Axalta Coating Systems, a leading global provider of liquid and powder coatings to automotive, transportation, general industrial, and architectural and decorative customers, has sold its 30,000th spectrophotometer in the last decade to a customer in Europe, reaching a significant milestone since the hand-held digital colour-measuring device was first introduced in October 2004.
According to the news release on Business Wire, the spectrophotometers’ accurate colour measurement provides refinishers with the opportunity to achieve the perfect colour match quickly, reliably and efficiently by speeding up the repair process and reducing the risk of costly re-work due to a poor colour match.
The sale was marked in a ceremony with manufacturer BYK-Gardner at the Axalta European headquarters in Cologne, Germany.
“Putting our customers first enabled us to understand the role this technology could play to make their jobs easier. That insight enabled Axalta to become a global colour leader. We were the first company in the industry to offer this type of colour-matching capability so widely. The fact that Axalta has sold 30,000 digital spectrophotometers highlights the importance refinishers attach to accurate and fast colour matching,” Sascha Bodtke, Colour Marketing Manager for Axalta’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region, said during the ceremony.
The spectrophotometer is sold by each of Axalta’s three premier global refinish brands– CromaxTM, Spies HeckerTM and StandoxTM – and branded as ChromaVisionTM and ChromaVision Pro from Cromax, GeniusTM II and Genius iQ from Standox, and ColorDialogTM spectro and ColorDialog Delta-Scan from Spies Hecker.
The spectrophotometer is placed on the vehicle near the damaged area, where it takes colour readings from three patented angles. Once the device is connected to a computer, colour software uses these readings to find the best matching colour formula. If the colour to be matched is different to the standard formula, the colour matching software automatically adjusts the formula to provide refinishers with the closest possible match.
“We are proud to be able to support the three global refinish brands of Axalta Coating Systems with spectrophotometers that represent state-of-the-art refinish colour-matching. In addition to other features, a camera has been integrated into the instruments, which allows the analysis of effect pigments, resulting in a significantly improved matching of colour and appearance. These really are cutting-edge instruments designed for easy use,” Dr Georg Schroeder, President of BYK-Gardner GmbH, said.
