Strategic Divergence Among Coating Giants: Sherwin-Williams Downsizes Manufacturing in Jamaica, While PPG Invests $1.9 Billion to Expand Production in North America

Huizheng Information, August 10: Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation reported that Sherwin-Williams has officially closed its paint manufacturing plant located in White Marl, St. Catherine Parish. Recently, PPG held a groundbreaking ceremony for its automotive coatings expansion project in Delaware City, Ohio. This juxtaposition—one facility closing, another opening—highlights the starkly contrasting strategic directions pursued by these two industry giants. Sherwin-Williams: Caribbean Retreat from Manufacturing to Distribution On July 31, 2026, the White Marl plant completed its final production shift. This facility, which previously manufactured architectural, automotive, and industrial coatings, has formally exited the manufacturing lineup. Sherwin-Williams stated that this decision followed a comprehensive review of its global operations and long-term strategy—and is unrelated to the plant’s performance or employee conduct. Following the shutdown, products formerly made at White Marl—including the “Kem” series—will instead be produced at other Sherwin-Williams facilities and imported into Jamaica via existing supply chains. Sherwin-Williams did not disclose which specific plants will absorb this capacity. The White Marl site will not be fully abandoned: the distribution center there will remain operational, fulfilling warehousing and logistics functions. Sherwin-Williams’ distribution facilities in St. Catherine and Montego Bay will continue operating concurrently, and all 24 company-owned retail stores nationwide will remain open. Decommissioning of production equipment will proceed in phases, expected to conclude by 2027. Regarding personnel, negotiations have commenced with 21 employees: seven were reassigned internally, while 14 departed. After adjustments, Sherwin-Williams continues to employ approximately 180 people in Jamaica, supporting distribution, retail, and management functions. According to Sherwin-Williams’ 2025 annual report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Jamaica previously hosted both a Consumer Brands Group manufacturing facility and a distribution center. This restructuring effectively repositions Jamaica within Sherwin-Williams’ regional strategy—from a dual-function node (“production + distribution”) to a service-oriented node focused on “distribution + retail.” PPG: A $190-Million Expansion at Its 60-Year-Old Delaware Plant In contrast to Sherwin-Williams’ contraction, PPG is doubling down on manufacturing capacity in North America. The PPG Delaware plant first began operations in 1965 and played a pivotal role in establishing the local industrial park; last August, it celebrated its 60th anniversary. This expansion involves a total investment exceeding USD 280 million (approximately RMB 1.9 billion), adding roughly 100,000 square feet of new production space to the existing 400,000-square-foot facility.

Foreign Investment Intensifies in China’s Powder Coatings Market! Global Coating Giants Expand Capacity

The coatings industry is no exception. Qu Coatings (QuTuWang) notes that Sherwin-Williams—the world’s largest coatings company—has once again increased its investment in the Chinese market. Recently, the Jiangsu Provincial Online Platform for Investment Project Approval and Supervision publicly announced the filing of the “Expansion Project for Sherwin-Williams (Nantong) Co., Ltd.’s Annual Production Capacity of 10,000 Tons of Powder Coatings.” According to available information, Sherwin-Williams was founded in 1866, with its global headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. It ranks among the world’s oldest professional coatings companies. Over its more than 150-year history, Sherwin-Williams has grown steadily and evolved into today’s largest global coatings enterprise. As the world’s largest coatings company, Sherwin-Williams maintains an extensive global network spanning manufacturing, research & development, and sales. Its operations cover North America, South America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. Its product portfolio includes architectural coatings, wood finishes, packaging coatings, industrial heavy-duty corrosion protection and protective coatings, automotive coatings, coil coatings, marine coatings, and powder coatings. Its portfolio of renowned brands includes Sherwin-Williams, Valspar, Huarun Paint, BEHR ROMA, and Aquaspar. China—the world’s largest coatings market—holds immense appeal for Sherwin-Williams. The company entered the Asian market in 1930 and, since establishing its Shanghai representative office in 2010, has successfully expanded its business across most provinces and municipalities in mainland China, as well as Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan—covering the entire Greater China market. Currently, Sherwin-Williams operates multiple production bases in mainland China, located in Guangdong, Shanghai, Tianjin, and Nantong. Sherwin-Williams (Nantong) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Sherwin-Williams (Nantong)”) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sherwin-Williams. In July 2018, Sherwin-Williams’ brand-new coatings factory in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, officially commenced operations, representing a total investment of RMB 650 million and an annual high-performance coatings production capacity of 79,000 tons. The facility manufactures diverse products—including waterborne, UV-curable (polyurethane ultraviolet light-cured), and powder coatings—widely applied in automotive, furniture, heavy equipment, and infrastructure sectors. Subsequently, Sherwin-Williams continued ramping up investments in China: it invested approximately RMB 300 million to construct a new facility in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, dedicated to producing 30,000 tons annually of premium waterborne coatings. In 2022, Sherwin-Williams (Nantong) submitted a filing to the Nantong Economic & Technological Development Zone Administrative Examination and Approval Bureau for its technical upgrade project—expanding annual powder coatings capacity by 6,000 tons. As an innovation-driven enterprise, Sherwin-Williams consistently focuses on developing differentiated coating products and application solutions. It has strategically established several advanced technology centers and laboratories across Asia, bringing together technical experts from diverse disciplines to concentrate on innovative product development. These centers continuously broaden industrial applications, deepen energy-saving and emission-reduction initiatives, and sustainably empower high-quality development across the coatings industry.