Sherwin Williams & Organizational Communication

By: Brian Villwock

Summary of the Article:

●Sherwin Williams Paint Company has started using new technology to produce

more functional & more environmentally friendly paints & stains.

●The new paints & stains provide features that are specific to customer’s requests

and desires.

●On top of producing less harmful paints & stains, some of the new products

actually help to eliminate bacteria, contaminants and odors.

Summary of the Article Continued:

The Four Main Products Introduced were….

● Paint Shield - Known for being a Bacteria Killing Paint.

● Super Deck - Known to protect your deck & keep it cool with IR Reflective

Technolgy.

● Emerald - Known as very washable paint, even in a truly flat finish.

● Harmony - Known for improving air quality and reducing odors.

4 Challenges Facing Organizations:

●Globalization - Process of interaction & integration among the people,

companies, and governments of different nations.

●Terrorism - The use of violence & intimidation in the pursuit of political aims.

●Climate Change - How can organizations reduce or eliminate contribution to

global warming.

●Changing Demographics - Age, race, income, education, etc.

Challenges Facing Organizations Continued:

●These challenges play a pivotal role in Sherwin Williams using technology to

create these new and updated products, amongst others.

●The ever changing, complicated world forces companies like Sherwin Williams to

change and adapt with it if they want to survive and remain relevant.

●Sherwin Williams has done more than create new products to keep up with our

complicated world.

Globalization:

● In 2016, Sherwin-Williams agreed to buy Valspar for more than $9 billion.

●The deal helps Sherwin Williams get better access to big-box retailers such as

Wal-Mart, Lowe’s & Home Depot.

●The deal will increase Sherwin Williams’ global paint sales from 16% to 24%.

●The deal expands Sherwin Williams presence to much more of the world

including large parts of Australia, Europe & Asia, specifically China.

Terrorism:

● In a joint effort with 3 other companies, Sherwin Williams has developed blast resistant

panels for building construction.

● Sherwin Williams has developed creative color palettes which induce feelings of safety and

warmth.

● Sherwin Williams designers have collaborated with hotels, restaurants & entertainment

venues to develop safe feeling environments & environments that allow for mental escape.

Climate Change:

●Sherwin Williams has began producing more low VOC (Volatile Organic

Compounds) Paints which release less harmful chemicals into the air.

●Sherwin Williams Harmony improves air quality through less emissions, as well

as reduces common indoor odors.

●Sherwin Williams has developed many products with Anti-microbial agents

which inhibit the growth of mold and mildew on the paint surface.

Changing Demographics:

● With changing demographics come changing tastes & values.

● Sherwin Williams has added more neutral colors & grays to it’s color palette to fulfill

the desires of the new generation.

● Health & Safety are of utmost importance to this generation, so Sherwin Williams has

developed Paint Shield which is microbicidal & kills 99.9 % of certain bacteria. SW

also developed Emerald, which is washable even in the popular flat finish.

The Role of Technology:

● Sherwin Williams is constantly involving new forms of technology to reach

new generations & customers around the globe.

● Sherwin Williams advertises & interacts with customers through traditional

media (television & radio) & social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,

etc.)

The Role of Technology:

● Sherwin Williams has partnered with the popular television network HGTV

to show off their products and colors and create designer inspirations.

● Sherwin Williams developed a smartphone app. for customers to research

and explore colors and products.

● Sherwin Williams intra-corporate communication system hasn’t updated as

much with the changing times.

In House Technology:

● Even though Sherwin Williams has developed a smartphone app, incorporated social

media and an interactive website, the technology within the company has stayed in

the past.

● The Point of Sale and Customer Order Entry Systems haven’t been updated in several

years.

● Store to store communication is still done through a simple, outdated email system.

Questions:

● In what ways will Sherwin Williams continue to address Globalization,

Terrorism, Climate Change and Change in Demographics?

●Will technology continue to play a role in communication within and involving

Sherwin Williams?

●Will the acquisition of Valspar effect the organizational communication within

Sherwin Williams?

Bibliography:

●Mattioli, Dana (2016, March 21) Sherwin-Williams to buy Valspar for $9.3

billion. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from www.wsj.com

●Sherwin Williams (n.d.) Color du Jour? Sherwin Williams. Retrieved from

www.sherwin-williams.com.

●Sherwin Williams (n.d.) In the paint: inside the hidden world of paint technology.

Mashable. Retrieved from www.mashable.com.

Bibliography Continued:

● Sherwin Williams (2014, August 31) New building products technology from

Sherwin-Williams offers potential to improve homeland security, defend against

terrorism. PR Newswire. Retrieved from www.prnewswire.com.

● Suny Levin Institute. (2015) What is Globalization. Globalization 101. Retrieved

from www.globalization101.com.

THE END!Thank You!