YAROSLAVL, Russia, - DuPont Russian Coatings LLC has opened a technical center in Russia dedicated to the development of high-performance automotive coatings. The $3 million facility is located at the Yaroslavl headquarters of DuPont Russian Coatings, a joint venture established in 2006 by DuPont and Russkie-Kraski to supply coatings to manufacturers of automobiles and commercial vehicles in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
 
The new research and development center’s primary focus is adapting the technical properties of new coatings materials to the line conditions at new car manufacturers’ plants and at the operations of plastic parts makers. Because of the lab’s close proximity, the 15 DuPont Russian Coatings scientists staffing the new center will be better able to anticipate and respond to the needs of the fast-growing Russian auto industry.
 
“This technical center is a dramatic example of our drive to ‘go where the growth is’ by offering world-class technology to our customers anywhere in the world,” said BC Chong, Vice President and General Manager of DuPont OEM Automotive Coatings. “Russian automakers can now enjoy the cost advantages of using locally produced coatings systems that are fine-tuned to real-world manufacturing conditions.”