"This decision was the right thing to do," said Todd McCallum, fixed operations director for LaFontaine. "We're very conscious of the need to safeguard our environment. We're going for gold-level LEED certification and doing all we can to be genuinely green. We're very pleased to be working with PPG to make this change."
Automotive collision centers in California and Canada are making the transition to using waterborne basecoats in anticipation of new air quality regulations requiring the use of waterborne basecoat to reduce VOC atmospheric emissions and improve air quality. To date, Michigan has no plans for more stringent VOC regulations—LaFontaine is making the change on its own initiative.
The company operates a new, $15 million flagship collision facility in Highland and another collision center in Dexter, MI. The switch to waterborne coatings at both locations coincides with the grand opening of the Highland center, which features General Motors vehicles and opened June 2.
Once deciding to convert to a waterborne system, settling on PPG as the refinish partner was not difficult according to McCallum. "They made it easy for us," he said. "We did our due diligence and brought in all the paint companies, but the overall commitment from PPG, as well as their distributor, Painters Supply & Equipment Company, and the excellence of the product sealed the deal.
"Aside from all the environmental benefits of waterborne paint, the production aspects were critical," McCallum continued. "We wouldn't compromise on quality, and the Envirobase High Performance system proved outstanding for ease of application and color matching. PPG also gave our paint technicians complete training and support. And PPG will be there with us when we open our new center. General Motors is so impressed, they're benchmarking this store."
"The green commitment LaFontaine is making is impressive," said Elson Dolliver, PPG business development manager. "They've got our support and products to help them succeed. Their vision puts them on the cutting edge."
The enthusiasm about going green extends to LaFontaine's paint supplier as well. "We're very pleased to be partnering with PPG and the LaFontaine Automotive Group," said Patrick Mayette, director of sales and marketing for Painters Supply & Equipment Company. "Delivering environmentally-friendly green technology to support LaFontaine's LEED certification efforts is rewarding and exciting."