Global Demand for Paint and Coatings to Approach 46 Million Metric Tons in 2015
Global Information Inc. would like to present a new market research report, "World Paint & Coatings" by The Freedonia Group.
Global demand for paint and coatings is forecast to rise 5.4 percent per year to 45.6 million metric tons in 2015. Advances will be driven by a strong acceleration in world building construction spending, particularly residential construction, which is expected to rebound in North America and Western Europe. Healthy growth in global manufacturing activity will also fuel increased demand for coatings used in the production of motor vehicles and other durable goods, as well as industrial maintenance applications. Solvent-based paint and coatings will continue to see their share of the market decline in both developed and developing markets, as ongoing efforts to reduce the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are spurring the rise of alternative formulations. These and other trends are presented in World Paint & Coatings.
The Asia/Pacific region will remain the leading consumer of paint and coatings through 2015, and will also see the most rapid gains. Regional demand will be fueled by China and India, the two largest markets in Asia and two of the fastest-growing coatings markets in the world. Additionally, an improved outlook for coatings demand in Japan will bolster gains in the Asia/Pacific region. Above-average advances are also forecast for North America, rebounding strongly from the declining demand of the 2005- 2010 period. Coatings demand in the region will benefit from a greatly improved outlook for building construction and manufacturing activity in the US. While paint and coatings demand in Western Europe will see a similar recovery from recent declines, the region will be the worlds slowest-growing regional market.<more>

Kansai Nerolac Paints plans Rs 400-cr investment in FY13
MUMBAI: Kansai Nerolac Paints is planning an investment of Rs 400 crore for capacity expansion by September this year, and is eyeing a double-digit revenue growth in FY12, a top company official said.
"We have lined up Rs 400 crore to increase the capacity to three lakh tonnes from the existing 2.05 lakh tonnes by September," the company's Managing Director, H M Bharuka, said here.
The company posted 26.66 per cent increase in net profit at Rs 52.68 crore for the third quarter ended December 31, 2011. The net sales of the company rose to Rs 665.52 crore for the third quarter, compared to Rs 560.13 crore last time<more>

Asian Paints - Updates on Scheme for Merger and Demerger
With reference to the disclosure made by the Company on January 21, 2012 alongwith its audited financial results for the quarter and nine months ended December 31, 2011 relating to the withdrawal of the Composite Scheme for Merger and Demerger involving companies of Asian Paints Group, PPG Group and its Joint Venture Company, Asian PPG Industries Limited filed with the Hon''ble High Court of Judicature at Bombay and Hon''ble High Court of Judicature at Madras ("High Courts") in September, 2011, since PPG Industries Inc. USA had decided to restructure its operations in India prior to the proposed merger/demerger, Asian Paints Ltd has now informed BSE that the aforesaid Company Scheme Petitions have been allowed to be withdrawn by the respective High Courts.<more>

Berger Paints Q3 net up 12% to Rs 49 cr
Berger Paints today said its consolidated net profit rose by 11.94% to Rs 49 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2011, vis-a-vis the same period last fiscal.
The company had posted a net profit of Rs 43.85 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2010, Berger Paints India said in a filing to the BSE.
Consolidated net sales of the company stood at Rs 781.37 crore for the quarter ended December 31, 2011, as against Rs 619.16 crore for corresponding period of the previous fiscal.

The standalone net profit of the firm rose by 22% to Rs 45 crore during the quarter under review from Rs 37 crore in the same period a year ago..<more>

Cytec Industries Inc : Cytec Announces Price Increases on its Powder Coating Resins Product Range in Europe, Middle East and Africa
Cytec Announces Price Increases on its Powder Coating Resins Product Range in Europe, Middle East and Africa

Brussels, February 6, 2012 - Cytec Industries Inc. (NYSE:CYT), and its affiliated companies, announced today to its customers a price increase for its entire range of Powder Coating Resins and Additives sold in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

The price of all products in the range will be increased by 0.12 to 0.15 EUR/kg for shipments from Europe and by 0.15 to 0.20 USD/kg for shipments from Asia.

