PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

PPG (NYSE:PPG) today announced that it is raising prices by up to 6 percent for sodium silicate and all precipitated silica grades globally. The increase will take effect Jan. 1, 2018, or as contracts allow, and applies to all end-use segments.

This price increase partially offsets rising raw material costs and operating costs and is necessary to support continued investment in silica production and research and development, according to Bill Fish, PPG commercial director, silica products.

“Unfortunately, our costs can no longer be offset solely by ongoing productivity improvements and cost-saving initiatives,” said Fish. “The silica segments are forecasted to have healthy growth for the foreseeable future. This price increase enables us to further invest in our operations to meet increasing customer demand while continuing to be an industry leader in silica product innovation.”

Account representatives will communicate price increase details to customers.

PPG pioneered synthetic precipitated silica products, becoming one of the first manufacturers to bring them to the marketplace in the 1930s. Today, PPG’s silica products group is a global technology leader of precipitated silica products used as reinforcing fillers in tire, industrial, footwear and silicone rubber applications; microporous fillers in battery-separator applications; flatting and thickening agents in coatings, adhesives and sealants; and anti-caking, free-flow and carrier agents in food, feed and industrial applications.

As part of PPG’s specialty coatings and materials business, the silica products group serves customers through a global network of manufacturing, research and technical-support facilities. For more information about PPG silica products, visit www.ppgsilica.com.

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD™

At PPG (NYSE:PPG), we work every day to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and materials that our customers have trusted for more than 130 years. Through dedication and creativity, we solve our customers’ biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, we operate and innovate in more than 70 countries and reported net sales of $14.3 billion in 2016. We serve customers in construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com.

We protect and beautify the world is a trademark and the PPG Logo is a registered trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171219005205/en/