This led to the upgrade of the plant, labs and testing facilities in order to conform to European standards.
In 1999 DuPont purchased Herberts and in 2001 acquired the remaining balance of the joint venture with Croda Paints UK, forming DuPont Performance Coatings – the largest automotive coatings company in the world. DuPont also created a new brand called DuPont Refinish, now known as Cromax.
DuPont Performance Coatings was purchased by the Carlyle Group in 2013. The newly formed independent global coatings company was then renamed Axalta Coating Systems. A new chapter in the company’s history began, providing greater opportunities for the Riverstone site to be aligned with the latest advancements in coatings technology and equipment.
The business and its Australian plant now operates three major brands; Standox, Spies Hecker and Chromax.
The site now produces around 75 per cent of the company's refinish paint sold throughout Australia and New Zealand. Products span primers, thinners, hardeners, clears and selected colours.
Axalta recently expanded to the defence industry sector where it now supplies camouflage paint to around 2,500 Australian military vehicles.