PITTSBURGH -- Somerset Hardwood Floors, Somerset, Ky., announced that PPG will be the exclusive coatings supplier for its new engineered flooring manufacturing facility in Crossville, Tenn.

Paul Stringer, vice president, sales and marketing for Somerset, said PPG coatings were chosen for the new production line because of PPG’s previous history with his firm, as well as PPG’s commitment to sustainability. “We have done business with PPG from ‘Day One’ and they have been a big part of our success,” Stringer said. “Somerset and PPG have a common interest in ‘doing the right thing’ and they have been a very important strategic partner for us during our product development, our growth and the continued success that we enjoy today.”

Somerset’s new Crossville facility, which will produce engineered flooring, already has additional expansion plans, which include the addition of a prefinished line and building expansion. The plant is part of Somerset’s commitment to products made in the United States. Somerset’s newest plant will produce both prefinished and unfinished engineered flooring with a look similar to the existing solid prefinished and unfinished products made in its solid flooring manufacturing facilities. PPG is drafting specifications for the new production line, reviewing drawings and providing other consulting services.

The two companies maintain a marketing arrangement by which Somerset co-brands all of its pre-finished solid and engineered hardwood flooring with SUSTAINABILITY BY PPG WOOD COATINGS™, a logo and tagline that emphasizes the companies’ shared commitment to quality products, sustainability and the health of the environment.

About Somerset Hardwood Flooring

Headquartered in Somerset, Ky., the heart of the Appalachian timberlands, Somerset Hardwood Flooring is a vertically-integrated, major manufacturer of hardwood flooring. With sister companies involved in hardwood lumber, wood fuel pellet production, and sawmill operations, Somerset enjoys synergies that allow for use of all its natural resources in the most efficient and environmentally beneficial way. Somerset, which processes millions of board feet of lumber each year, is a member of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), and a supporter of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and has earned Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) chain-of-custody certification.

PPG: BRINGING INNOVATION TO THE SURFACE.(TM)

PPG Industries' vision is to continue to be the world’s leading coatings and specialty products company. Through leadership in innovation, sustainability and color, PPG helps customers in industrial, transportation, consumer products, and construction markets and aftermarkets to enhance more surfaces in more ways than does any other company. Founded in 1883, PPG has global headquarters in Pittsburgh and operates in more than 60 countries around the globe. Sales in 2010 were $13.4 billion. PPG shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

SOURCE: PPG Industries