The adjustment will be effective for all shipments as of February 15, 2012 or as contract terms permit. Cytec is committed to servicing and delivering value to its customers, however a price increase is necessary to compensate for the increase in raw material costs. <more>

Sharp decline in titanium dioxide production
Express News Service , The New Indian Express
KOLLAM: After setting an all-time record production of titanium dioxide pigment in the previous financial year, the KMML’s annual production figure is set to nosedive in the current financial year. The production of titanium dioxide pigment, during 2010-2011, was an all-time high of 36,879 metric tonne (MT).� While battling with various issues and Ilmenite shortage, the production during current financial year till January 31 stood at 22,934 MT and expectedly will not cross 28,000 MT by the end of March.
On the other hand, the profit figures during this financial year have already surpassed existing records, thanks to the high rates prevailing for titanium dioxide in the international market.
Defending the low production figures, Executive Director C J George told ‘Express’ that despite a decline in production, the profit during the year has already crossed the previous year’s figures.
“The profit during the first 10 months of this financial year was around Rs 128 crore as the titanium dioxide received a good price throughout the year. The profit is company’s all-time high.” <more>

Akzo Nobel India board to consider a buyback of shares only after merger process completion
MUMBAI: The board of Akzo Nobel India on Tuesday decided to consider a buyback of shares from minority shareholders only after completion of the merger process with three subsidiaries owned by its global parent.
The board of Akzo Nobel India also approved a reduction of 1% in the effective royalty rates to 2% from a level of 3% approved earlier. The new rates will be w.e.f., from October 2014. <more>


NSC unveils sports kit
LALITPUR: The Asian Paints Nepal Pvt Ltd, as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR), is set to undertake painting the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) infrastructure including the Dasharath Stadium. ANFA President Ganesh Thapa and Asian Paints General Manager Budha Aditya Mukherjee signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to this effect here on Wednesday. As per the agreement, Asian Paints will paint the ANFA Office, Dasharath Stadium, FIFA Technical Centres in Chyasal, Dharan and Butwal for the next six years. “We will paint these buildings once in three-year. We took this initiative as part of our CSR,” said Mukharjee. The agreement will cost an approximate Rs 4 million, which also include painting of parapet, walls and changing rooms. <more>

Ross moves into new plant in India
Charles Ross & Son Company has relocated Ross Process Equipment (RPE) into a new state-of-the-art plant in Pune, India tripling the size of its previous facility. A fast growing company, RPE manufactures many Ross product lines including tumble blenders, ribbon blenders, planetary mixers, multi-shaft mixers, high speed dispersers, high shear xixers, as well as pressure vessels, tanks and other fabricated equipment.

Fully supported by U.S.-based Ross engineers, RPE designs and builds Ross equipment based on standardized technology and quality control measures.

Ross operates five other manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and two in China. RPE is the company’s newest venture which opened in 2007 to service the process industries in India and the neighboring Asian countries. The booming market in this region has driven the rapid expansion of RPE said the company. <more>

Azko Nobel is the game-changer in coatings industry: Amit Jain, MD, AkzoNobel India
Amit Jain, managing director of AkzoNobel's Indian entity, is extremely bullish. He's doing the rounds in Mumbai, meeting institutional investors and explaining the benefits of the recent merger of three unlisted group firms with the listed Indian subsidiary of AkzoNobel (formerly ICI). In an interview with Satish John, he lays bare the details of the merger. Excerpts:

AkzoNobel's former avatar ICI India was on a perpetual restructuring mode. After Akzo acquiring ICI and the latest merger of three subsidiaries, is the restructuring mode now completed?

CI went the way several British companies in the past went. I think it's a cultural issue. When there was a licence raj, the British MNCs were brilliant. They were like military machines having regimented capacities and supply chains. But as the licence raj disassembled in the 90s the whole market paradigm changed. Suddenly, it became the market of the fittest and you have to be nimble and agile and spot market opportunities as well as compete. <more>

Balcony Systems Solutions Ltd. Launches A Breakthrough Glass Coating That Transforms Ordinary Glass Into Self-Cleaning Glass
Balcony launches their new and innovative BalcoNano Self-Cleaning Glass Coating. BalcoNano® is breakthrough product that enables end users and glass professionals to transform ordinary glass into water repellent self-cleaning glass. Up until now the self-cleaning coating was available only as a factory applied coating as part of one of Balcony's products but Balcony has now opened the market up to their unique coating that can transform glass surface architecture making it readily available for all glass applications.
Lingfield Surrey (PRWEB UK) - Balcony Systems, one of the UK's leading suppliers of glass balustrading and curved sliding patio doors, has launched its new BalcoNano® self-application glass coating process that transforms ordinary glass into self-cleaning glass.
The introduction of this easy-to-apply DIY sachet solution follows the huge success of Balcony's unique, patented factory-applied coating across its entire range of modern glass balconies, glass Juliet balconies and curved patio doors.<more>

