Axalta Coating Systems Wins Contract for Restoration of Panama Canal

Axalta Coating Systems, a global supplier of liquid and powder coatings, has won a four-year contract to supply industrial coatings and architectural building paint which will be used to restore and sustain different buildings and the locks of the Panama Canal.

”The Panama Canal is one of the most important engineering works in history, an iconic engineering achievement,” explained Alfredo Villalobos, Latin America Industrial Coatings Director. “The canal will now be restored with some of the most advanced industrial coating products in the world, applications that will extend the productive lifespan of the Canal Zone as a key asset in international trade.”

Several different Axalta coating products, each formulated to meet the needs of different materials, will be used to reinvigorate the largest canal in the world and meet the needs of the many different structures in the Canal Zone that will be repainted during the restoration project. Axalta’s Renzel™ and Galvox™ architectural paints will be used to bring life to interior and exterior building walls and trim. Floors will be protected with Axalta’s Corlar® and Imron® Industrial coating products. Interior and exterior galvanized and other metal surfaces, including the actual canal locks themselves, will be coated with Ganicin®, Speedtec™ and Galvox™, which are especially designed to reduce application time by their ability to be directly applied to metal and for use on long-lasting, heavy-duty substrates, such as marine surfaces constantly exposed to water.

“These products, applied to surfaces constantly exposed to water, abrasion and strong Panamanian winds, will ensure superior, long lasting protection against corrosion and material wear on the structures,” said Axalta’s Ruben Gallardo, Axalta’s Central America General Manager.

The Panama Canal, which has moved over a million ships throughout its history and is crossed by over 14,000 vessels per year from the mighty locks of the Miraflores to the historic gates of the Gatun, will now be protected by the best in coating engineering from Axalta Coating Systems.