With its new product  SAPHIRAL, an innovative coating solution for all current forms of aluminum alloy, EPG AG comfortably won the Industriepreis 2017 in the category of suppliers. SAPHIRAL is a Sol-Gel-based coating solution for all existing types of aluminum alloy, with outstanding functional and optical characteristics. SAPHIRAL exhibits a very high degree of scratch resistance, as well as great thermal and chemical stability. SAPHIRAL makes it possible to produce single-layer solutions for high-gloss, brushed or blasted substrates, with an extremely high-quality surface finish. SAPHIRAL can be applied directly on aluminum surfaces (colored coatings are possible) or can alternatively be employed to improve the qualities of anodized surfaces. This prestigious award, which is decided by an independent specialist jury comprising professors, scientists and experts from a variety of industrial sectors and publishing houses, is announced once annually by the Huber Verlag, a publishing house for new media, on the occasion of the Hannover Messe, Germany’s largest and most important industrial fair. On each occasion, prizes are awarded to the most advanced industrial products in 14 different categories. The Chairman of the Board of EPG AG, Dr. Andreas Zimmermann, was absolutely delighted at this recognition: “The awarding of this prize is for us both a confirmation and an acknowledgement that our innovative development work is at the absolute peak of current technology. Our solutions make it possible to offer the end customer a significant possibility of differentiating his products from the competition and of increasing their value.”