Jotun Paints to participate in Qatar Projects 2012
Jotun Paints, a leading global producer and distributor of paints and powder coatings, will participate in ‘Qatar Projects 2012,’ which will begin tomorrow (Sunday, Feb 5) at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
The company’s participation in the four-day event is part of its ongoing initiative to strengthen market presence across Qatar’s rapidly growing paint segment, estimated to be worth over QR300mn.
To date, Jotun has reported in the country a total of over QR150mn worth of projects that have already been completed, ongoing and are currently in the pipeline.
“We are very excited to take part in this year’s edition of ‘Qatar Projects 2012,’ a strategic event that acts as a key platform to learn and capitalise on the many business opportunities emerging in Qatar today,” said Gunnar Eikebu, country manager - Qatar, Jotun Paints.
“During the event, we will be throwing the spotlight on our unique range of products that have been developed using state-of-the-art R&D and technology – and is focused on sustainability and protecting property.
“We look forward to meeting a lot of developers and industry professionals from all over the region, showcasing our broad portfolio of products and services to a high-potential audience.”
Jotun has reported the completion of projects, including the State Mosque, Barzan Camp (Phase 1), Doha Golf Club, town houses and 40% of towers in The Pearl-Qatar.<more>

Bayer Scientists Discuss How Formulation Variables Determine How Topcoats Weather the Storm
Tampa, FL, February 03, 2012 --(PR.com)-- The weathering performance of polyurethane topcoats can be altered by changing variables such as pigment-to-binder (P/B) ratio, isocyanates index, resin/polyisocyanate selection, fillers and additives. Two Bayer MaterialScience LLC scientists set out to determine what effect modifying these variables has on the performance of two-component polyurethane topcoats used in corrosion protection applications, such as bridges, marine settings and stadiums.

At Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC) Conference 2012, Kurt Best, senior development specialist, and Ed Squiller, technical director, both of Bayer MaterialScience LLC, detailed the findings of a five-year study comparing some key formulating variables influencing weathering performance of aliphatic polyurethane topcoats in QUV-A and Florida exposure. The authors presented “2-Component Polyurethane Topcoats: Formulating Variables Affecting Performance in the Heavy Duty Corrosion Protections Market,” at 4 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 2, in Room 20. Their presentation was part of session abs82 and the Big Bridges, Big Solutions track.

Commercial topcoats and some lab formulas were used to illustrate raw material choices and how weathering performance plays out in both QUV-A and natural Florida exposure scenarios. The resulting performance of these coatings was compared using SSPC Paint 36 as a baseline. SSPC Paint 36 is often used in industrial maintenance and marine markets to define performance criteria for polyurethane topcoats.

According to Squiller, “The degree of weathering performance expected from a polyurethane topcoat changes, depending on the PVC, isocyanate indexing and polyol selection. Of the three formulation options tested, we found that the choice of acrylic polyol has the most significant impact on long-term weathering of the aliphatic polyurethane topcoat.” <more>

German-Russian coil coatings partnership
BASF Coatings and NLMK celebrate 20 years of successful cooperation

Muenster/Lipetsk. This success story spans over 2,600 kilometers: Steel manufacturer NLMK from the Russian city of Lipetsk and BASF Coatings from Muenster-Hiltrup are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their strategic partnership in coil coatings and are looking forward to many more successful years in the future.

NLMK is one of BASF Coatings’ most important customers in Russia for industrial coatings. It’s a relationship based on mutual appreciation: “BASF Coatings is one of NLMK’s few strategic partners and as one of the world’s leading suppliers of industrial coatings, it guarantees top quality,” explained Yuri Larin, Vice President of Technology at NLMK, at a ceremony with BASF representatives.

BASF Coatings’ new head of Industrial Coatings Europe, Francisco Carlos Verza, visited the customer in Lipetsk for the first time and underlined the importance of the customer: “We would like to even more strenghten and expand our successful collaboration with NLMK in the coming years.”

