LKQ Corporation (Nasdaq: LKQ) announced that a new collective bargaining agreement has been agreed with the trade union Verdi. The agreement covers approximately 5,000 employees of LKQ Europe in Germany, including 730 colleagues at LKQ’s Sulzbach-Rosenberg distribution center. The collective bargaining agreement has a two-year duration, which expires on April 30, 2026. The tariff agreement […]
German Court Rules in Favor of Belron Over Access to Data from OBD Port on FCA Vehicles
Belron today is celebrating ruling in the Regional Court of Cologne in favor of its Carglass Germany subsidiary and ATU, Germany’s largest chain of auto repair shops, as victory for a fair and level playing field in the automotive aftermarket. According to the company, the decision from the Regional Court of Cologne in a case […]
PPG Donates Digital Mixing System to Refinish School in Germany
PPG (NYSE:PPG) today announced that it has donated a MoonWalk digital mixing system as well as other tools, technical support and training to the Meisterschule für Fahrzeuglackierer (Master School for Vehicle Painters) at the Handwerkskammer (Chamber of Crafts) Regensburg, a school for master students in the automotive painting trade. “This donation marks a milestone in […]
AkzoNobel Completes Lankwitzer Lackfabrik Acquisition
AkzoNobel announced it has completed the previously announced acquisition of the wheel liquid coatings business of Lankwitzer Lackfabrik GmbH, a deal which strengthens the company’s performance coatings portfolio. The acquired business will complement AkzoNobel’s existing powder coatings offering and expand the range of products the company supplies. Operating out of a manufacturing site in Leipzig, […]
IBIS to Premiere at Automechanika Frankfurt 2022
The International Bodyshop Industry Symposium (IBIS), the collision repair industry knowledge platform, will bring an exclusive taste of its high-level conference content to Automechanika Frankfurt on September 13-17. On Tuesday, September 13, IBIS CEO Jason Moseley will host an in-depth debate involving global collision industry leaders and influencers Jim Muse, vice-president of Axalta Refinish EMEA; […]
AkzoNobel Acquires Lankwitzer Lackfabrik’s Aluminum Wheel Liquid Coatings Business
AkzoNobel announced an agreement to acquire the wheel liquid coatings business of Lankwitzer Lackfabrik GmbH. Completion, which is subject to regulatory approvals, and expected before the end of 2022. Lankwitzer’s Rims and Wheel business operates out of a manufacturing site in Leipzig, Germany. Its products are approved for use by car manufacturers such as Daimler, […]
Sherwin-Williams Acquires German Coatings Company
The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) announced an agreement to acquire Gross & Perthun GmbH, a Mannheim, Germany based developer, manufacturer, and distributor of coatings primarily for the heavy equipment and transportation industries. The acquired business has approximately 100 employees and annual sales of approximately $50 million, and will become part of the Sherwin-Williams Performance Coatings Group […]
BASF Opens New Refinish Laboratory Building in Germany
BASF opened a new laboratory building for the development of automotive refinish coatings and innovations beyond paint at its site in Münster, Germany. It underlines the Coatings division’s global position as a future-oriented and innovative company. “It is another component of our positioning as a global innovation center of BASF Coatings. We are thus complementing […]
Verisk and Ford Partner on Connected Car Data for Auto Insurance in Europe
The agreement gives Verisk license to supply connected car data to insurers in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Verisk (NASDAQ:VRSK), a global data analytics provider, announced an agreement with Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F). As part of the agreement, Verisk can offer standardized, insurance-ready telematics data from connected Ford vehicles in Europe to assist […]
Sherwin-Williams to Acquire European Industrial Coatings Business of Sika
The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) announced it has signed an agreement to acquire the European industrial coatings business of Sika AG. The transaction is expected to close in the beginning of 2022. Based in Germany with additional sales and technical support in Poland, Austria and Switzerland, Sika’s European industrial coating business engineers, manufactures and sells corrosion […]