'KCC Smart 3.0' launched with AI and big data

New system minimizes color variance across product types, boosting dealer competitiveness

[Provided by KCC]
[Provided by KCC]

KCC has unveiled a color-matching technology that uses AI and big data to minimize color discrepancies when different types of paint — such as water-based and oil-based — are used together.

The company announced Thursday the launch of "KCC Smart 3.0," an advanced color-matching system it describes as a next-generation tinting platform.

KCC Smart 3.0 achieves color consistency across different product categories — including water-based, oil-based and specialty coatings — at a level difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. The system is an upgrade from the previous "KCC Smart 2.0," which used a digital colorimeter to measure colors from everyday objects and reproduce them in paint form.

To reduce what the company calls the "metamerism effect" — where colors appear mismatched under different conditions or across different materials — KCC compiled tens of thousands of paint formulations and color-rendering data points into a big data system and applied them to an AI-based tinting algorithm. The AI analyzes raw materials and color-rendering characteristics to adjust pigment ratios so that a target color from one product can be faithfully reproduced in another. The result is what KCC calls "relative tinting optimization" technology, which minimizes color variance caused by differences in product composition.

The technology targets color inconsistencies that arise in interior construction when different types of paint are used side by side. Even when the same color is ordered, variations in raw materials, sheen levels and color-rendering properties can produce noticeably different results on the finished surface. Fine-tuning formulations across products can also reduce the need for re-tinting or rework.

In practice, a contractor applying water-based paint to walls and oil-based paint to moldings or door frames can achieve a consistent look throughout. The same applies to projects such as corporate buildings, where exterior and interior surfaces may require different coatings but a uniform color scheme is still desired.

KCC has been expanding its AI-driven color-matching capabilities across production, retail and construction. In 2024, the company developed an AI-based "paint-free tinting system" for its Anseong factory that predicts color outcomes without an actual coating and drying process. That system cut the tinting process to one-third of its previous length and boosted production efficiency by about 11 percent. The latest launch extends AI's role further by addressing color variance between different paint products.

"We will continue to strengthen KCC's own 'In-Can Total Solution' — enhancing the expertise and sales competitiveness of our dealers while delivering a more precise color experience to customers," said Kim Gwang-ju, executive director of KCC's retail paint division.


boo@heraldcorp.com