X-Rite Pantone Color Academy Grand Opening in Shanghai

On March 27, 2026, X-Rite Pantone, the global authority in color standards and color science, held the opening ceremony of its Color Academy in Shanghai, marking the official launch of X-Rite Pantone's strategic initiative in color education. The academy will offer systematic and standardized color courses and solutions for industries including printing, textiles, automotive, and plastics, helping China's color industry move toward high-quality development.

Prior to the ceremony, guests were guided by X-Rite Pantone's expert team on an in-depth tour of the X-Rite Brand Experience Center and the Pantone Showroom. Through live demonstrations and case studies, attendees gained insight into the core capabilities of the Brand Experience Center in color calibration and quality control, as well as real-world applications of the Pantone Color System in brand design and product development. They further understood how professional color technology empowers the entire process of brand design, manufacturing, and quality management.

Moving from the Brand Experience Center to the ceremony venue, the opening ceremony's keynote session began. David Qin, President of Veralto China, noted that color, as a core element in shaping quality experiences, is drawing increasing attention from professionals. Through brands such as X-Rite Pantone, Veralto continues to provide cutting-edge technology and authoritative standards across industries, serving the public with professional expertise and driving customer success through innovation, thereby building a collaborative and win-win industrial ecosystem.

Michael Zhu, General Manager of X-Rite Pantone Greater China, emphasized that X-Rite Pantone will leverage the Color Academy as a platform to deepen the dissemination of professional color knowledge, strengthen university-industry collaboration and sector coordination, focus on talent development and professional skills enhancement, and drive industrial upgrading with professional strength. He sincerely invited all partners to join the academy's co-construction projects and work together to promote high-quality industrial development.

In a lively atmosphere, the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the X-Rite Pantone Color Academy was held. Nine distinguished guests included: David Qin; Michael Zhu; Cherry Ding, Senior HR Director; Faye Guo, Dean of X-Rite Pantone Color Academy and Sales Director of Printing & Packaging, Greater China; Professor Li Rong from Donghua University; Haiyang Song, Product Manager at Epson; James Guo, Director of Brand Experience Center and Textile Sales Director, Greater China; Isaac Zhong, Industrial Sales Director; and Ivan Huang, Sales Director, Pantone China. The guests held golden scissors and cut the ribbon together. Orange ribbons fell amid thunderous applause, officially announcing the opening of the X-Rite Pantone Color Academy.

Subsequently, Faye Guo, Dean of the X-Rite Color Academy, systematically introduced the academy's three core business segments. Leveraging nearly 70 years of color management experience, the academy aims to build a deeply integrated color education ecosystem combining “production, education, research, and application.” The color curriculum, as the core segment, will actively connect universities and enterprises, integrating color practice throughout the talent development process. At the same time, customized training will be offered to brand owners and supply chain companies, helping customers upgrade to advanced color application levels and strengthening long-term collaboration. The Color Lab serves as a showcase of brand technical strength, presenting core capabilities through visual processes and creating an immersive experience for customers.

After a tea break, guests moved to the third-floor training center for an in-depth exchange session. Several experts from X-Rite and partner companies shared insights on topics including “Pantone: The Power of Color,” “Pioneering a New Era of Color Education with X-Rite,” course introductions for printing, textile, automotive, and plastics industries, “From Colorful to Lab,” and brand owner supply chain management. By establishing standardized, data-driven color management processes, X-Rite Pantone aims to drive the industry from experience-based judgment to data-informed decision-making, achieving closed-loop color consistency across processes and substrates, thereby enhancing quality and empowering brand value.

The event attracted representatives from universities, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Donghua University, Qilu University of Technology, Shenzhen Vocational and Technical University, and Jiangxi Media Vocational College, as well as from renowned companies such as AkzoNobel, Epson, XPeng Motors, Dell, 3M, TARGET, Avery Dennison, PPG, Otto, Nippon Paint, Shanghai Kingfa, CNOOC Changzhou Paint & Coatings Research Institute, BenQ, Zhejiang Shixin New Materials, Shanghai Xinyumai Image Technology, Shanghai Geometry Origin Technology, and Shanghai Kunqin Information Technology. The management team and many employees of X-Rite Greater China participated throughout, collectively supporting the successful launch of the Color Academy.

In his concluding remarks, Michael Zhu expressed that X-Rite Pantone looks forward to working with industry partners to promote color education and technological innovation, enrich color application scenarios, and jointly build a sustainable future for the color industry.

About X-Rite Pantone
Founded in 1958, X-Rite Pantone is a global leader in the science and technology of color and appearance. Together with its Pantone business, X-Rite Pantone employs more than 800 people in 11 countries. The company’s corporate headquarters are located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, with regional headquarters in Europe and Asia and service centers across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. X-Rite Pantone offers a full range of solutions used by manufacturers, retailers, printers, and graphic design houses to achieve precise management and communication of color and appearance throughout their processes. X-Rite Pantone products and services are recognized standards in the printing, packaging, graphic design, automotive, paints, plastics, and textiles. For further information, please visit www.xrite.com. For the latest news, information, connect with X-Rite Pantone on LinkedIn and Facebook.

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