Morris New Head of PPG's Aerospace Business

    PITTSBURGH--Dec. 16, 2002--David P. Morris, global general manager of sales and marketing for the aerospace business unit of PPG Industries , has been named vice president, aerospace, effective Jan. 1, replacing Dennis A. Kovalsky, who has been named vice president for the company's automotive coatings business.
    "Dave brings a wealth of knowledge about the global aerospace industry to his new assignment," said Michael A. Ludlow, senior vice president, original equipment manufacturing coatings. "In addition, he has played a critical role in bringing together our coatings and sealants business with our transparency business, marketing our combined aerospace capabilities to a common market."
    Morris, 55, joined PRC-DeSoto International, formerly Courtaulds Aerospace, in 1989 as business manager for the application support center in Indianapolis. He was promoted in 1993 to Semco business manager in Glendale, Calif. Three years later he was promoted to the executive management board as vice president and general manager, Semco. He was promoted in 1998 to vice president and general manager for aerospace sealants and coatings, Semco, and the application support center operations in North America and Asia Pacific. PPG acquired PRC-DeSoto International in 1999.
    Prior to joining PRC-Desoto, Morris was president of John W. Blair Company in Columbus, Ohio, for almost 20 years.
    Kovalsky, 51, joined PPG in 1977 as an engineer at the Circleville, Ohio, resins plant, and later was production superintendent there and at the Delaware, Ohio, coatings plant.
    Kovalsky went to Paris in 1987 as European coatings production coordinator, and later managed subsidiary PPG Industries Lacke's Wuppertal, Germany, coatings plant.
    He returned to the U.S. in 1991 as Cleveland automotive coatings plant manager, moved to Troy, Mich., in 1994 as director of pretreatments, and was named global director of pretreatment and specialty products there in 1998.
    In early 2000 he went to Glendale, Calif., as vice president of aerospace coatings and sealants in connection with the PRC-DeSoto acquisition. When that unit and PPG's aircraft transparency business were combined a few months later, Kovalsky was named to his current position.
    Pittsburgh-based PPG is a global supplier of coatings, glass, fiber glass and chemicals, with 120 manufacturing facilities and equity affiliates in 23 countries. Sales in 2001 were $8.2 billion.