PPG is to increase manufacturing output to meet what it said was a rising demand for its commercial aerospace aftermarket products.

The company expects to increase employment levels at its Huntsville, Alabama, and Sylmar, California, manufacturing facilities by up to 20 per cent to fulfil higher demand from new and existing customers.

“We’ve benefited from year-over-year improvements in the market,” said PPG’s global vice president, aerospace Dan Korte. “As travelers continue returning to the skies, we are focused on meeting the immediate and longer-term needs of our customers.”

PPG said it would also invest in increased factory automation to enhance delivery times for aerospace coatings and sealants. For example, the company’s Shildon, UK, aerospace plant is commissioning an automatic ‘SEMKIT’ filling machine to increase production of these ready-to-use cartridge-based systems that store, mix and ease application of aerospace sealants.

“With increased employment at our major US manufacturing plants, we can boost our supply throughout our global network of 16 aerospace application support centers (ASC),” said Korte. “By further automating our processes at these ASCs, we can quickly ship products directly to our local customers and do our part to help the aviation industry thrive once again.”

PPG recently announced that it would invest $17 million to build an ASC in Toulouse, France. Operations are anticipated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2023.