Don't be surprised if growth rate slips below 7% next year'
The signs were visible for a while, but reality has finally hit home. Worse, corporate India has almost resigned to the idea of a further slowdown ahead, in spite of the government’s predictable assurance that from here growth will begin to improve.
India Inc is quick to point at the factors. H M Bharukha, managing director, Kansai Nerolac, says: “The monetary policy of the Reserve Bank of India has been a key contributor to the slowdown. Instead of taming inflation, it has actually impeded growth.” Godrej agrees, but says the inability to take decisions on key reforms has also impacted the sentiment. <more>

Asian Paints feels the pinch of rising costs
Even if the company’s leadership position in decorative paints gives it pricing power, exercising too much of it may end up hurting demand in the medium to long term
Asian Paints Ltd has benefited immensely from the growing demand for its paints to decorate new and existing homes, and also from users in the automobile and industrial sectors. But the current fiscal year has seen this demand being accompanied by a trying set of circumstances.

Blame it on the growing affluence in developing markets that can have unintended consequences. Rising demand for quality paints has increased consumption of a key pigment—titanium dioxide. Limited supplies have allowed global producers to effect a series of price hikes. Chemical maker Huntsman Corp. said the selling price of pigments rose by 38% year-on-year and by 15% sequentially in the September quarter. Prices are set to increase again from 1 January.
Now, cost increases were visible in 2010-11 as well. But the rupee’s depreciation is magnifying the extent of the impact. That is, if prices of titanium dioxide were to increase by $100, what would have been an increase of say Rs. 4,500 is now translating to an increase of Rs. 5,200. Under normal circumstances, Asian Paints could have passed on the cost hikes in full. But the company has already hiked prices earlier, and economic conditions are not conducive for sustained price increases.
Slower growth rates are visible in key sectors such as automobiles, construction and infrastructure. Even if the company’s leadership position in decorative paints gives it pricing power, exercising too much of it may end up hurting demand in the medium to long term<more>

Asian Paints: Competition, rising ad spend a negative
Fierce competition and foreseeable increase in raw material prices are likely to impact earnings of the largest paint manufacturing company — Asian Paints — in the coming quarters. The company will continue to face cost pressures from increasing input prices and given the rising competition, it would be financially difficult for the company to pass on this increased cost to the consumers.

Major raw materials for paint manufacturing companies are crude-linked and titanium dioxide. Prices of titanium dioxide are likely to be increased from the beginning of 2012. Besides this, its major competitors have become very aggressive in terms of advertisement spends and product innovations. Its major competitors include Akzo Nobel, Kansai Nerolac, Berger and Nippon. <more>

Asian Paints - Updates
Asian Paints Ltd has informed BSE that due to the severe cyclonic storm 'Thane' in Tamil Nadu, some equipment and materials at the Company's Penterythritol Plant, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu have been damaged. The damage is being assessed by the Company. The operations at the Cuddalore Plant have been temporarily suspended.

Penterythritol, an intermediate raw material, is being manufactured at the above Plant.

All equipment and materials have been fully insured by the Company and the above will have no impact on the manufacturing of paints by the Company.<more>


AkzoNobel plans Rs 200-cr plant in Madhya Pradesh.
Setting its sights on becoming a Euro 1 billion (about Rs 6,800 crore) entity in India by 2015, global leading paints and coatings firm AkzoNobel will invest Rs 200 crore to set up a new manufacturing plant in Madhya Pradesh to ramp up operations in the country.

As part of the strategy, the company, which is mainly into decorative paints, performance coatings and specialty chemicals, has announced its foray into the wood coatings segment in India.

“We are now investing more in India as the country is one of the key high growth markets for us globally. We are investing Rs 200 crore in a multi-business site in Madhya Pradesh,” AkzoNobel CEO and Chairman of Board of Management, Mr Hans Wijers, told PTI.

At present, the company has five plants across India.

The new plant will be operational by 2013 and will manufacture all its products.

The AkzoNobel India Country Director, Mr Amit Jain, said: “In the initial phase, the plant will have a capacity of 50 million litres of paint a year and will later go up to 100 million litres per annum.”

The company has acquired 55 acres to set up the new plant, which is located 20 km from Gwalior.<more>


Quattro™ Automatic Airless Spray Guns
Modular Quattro™ automatic spray gun provides fast color and coating changes in high-production airless painting applications.
Modular Quattro™ automatic spray gun provides fast color and coating changes in high-production airless painting applications.
The stainless-steel Nordson Quattro gun can be used for general finishing in either non-circulating or circulating heated airless applications, and is ideal for waterbornes and highly corrosive materials.
Its modular design allows for quick removal of the spray device without disconnecting the fluid lines to facilitate repair and maintenance with minimal downtime.
Features and Benefits
Fast cycling with positive cutoff — provides precise operation with minimal dripping and spitting.
Nordson nozzles — deliver effective atomization of hard-to-atomize coatings for minimal paint waste.
Optional Nordson heater — reduces and controls material viscosity for improved operating performance and efficiency.
Modular design — facilitates spray gun removal for fast cleaning and repair with minimal downtime.
Stainless steel construction — ideal for waterbornes and highly corrosive materials.
Teflon®* coated packing cartridge — resists material buildup on the shaft and spring.
Mounts to 1/2" round bar — for fast, easy installation<more>

