Color matching for automotive refinish paints now quicker and more accurate – BASF Coatings presents innovative solution		01/13/2009

Artificial intelligence supports labs in matching new colors for refinishing

Whitehouse / Münster. Countless colors with countless variations adorn the bodies of cars all over the world. Finding the right color for refinishing jobs is quite a challenge. Now, BASF Coatings has presented a new method to master the color-matching quest. A computer program that applies artificial intelligence learned from the data that continuously leave BASF Coatings' color labs. The program automatically takes what it learns and applies it to match new colors. The result is unparalleled color matching speed and precision in the labs. This color information is invaluable for automotive refinish bodyshops. The system was developed in BASF Coatings’ global network. Leading the effort is BASF Coatings in North America at the Whitehouse, Ohio, site.  

“One of the significant elements of this artificial intelligence is that it takes color matching to a higher level with a greater degree of accuracy than ever before seen in the automotive refinish industry. It actually learns and gets better over time,” explained Paul Marshall, Color Lab Technical Manager at BASF Coatings North America. “Our top priority is to offer automotive refinishers the best possible color solution for the cars they need to refinish.”

The new program thus offers significant advantages over previous standard color formulation, which relies on human trial and error. What’s more, in the future, it will be possible to match new colors and create customer service formulas with fewer color adjustment steps and a much higher degree of accuracy. By the end of 2009, this artificial intelligence will contain color data from all 10 BASF color labs in Japan, Australia, China, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Spain, Italy and the United States.

“BASF Coatings is acknowledged by its customers as a color leader in the automotive refinish industry. With the new system, we can expand our leading position,” Marshall pointed out, emphasizing the significance of the program, which is already hard at work in five of BASF’s automotive refinish laboratories. During the next six months, Marshall and Benjamin Delespierre from BASF in France will complete the roll-out to the remaining global laboratories.