There will be a number of important major events in the upcoming years. Uwe Pelchen, BASF Coatings’ Sales Manager for Coil Coatings in Europe, said, “In particular, the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and the Soccer World Cup in Russia four years later will require a number of additional infrastructure measures in the building sector. This will provide excellent opportunities to use the new coil coating products we have jointly developed.”

The partnership has been in place since November 1991. Back then, a BASF delegation visited NLMK in Lipetsk for the first time and signed a supply agreement for coil coatings. Whether dealing with cultural differences or economic challenges, the relationship between the two companies has proven to be rock solid.Their mutual trust paid off in 1999. A new five-year agreement was signed and the success story continued.
For Valery Rogachov, head of Coil Coatings Technology at NLMK, one thing is sure: “We value BASF as a reliable partner who supports us with innovative coil coatings solutions in our markets.” <more>

Hyundai teams up with BASF for new concept car
One of the world's leading chemical companies, BASF and the Hyundai Motor Group have joined forces to make a new concept car- the i-flow. The car is on display at the BASF booth in the ongoing PlastIndia 2012 at Pragati Maidan from February 2-3, 2012.
The i-flow follows Hyundai's fluidic design' theme. BASF's contribution lies in the technologies which help save fuel and also to reduce the carbon footprint. The diesel engine in the i-flow concept car gets foam polyurethane insulation which allows the engine to reach optimum operating temperature faster and also helps it in cooling down quickly. Additionally, a harvesting system using the thermoelectric effect converts heat from the exhaust gases into electrical energy which powers auxiliary systems.
The i-flow also gets infra-red transparent and reflecting pigments for its interiors which result in the car staying cool in spite of being exposed to sunlight. The seat frame of this car uses a polyamide which has 60 per cent of renewable raw materials and energy absorbing foam. The seats also use a moisture absorbing material which will basically ensure that the passengers stay fresh. <more>

Bayer Scientists Discuss How Formulation Variables Determine How Topcoats Weather the Storm
Tampa, FL, February 03, 2012 --(PR.com)-- The weathering performance of polyurethane topcoats can be altered by changing variables such as pigment-to-binder (P/B) ratio, isocyanates index, resin/polyisocyanate selection, fillers and additives. Two Bayer MaterialScience LLC scientists set out to determine what effect modifying these variables has on the performance of two-component polyurethane topcoats used in corrosion protection applications, such as bridges, marine settings and stadiums.

At Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC) Conference 2012, Kurt Best, senior development specialist, and Ed Squiller, technical director, both of Bayer MaterialScience LLC, detailed the findings of a five-year study comparing some key formulating variables influencing weathering performance of aliphatic polyurethane topcoats in QUV-A and Florida exposure. The authors presented “2-Component Polyurethane Topcoats: Formulating Variables Affecting Performance in the Heavy Duty Corrosion Protections Market,” at 4 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 2, in Room 20. Their presentation was part of session abs82 and the Big Bridges, Big Solutions track.

Commercial topcoats and some lab formulas were used to illustrate raw material choices and how weathering performance plays out in both QUV-A and natural Florida exposure scenarios. The resulting performance of these coatings was compared using SSPC Paint 36 as a baseline. SSPC Paint 36 is often used in industrial maintenance and marine markets to define performance criteria for polyurethane topcoats.

According to Squiller, “The degree of weathering performance expected from a polyurethane topcoat changes, depending on the PVC, isocyanate indexing and polyol selection. Of the three formulation options tested, we found that the choice of acrylic polyol has the most significant impact on long-term weathering of the aliphatic polyurethane topcoat.” <more>

Materials Scientist Charged With Fraud
Prosecution: Former Penn State researcher is accused of misusing $3 million in federal grants
Federal prosecutors have charged a leading materials scientist with wire fraud, making false statements, and money laundering. The researcher, Craig A. Grimes, formerly an electrical engineering professor at Pennsylvania State University, defrauded federal agencies of some $3 million in research grants, the prosecutors say.
Grimes was perhaps best known for his lab’s 2009 discovery that titanium dioxide nanotubes, when hit by sunlight, can turn carbon dioxide into methane, a process that he said could be used as a source of energy (Nano Lett., DOI:10.1021/nl803258p). He ranked 25th in a list of the world’s top 100 materials scientists compiled by Science Watch in 2011.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania accused Grimes on Jan. 31 of misusing $1.2 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health and of falsifying information when applying for a $1.9 million grant from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). If convicted, he could face up to 35 years in prison and fines of up to $750,000. <more>