Dow Chemical sponsorship causing unwanted controversy for Olympics
LONDON (AP) -- Just a few months ago, Dow Chemical was hailed by the organizers of the London Olympics for saving a visual centerpiece - an artistic wrap around Olympic Stadium. Now, the Olympic sponsor is sparking the kind of controversy that no one wants.
Dow's link to the company accused in the 1984 Bhopal gas leak - the world's worst industrial disaster - has brought a cascade of criticism down upon the organizing committee. Protesters in the central Indian city of Bhopal burned an effigy Friday of Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London organizing committee, and one Indian official has even uttered the word boycott.
Emotions in India are still raw, for the Bhopal disaster killed 15,000 people and injured half a million, according to the government, and is being blamed for major local health problems 27 years later.
Although Indian officials say the country has no intention of staying away from the games, pressure has been building for the Olympics to sever its ties with Dow or face the risk of constant protests marring the spectacle that Britain hoped would lift its flagging spirits and foundering economy.<more>

Bhopal gas tragedy: Won't submit to Supreme Court jurisdiction, says Dow Chemicals
Dow Chemicals has declined to share its wholly owned subsidiary Union Carbide Corporation's alleged past residuary liability towards compensating 1984 Bhopal tragedy victims

US-based multinational Dow Chemicals has declined to share its wholly owned subsidiary Union Carbide Corporation's alleged past residuary liability towards compensating 1984 Bhopal tragedy victims and refused to submit to the jurisdiction of theSupreme Court of India, which is dealing with the Union government's plea for an additional Rs 7,844 crore to the gas victims..<more>


Nordson Corporation Announces Election of James E. DeVries to Corporate Vice President
WESTLAKE, Ohio, Nov 30, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Nordson Corporation NDSN +0.02% today announced the election of James E. DeVries as a Corporate Vice President of the company. DeVries serves as Nordson's Vice President, Global Continuous Improvement, reporting directly to Nordson President and CEO Michael F. Hilton.
"With the customer as our focus, Nordson is committed to building on excellence and driving growth and performance everywhere we operate," said Hilton. "Jim DeVries has been a key part of Nordson's success since joining the company more than 25 years ago, and his election as a Nordson Corporate Vice President is well deserved. Since being promoted in 2010 to his current non-executive officer role as Vice President of Global Continuous Improvement, Jim has helped accelerate our performance in the near term while also laying the groundwork that will help drive our results to higher levels over an extended period. Throughout his career, he has consistently added value to our organization while embodying Nordson's corporate values of energy, excellence, integrity, customer passion and respect for people."

Solar Breakthrough: Cheap Quantum Dot Solar Paint
Researchers have reduced the preparation time of quantum dot solar cells to less than an hour by changing the form to a one-coat quantum dot solar paint.

How?

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are coated with cadmium sulfide (CdS) or cadmium selenide (CdSe.) The composite nanoparticles, when mixed with a solvent, form a paste that can be applied as one-step paint to a transparent conducting material, which creates electricity when exposed to light.

Although the paint form is currently about five times less efficient than the highest recorded efficiency for the multifilm form, the researchers predict that its efficiency can be improved, which could lead to a simple and economically viable way to prepare solar cells.<more>

Polybond completed its 5th year of operation.
Polybond Coating Pvt. Ltd. , situated at Mahape, Navi Mumbai, Maharastra is equipped to manufacture Powder Coating Powders

Wacker Expands technical centre in Mumbai to include dispersion applications for coatings.
WACKER, the Munich-based chemical company, has expanded its technical center in India. This center of excellence located in Goregaon, a suburb of Mumbai, now also includes laboratories, applications technology and test equipment for polymer dispersions for coatings and paint applications. These dispersions are needed for interior and exterior paints in the coatings industry. The expansion not only enables WACKER to support its Indian customers to develop new and locally adapted formulations, but also encourages the exchange of know-how and promotes internationally recognized quality standards in India.
The expansion was made necessary by India’s strong economic growth, particularly with regard to sophisticated coatings applications. This measure will help WACKER to further bolster its position as the market and technology leader for vinyl acetate-ethylene copolymer (VAE) dispersions used as binders for demanding coatings and paint applications.<more>

Cotton Fabric With Titanium Dioxide Cleans Itself When Exposed To Sunlight
Chinese scientists are reporting the development of a new cotton fabric that cleans itself of stains and bacteria when exposed to sunlight.
AsianScientist (Dec. 15, 2011) – Imagine jeans, sweats, or socks that clean and de-odorize themselves when hung on a clothesline in the sun or draped on a balcony railing.
Scientists are reporting the development of a new cotton fabric that cleans itself of stains and bacteria when exposed to sunlight.
Chinese researchers Mingce Long and Deyong Wu report in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces that their fabric uses a coating made from a compound of titanium dioxide, the white material used in everything from white paint to foods to sunscreen lotions.<more>

