ICA North America Opens New Headquarters Following Acquisition by Sherwin-Williams

ICA North America launched its new headquarters in Vaughan, Ontario, with a two-day open house on October 20–21. Customers and industry partners were invited to tour the facility and attend technical presentations about the product lines and recommended application procedures.

The opening coincides with the recent sale of ICA Group, founded by Italy’s Paniccia family, to the U.S-based paint manufacturer Sherwin-Williams. The new owner is aiming to position its acquisition as a European centre of excellence for industrial wood coatings.

“Sherwin-Williams has planned significant investments aimed at the international growth of ICA’s Italian-made coatings,” a statement from the Panicca family affirms. “The ICA Group brands will remain important reference points in the market and will continue to be recognized for high quality products and environmental awareness.”

ICA, which marked its 50^th anniversary last year, is known for its specialty wood and glass coatings and as an innovator of products with low environmental impact. It introduced its first water-based coatings in 1983 and attained the European Community’s LIFE label in 1995, in recognition of “long-term sustainable development” in pursuit of reducing atmospheric emissions.

ICA’s range of business lines, including a joint venture in India, ICA Pidilite, will be retained within Sherwin-Williams’ operations. That includes ICA Innovation Camp, an umbrella for: the ICA Lab research and development laboratory; the LifeLab customer centre; ICA Academy, an accredited professional training institution; and Performance Lab, an accredited physical-chemical testing laboratory.

The company, which is headquartered and has two production plants in Italy, posted €158 million (CAD $234 million) in sales in 2021, with 61 per cent of that outside of Italy.