In 1989, PPG begins a flurry of acquisitions that expand the company's offering of automotive, industrial, aerospace and packaging coatings around the world.In 1987, PPG's chlor-alkali business makes a splash when it introduces the SUSTAIN® Pool Care System, delivering chlorine more evenly and accurately for easier pool care.Its durability makes it ideal for passports, photo IDs, maps, menus and much more. PPG introduces TESLIN® substrate, a synthetic printing material that resists water, abrasion, extreme temperatures and UV damage.PPG expands its groovy color palette by introducing the DesignaColor System for custom-tinting consumer paints.PPG is the first major corporation to develop a flat-plate solar collector.
The oil embargo and rising costs of gas and electricity revive interests in solar energy.As a bonus, the company reaches $1 billion in sales.A result of its diversification, growth and increasingly global presence, the company changed its name to PPG Industries in 1968. Reflecting its diversification, Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company changes its name to PPG Industries.At the same time, the historic plate process for making flat glass is becoming obsolete with the adoption of the much more efficient float process. A number of foreign production operations and strategic planning moves the company toward a global focus. Cars get a new lease on life as PPG revolutionizes the auto industry with the commercialization of the electrodeposition coating process, virtually eliminating rust (photo right.).In 1952, PPG established its fiber glass business, recognizing the potential of another type of glass product. The company introduces lead-free house paints and begins to manufacture fiber glass for circuit boards, window screening and plastics reinforcement. Post-WWII prosperity leads to increased car production and home and building construction. The company has a vision for its future as it patents CR-39 monomer and begins a journey into creating a successful line of optical products (which will later include Transitions lenses).This material still is used widely in prescription lenses, along with the company’s array of other lens materials. In the early 1940s, PPG entered the optical products business with the introduction of CR-39® optical monomer. During WWII, the company converts much of its production into materials for military use and begins to develop synthetic resins that lead to plastics, high-performance paints and industrial coatings. The year before Pearl Harbor is attacked, PPG develops laminated aircraft glass. PPG shows its muscle and introduces Herculite tempered glass, several times stronger and more shatter-resistant than ordinary plate glass.PPG introduces SOLEX® heat-absorbing glass.PPG acquires Ditzler Color Company and begins producing more than 500 "harmonious hues" for 40 automakers.