DSM to Merge Two Business Units
DSM Coating Resins, a business unit of Royal DSM N.V., has outlined plans to align the organization with its sharpened strategic focus on its core coating and graphic arts resins markets. As part of these plans, the business unit aims to capture additional synergies from the merger of two business units (formerly known as DSM Powder Coating Resins and DSM NeoResins+) announced earlier this year.
As a result of the alignment, the number of worldwide positions at DSM Coating Resins will be reduced by 150. This will allow the company to effectively and efficiently continue to grow its position as the leading coating resins supplier for developing innovative building blocks for sustainable coating systems.<more>
Study indicates slowdown in EU alkyd resins market
Between 2006-2010 alkyd resins consumption decreased by 30 % and the demand follows the down-grade trend in the EU.
Germany remains a major insider of EU alkyd resins market; it covers 37 % of EU production and consumption.<more>

EU Alkyd Resins Market is Reducing in Size According to BAC Report Recently Published by MarketPublishers.com
The demand for alkyd resins in European Union (EU) follows the down-grade trend. In 2010 the demand amounted to 471,800 tons. Between 2006-2010 alkyd resins consumption decreased by 30 %, according to "Alkyd Resins: European Union Market Outlook 2011 and Forecast till 2016" a recently published report by Business Analytic Center (BAC). The decline is reasoned partly by economic recession, and lowering of EU construction industry; and partly due to cease of alkyd coatings demand in favour of more environmental-friendly materials. EU producers are working mainly to cover domestic market. Export supplies share 7-10 % in total output. Therefore decrease in demand incurred cease of domestic production. However, alkyd coatings still remain the leaders of EU coating market. Germany remains a major insider of EU alkyd resins market. It covers 37 % of EU production and consumption. In 2010 Germany produced 190,000 tons of alkyd resins, and provided 45,000 tons for export. The other significant Western European manufacturing facilities are concentrated in Italy and France.<more>

Evonik opens Tego Innovation Center in Shanghai and Singapore
Evonik to open first innovation center for coating additives in Asia with two locations in Shanghai and Singapore
Research focus on additives for environmentally friendly paints and coatings
“Tego Innovation Center” reaches out to whole of Asian growth region
Evonik will open its first research and development center for additives for paints and coatings in Asia this November. A single-digit million US dollar amount have been invested to set up the “Tego Innovation Center” in two locations, Shanghai and Singapore, as part of the global Evonik innovation network.

The “Tego Innovation Center” will cater to manufacturers in the paints and coatings industry in Asia. Collaborations with regional customers and research institutions aim at providing individual solutions to strengthen the competitiveness and innovative capabilities of Evonik’s Asian customers. Research is geared to meet regional demands and centers on developing cutting-edge, environmentally-friendly coating systems to accommodate the megatrend of resource efficiency. <more>

KRONOS WORLDWIDE, INC. ANNOUNCES A PRICE INCREASE FOR ALL TITANIUM DIOXIDE PRODUCTS SOLD IN EUROPE
CRANBURY, NEW JERSEY - December 5, 2011 - Kronos Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: KRO) today announced a price increase for all titanium dioxide products sold in Western Europe, Eastern Europe andTurkey.
Effective January 1, 2012, or as permitted by contract, prices for all Kronos® titanium dioxide products sold in Western Europe and Turkey will increase by 300 Euro per metric ton (or equivalent in other currencies).
In the US dollar markets of Eastern Europe the price increase will be 400 US$ per metric ton. <more>

PPG Announces Global Initiative to Leverage Titanium Dioxide Expertise
PITTSBURGH, Dec 06, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- During PPG Industries' PPG +1.71%capital markets meeting yesterday with financial analysts and investors in New York, PPG Chief Technology Officer Charles F. Kahle II announced that the company has undertaken a strategic initiative with multiple global suppliers to secure and enhance PPG's supply of titanium dioxide, as well as add to the global supply of the raw material.<more>

BASF Automotive Refinish offers new portable color matching tool
BASF Automotive Refinish said its new COLOR- MAXmobile2 solid color tool is compact and portable and provides 531 color chips that can be easily compared to the vehicle with up to five colors on a single swatch.
BASF said its family of COLOR-MAX tools is the most advanced color matching system in the industry in terms of accuracy, color range and ease of use.
BASF's design includes a larger range of chips for white, red and black colors. Using the COLOR-MAXmobile2, a paint technician can scan the entire range of colors simply by fanning out the swatch book. A hole in each chip is designed to allow easier viewing against a painted surface. The case allows the user to open the deck past 90 degrees for easier maneuverability.<more>