Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings leverages eco-innovations to kick-start Asia Pacific development in China

SHANGHAI,March 15,2021 -- Sherwin-Williams,a global industry leader in the development of technologically advanced paint and coatings for some 155 years,today rolled out its latest Asia Pacific marketing strategy for industrial wood coatings business. The ambitious plan highlights a series of eco-friendly innovations that provide consumers with green and gracious living experience.

As its first endeavors for Asia Pacific in 2021,Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings announced two major eco-innovation initiatives in China: First,an Odor Evaluation Center which is the first of its kind in both Sherwin-Williams as well as the industry; Second,a brand-new Low Odor Series that consists of eight wood coatings products.

"Environmental safety and customer health have always been our top priorities. These considerations are even more important to our industrial wood coatings as they are being applied to a variety of household products. Nowadays,consumers are mindful of preserving healthy living because of the prolonged pandemic. Therefore,our commitment in putting eco-innovation into action resonates well with market climate as well as consumers' expectations in this region," said Henry Wu,Asia Vice President & General Manager,Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings.

Henry Wu,Asia Vice President & General Manager of Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings

Industry's First Odor Evaluation Center

In mid-March,Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings launched an Odor Evaluation Center which is located in its Sherwin-Williams South China Technology Center (SCTC) in Shunde of Guangdong Province,China. This is the first of its kind for both the Company and the industry.

Sherwin-Williams Odor Evaluation Center

Equipped with the state-of-the-art equipment and a team of consummate experts,this center focuses on the evaluation,testing and analysis of the odor of paints. It consists of five functional departments such as a sensory area,laboratory and information processing center. Its team of 18 professionals (including four PhDs of related disciplines) could quickly produce evaluation report on the odor of a paint product in a scientific and holistic fashion.

According to research studies,it takes only 0.2 seconds for human beings to generate perception based on smelling of an odor. More than 66% of consumers determine whether a piece of furniture is eco-friendly solely by its odor. The significance of this center is to help Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings improve the extrinsic attributes of coating products' eco-friendliness,making them "to be smelled" by potential customers. Ultimately this could help manufacturers sell more products and bring more gracious experiences to end users,creating an "all win" scenario.

Low Odor Series Poised to be Trendsetter

Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings also launched its highly anticipated Low Odor Series,which could be regarded as a testament of the remarkable achievements of its Huarun Paint brand for the past three decades.

Low Odor Pro Series

The Low Odor Pro Series boosts a Grade One rating for its odor (dry film) and are certified by the China Environmental Labelling Program (CELP). Pioneering a "double insurance" design for comprehensive environmental protection,this series offers eight product lines in either white or transparent color that could meet the needs of different wood coatings applications. Having passed the rigorous test of the Odor Evaluation Center,the Low Odor Series is a showpiece of the R&D strength of Sherwin-Williams. Its cutting-edge products are designed to bring a refreshing and healthy lifestyle to end-users.

The Evaluation Center and Low Odor Series are two significant and complementary initiatives of Sherwin-Williams green endeavors. They convey a clear and loud message to consumers: wood products with eco-friendly coatings that have passed rigorous odor evaluation are now at their fingertips.

Wu announced these two new initiatives at the 30th anniversary celebration of Huarun brand. "Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings has a winning formula - Global solutions,locally delivered. As an integral part of our Industrial Wood Coatings family,Huarun has put this motto into practice with remarkable success in the past three decades. As we are now firing on all cylinders to drive success with eco-innovation,Huarun would make even more contributions in this process," he said.

Sherwin-William Industrial Wood Coatings is going to participate in the 36th Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition that will take place from March 17 to 21. At its pavilion,Sherwin-Williams will exhibit the Low Odor series plus its other eco-friendly offerings. It will also announce the study results of new color trends of paint and coatings. The Odor Evaluation Center will also set up a dedicated odor sensory corner there.

About Sherwin-Williams

Founded by Henry Sherwin and Edward Williams in 1866,today The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE: SHW) is a global leader in the development,distribution,and sale of paint,coatings and related products. We have more than 60,000 employees and businesses in over 120 countries,serving professional,industrial,commercial and retail customers.

Entering Asia in 1930 and regionally headquartered in Shanghai,The Sherwin-Williams Company today runs businesses in most of the Asian countries,employing over 3,500 employees and operating 10 production sites across the region. In Asia,we supply coating solutions with famous brands such as Sherwin-Williams®,Valspar®,Huarun Paint,Aquaspar®,Valde®,AWXP®,Ultra7000®,Fluropon®,WeatherXL™ and many more for the construction,consumer,packaging and transportation markets,etc.

About Sherwin-Williams Industrial Wood Coatings

The Industrial Wood Coatings division of Sherwin-Williams is committed to providing excellent,individually tailored services to our customers. We are a leader in product finishes,with our products marketed under such well-known brands as Sherwin-Williams®,Sayerlack® and Inchem™. With both products and support,we are focused on providing manufacturers with complete and customized finishing solutions. Our customers include a full range of industrial wood finishing segments,including wood furniture,windows,cabinetry,millwork,flooring and other specialty applications.