The new 600,000ft² facility will engage in product development, coatings research, colour technology and process engineering
Rendering of Sherwin-Williams new global R&D centre in Ohio. (Credit: PRNewswire / The Sherwin-Williams Company)
Sherwin-Williams, a provider of paint, coatings and related products, has broken ground on a new global research and development (R&D) centre in Ohio, US.
As part of the company’s Building Our Future project, the new 600,000ft² facility in Brecksville will engage in product development, coatings research, colour technology and process engineering.
The new hub, which will accommodate chemists, engineers, technicians and support teams in one place, will serve as a hub for innovation and development of the firm’s future products and services.
Sherwin-Williams chairman, president and CEO John Morikis said: “This new R&D Center will be the global innovation epicentre for creating solutions that solve our customers’ problems, as well as a key to us to retaining and attracting top talent.
“We’re also celebrating the broad and diverse group of companies and individuals that will be working on this project, along with the ongoing impact the project will have on the community and region for years to come. And we’re proud to be building it right here in Northeast Ohio, our home for more than 155 years.”
Sherwin-Williams’ Building Our Future project consists of both the R&D Centre in Brecksville and a new global headquarters in Downtown Cleveland with around 1,000,000ft² of space.
The company intends to invest a minimum of $600m for the construction of both the headquarters and the R&D facility.
Expected to be opened by the end of 2024, the R&D centre will create 3,000 construction jobs.
Both facilities are expected to employ over 3,500 employees with room to accommodate future growth.
The company is also expecting to add a minimum of 400 jobs at these facilities over time, an increase of 11% to its current local workforce.
In a statement, Ohio state governor Mike DeWine said: “We appreciate the investment made by Sherwin-Williams in creating world-class facilities for research and development in Brecksville and a new global headquarters in downtown Cleveland.”
Sherwin-Williams is involved in the manufacturing, development, distribution and selling of paint, coatings and related products to professional, industrial, commercial, and retail customers.
The company’s performance coatings group distributes a range of solutions for the packaging, industrial, construction and transportation markets in over 120 countries.