On April 23, 2018, PPG Industries, Inc. (the “Company”) approved a business restructuring plan which includes actions to reduce its global cost structure. The program is in response to a customer assortment change in our U.S. architectural coatings business during the first quarter 2018 and sustained, elevated raw material inflation. The program aims to further right-size employee headcount and production capacity in certain businesses based on current product demand, as well as reductions in various global functional and administrative costs. A pretax restructuring charge of $80 million to $85 million, based on current exchange rates, will be recorded in PPG's second quarter 2018 financial results, of which about $75 million to $80 million represents employee severance and other cash costs. The remainder of the charge represents the write-down of certain assets and other non-cash costs. In addition, other cash costs of up to $35 million to $40 million will be incurred, consisting of incremental restructuring-related cash costs for certain items that are required to be expensed on an as-incurred basis of approximately $15 million and approximately $20 million to $25 million for items which are expected to be capitalized. The Company also expects approximately $15 million of incremental non-cash accelerated depreciation expense for certain assets due to their reduced expected asset life as a result of this program. Substantially all restructuring actions are expected to be complete by the end of the second quarter 2019 and will result in the net reduction of approximately 1,100 positions. The Company expects the cash payback of the restructuring program to be less than two years.

In addition, the Company continues to review its cost structure to identify additional cost savings opportunities.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this Form 8-K relating to matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 reflecting the company’s current view with respect to future events or objectives and financial or operational performance or results. The forward-looking statements contained herein include statements relating to the timing of and ability to realize the expected cost savings from the restructuring initiatives, the amount of the expected earnings charge, the amount of the expected cash and severance costs, the amount of the incremental non-cash accelerated depreciation expense and the ability to identify additional cost savings opportunities. Actual events may differ materially from current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the actual cost of the restructuring actions, the ability to realize the expected cost savings within the anticipated time frame, and the other risks and uncertainties discussed in PPG Industries’ periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and its current reports on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of their initial issuance, and PPG Industries does not undertake any obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About PPG INDUSTRIES, INC. (NYSE:PPG)

PPG Industries, Inc. (PPG) manufactures and distributes a range of coatings, specialty materials and glass products. PPG operates through three business segments: Performance Coatings, Industrial Coatings and Glass. The Performance Coatings segment consists of the refinish, aerospace, protective and marine, architectural-Americas and Asia Pacific, and architectural-EMEA coatings businesses. The Industrial Coatings segment consists of the automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM), industrial coatings, packaging coatings, and specialty coatings and materials businesses. Industrial, automotive OEM, packaging coatings, and specialty coatings and materials products are formulated specifically for the customers’ needs and application methods. The Glass segment consists of the flat glass and fiberglass businesses. The Company’s brands include SIKKENS, PPG PITTSBURGH PAINTS, MULCO, FLOOD, LIQUID NAILS, SICO, CIL, RENNER, TAUBMANS, WHITE KNIGHT and BRISTOL.