US congregation PPG Industries has earned a fifth PACE Award in six years for its collaboration with General Motors on development of an environmentally friendly, color-specific powder primer.

The annual PACE Award competition honors product innovation and management excellence among automotive suppliers worldwide.

GM and PPG launched the joint development effort five years ago to replace liquid-solvent primers with an environmentally friendly, cost-effective product. The color-specific powder primer had been used on the 2005 Chevrolet Cobalt at the GM assembly plant in the United States.

Pittsburgh-based PPG is the world's leading manufacturer of transportation coatings and a global supplier of industrial and packaging coatings, as well as a leading producer of architectural coatings, primarily in North America.

(China.org.cn April 17, 2006)