PPG is closing its electrocoating plant in Greenville, South Carolina, and eliminating 113 jobs at the facility.
PPG Coatings Services, a subsidiary of the global paint manufacturer, will shut its MetoKote plant, which opened in 2013 to accommodate automotive and large truck exterior body panels.
“The plant offers electrocoat services and is regarded as an industry leader in applying Class A exterior coatings on aluminum and galvanized substrates for domestic and overseas markets,” PPG’s website says. “The facility also offers hem-sealing and service packaging.”
The plant will close on June 1; the company notified state officials on April 1.
A PPG spokesperson told the Post and Courier local newspaper that the company is closing the plant “to right-size its coatings services operations, enabling the company to focus on meeting the needs of our current customers.” It added that PPG “continually evaluates its operating footprint to meet our customers’ evolving needs.”
The Crown Group, which became MetoKote, opened the Greenville plant in 2013. PPG aqcuired MetoKote in 2016. At the time, MetoKote was headquartered in Lima, Ohio, and had more than 1,500 employees at 26 regional service centers throughout North America and Europe.
In 2019, PPG announced a $10 million investment in a new 82,000-square-foot facility and class-A paint line in Greenville. The company said the facility was “designed to accommodate the increased demand for class A coatings application and value-added services for the automotive and large truck markets.”
