KCC announced on Thursday the launch of COLOR-NAVI Plus, an AI-based color solution for automotive refinish paint that enables everything from color measurement and analysis to formula generation and automatic correction.
Automotive refinish paint is used to repaint damaged exterior parts after body repair, and the key is to minimize differences from the original color to completely eliminate signs of repair.
COLOR-NAVI Plus was developed to accurately recreate colors by precisely measuring the metallic and pearl particles found in automotive paint. This responds to the growing demand for greater precision, as metallic and pearl-tone finishes become more common in premium vehicles.
The core of the product lies in the combination of KCC’s self-developed color difference index, Delta E (ΔE) KCC, and AI-based particle matching technology. ΔE represents the numerical difference between two colors—smaller values indicate closer similarity.
Using this, the system automatically generates the optimal formula to accurately recreate even metallic and pearl colors. The AI also fine-tunes the formula by automatically adjusting color difference and particle values, enhancing accuracy.
Traditionally, color matching relied on the experience of skilled technicians or required sending parts to the manufacturer, often taking more than four days. However, KCC explains that COLOR-NAVI Plus dramatically shortens this process.
In particular, during the repeated process of test painting, color comparison, and correction, the AI analyzes and adjusts automatically, significantly improving both work efficiency and color precision.
COLOR-NAVI Plus also introduces a new Delta T (ΔT) index, which quantifies differences in particle size and texture. This allows for an even more refined recreation of metallic and pearl colors in addition to standard shades.
Additionally, KCC has introduced an online system that allows users to request custom paint formulas from anywhere in the world. After measuring the vehicle color with a spectrophotometer and uploading the data, users can receive the optimal formula within 24 hours—eliminating the need to ship physical samples and removing time and location constraints.
KCC expects that COLOR-NAVI Plus will significantly improve color-matching efficiency and increase satisfaction among body shops and paint professionals, ultimately contributing to higher productivity across the automotive refinish paint market.
Ham Seong Su, Head of KCC’s Distribution Coatings Division, stated that COLOR-NAVI Plus is an innovative solution designed to match evolving automotive color trends, reduce repair time, and minimize color variation, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction.