Painting a rosy picture
The future looks bright for paint companies on the back of a boom in construction and housing segment.

By the looks of it, the future is going to be painted in vibrant colours for the paint industry. Primarily driven by the boom in housing and construction segment, the sector fundamentals are looking brighter than ever, say analysts.

What is more, growth in auto, coating and industrial paints segment is also adding to the cheer. With the industry growth rate pegged at 12-14 per cent going forward, analysts are optimistic about future price potential in stocks such as Asian Paints, Goodlass Nerolac, Berger Paints etc.

Set to grow
Growing disposable incomes of people, improving lifestyles and the retail sector boom have also come as a big boost to the paint industry. Moreover, the per capita consumption of paints in India is still very low at about 700 grams per annum, in comparison to 22 kg in US, which leaves ample scope for future growth.

"The paint industry should see buoyant times ahead with the economy expected to grow at seven per cent," says Goodlass Nerolac managing director H M Bharuka.

"The demand for premium paints is on the rise due to aspirational consumers who want better homes and lifestyles," says Ashwin Dani, Asian Paints vice-chairman & managing director. <more>

Shalimar starts technical collaboration with KCI
Shalimar Paints Limited (SPL), a paint company based in India, has signed a technical collaboration agreement with Kunsul Chemical Industries Company Limited (KCI), Korea, for pre-coated metal coatings. KCI is one of the largest manufacturers of PCM coatings in Korea. Under the collaboration agreement KCI will be giving the technical know-how to SPL for various PCM products. SPL is planning to set up a PCM coating plant in its Nasik factory based on the know-how to be provided by KCI and will be manufacturing both architectural and appliance grade PCM coatings. The market for coil coatings in India has grown considerably in the last two years. Today, the installed capacity is 570,000 MT which is expected to almost double in the next three years with the additional lines coming up

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India approve Lesonal refinish
APCJ October 2005
Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India has approved Lesonal refinish paint for after market painting jobs at their dealer network after just 6 months of initiating the approval process. This is the first automotive approval in the two-wheeler segment for Lesonal in India.

Mohammed Faisal Gourh, AAM manager India said, 'Bodyshops can increase their profitability by using Lesonal, as the two-wheeler parts can now be repaired instead of having to be replaced.' He added, 'Customers will have their motorcycle or scooter back much faster.'

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India were looking for renowned paint companies to stabilise their after market paint jobs. They tested Akzo Nobel's products on consumption/cost, colour matching abilities and a strong dealer network across India. In addition to offering the first class Lesonal assortment, Akzo Nobel will offer training to bodyshop staff to help them reap the full benefit from the products.


Rohm and Haas will set up a facility for specialty chemicals in South India
Rohm and Haas (India) Pvt Ltd, a specialty chemicals company, plans to invest INR 1,000 million in setting up a greenfield facility in South India and expanding capacities in its existing plant in Western India. The company is setting up the facility in South India primarily to address the growth in the two key businesses it is present ? architect and functional coatings; and adhesives and sealants. A part of the investment would also go into expansion of its manufacturing facility at Taloja, near Mumbai. This plant manufactures water based emulsion polymers for the decorative paints, textiles, construction, paper coatings and leather industries, and flexible packaging adhesives. With its capacity building plan, the company wants to grow its turnover to INR 7,000 million over the next five years from INR 2,500 million in 2005.

2005 Top Companies
The ranking is based on annual sales of paint, coatings, adhesives, sealants and related products. For companies based outside the U.S., sales are translated into U.S. dollars using the average currency exchange rate for the company\'s fiscal year/reporting period <more>

Powder Coating Giant Opens Plant in China's Hebei Province
BEIJING, Nov 24 Asia Pulse - Powder coating giant Akzo Nobel has recently opened a powder coating plant in Langfang, located in north China's Hebei province.
The Netherlands-based firm now has four plants in China.

Akzo Nobel CEO Hans Wijers said Akzo Nobel's strategy is to build plants closest to its clients.

Akzo Nobel-Langfang Company will mainly engage in the research and development (R&D), production and sale of powder coating. A new R&D department has been set up and the technologies, raw materials, equipment and processes used will be the same as those used by other Akzo Nobel Companies around the world.

Sprinkler helps contain fire at Myco Display Manufacturing
ROCKFORD — A malfunctioning piece of machinery Tuesday sparked a fire that caused about $50,000 in damages to Myco Display Manufacturing, 1122 Milford Ave.

Firefighters were dispatched at 8:08 p.m. to the 400,000-plus-square-foot facility after receiving reports of a commercial building fire.

Upon arrival, firefighters were met by company employees who said the powder-coating machine malfunctioned and ignited powder coating material. An attempt by employees to extinguish the fire with portable fire extinguishers was un-successful, and the sprinkler head activated and doused the flames.

About 45 employees safely exited the building before fire department arrival.

“This is a perfect example of how effective a sprinkler system is,” said Rockford Fire Investigator Bill Hyde.

“One sprinkler head extinguished the fire. It confined the fire to the area of origin. All the employees got out, and they were back in business today.”

Firefighters assisted employees with shutting down the water flow to the sprinkler head, exhausting smoke, and cleaning up water.
 
Tikkurila To Become The Leading Paint Company In Russia
In line with the Group's strategy, Kemira strengthens its market position in the Eastern European paints and coatings business through the acquisition of OOO KRASKI TEKS paints company in Russia.

Through this acquisition Tikkurila, the company responsible for the paints and coatings business of the Finland-based chemicals company Kemira, will become the leading paints company in Russia. The net sales of the company totalled USD 70 million in 2004. The company employs 800 persons on a permanent basis. The agreement is subject to final approval by the relevant authorities and other conditions set out for finalising the transaction. The debt-free purchase price has been set on USD 40 million.

Hexion Specialty Chemicals To Purchase Coatings & Adhesives Business From The Rhodia Group, Acquisition Strengthens Hexion Waterborne Coatings Business
COLUMBUS, November 4, 2005 -- Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Inc., the world's leading producer of thermoset resins for industrial uses, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase the decorative coatings and adhesives business unit of The Rhodia Group.

The Rhodia business had 2004 sales of approximately EUR 150 million, with about two-thirds in Europe and the rest in other global regions. The business produces emulsion and powder latexes, which are used in decorative paints and construction mortars; pressure sensitive adhesives and anti-foam agents, used in the converter labeling market and other applications; and acrylic resins used in specialty roof tile coatings and coating latexes in the Asian and Australian markets.

The business includes 8 production facilities and employs approximately 440 people. It will become part of Hexion's Coatings & Inks Division, a global leader in thermoset resins and materials serving diverse markets including coatings, inks and composites. The manufacturing facilities that will be acquired are located in Ribecourt and Bolbec, France; Leuna, Germany; Asua, Spain; Paulinia, Brazil; Clayton, The United Kingdom; Boxhill, Australia; and, Samutsakorn, Thailand. <more>

Changes Designed to Stimulate Nordson's Overall Financial Growth
WESTLAKE, Ohio, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nordson Corporation (Nasdaq: NDSN) today announced a number of restructuring and other actions being taken to improve performance and reduce costs in its Finishing and Coating business segment. These actions, which include operational consolidations and personnel reductions, commenced during the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2005, and will be substantially completed during the first half of the fiscal year 2006.

"These actions are being taken to align resource investments with shifting patterns of global demand. By these actions, the Finishing and Coating segment will operate with both lower costs and better capability to serve customers in the faster growing emerging markets," said Edward P. Campbell, chairman and chief executive officer.

The restructuring of the Finishing and Coating business is expected to produce annual cost savings of approximately $4 million by the end of fiscal
year 2006. Excluding the potentially positive effect of growth initiatives, the shifting of direct sales to third party distribution in select markets and
the discontinuation of certain product lines should reduce revenue on an annual basis by approximately $4 million. The company anticipates thes e
actions will result in restructuring charges totaling $3.3 million of which approximately $1.0 million will be reflected in the fourth quarter of fiscal
year 2005.

Taking into the effect the above noted restructuring charge as well as the share repurchase action announced in September, it is estimated that earnings per share for the fourth quarter will be at the high end of the earnings guidance range provided in August of $.62 to $.68 per share.
As part of the restructuring of the Finishing and Coating business segment, Nordson will:

- Close its Electrostatic Technology Inc. (ETI) operation located in Branford, Connecticut. ETI manufactures fluidized bed powder coating
systems. Nordson will continue providing technical support for previously sold engineered systems, supply spare parts, and honor
service agreements of current ETI customers. Support for existing ETI customers will be transferred to Nordson's Amherst, Ohio facility - the
global engineering and operations center for Finishing and Coating businesses.

- Expand its Finishing and Coating Center of Excellence (FCCE) at the Nordson facility in Erkrath, Germany. This facility will give customers
the ability to work closely with engineers in an expanded collaborative  environment to test equipment, integrate powder systems into their
respective projects, and receive highly responsive solutions-based feedback and customer service.

- Move its Finishing and Coating manufacturing operations in Italy to Erkrath, Germany to gain operational and overhead efficiencies. The
move will facilitate close coordination with the FCCE, and position the business segment to meet customers' growing demands in Central Europe
and growing emerging markets, including Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

- Integrate its U.S.-based sales teams for powder coating and liquid
finishing systems to form one high-performance Finishing Sales organization. The sales team will operate under centralized management
in Amherst, Ohio, thereby taking advantage of increased selling opportunities at common customers and optimizing sales efforts in both
product lines.

Except for historical information and comparisons contained herein, statements included in this release may constitute "forward-looking
statements," as defined by The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other
factors, as discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that could cause actual results to differ materially. <more>

UTEK Completes Technology Transfer with Trio Industries Group, Inc.; Transfer Includes License to a Wood-Fiber Particle Board Alternative

PLANT CITY, Fla. & DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 18, 2005--UTEK Corporation (AMEX:UTK)(LSE-AIM:UTKA), an innovative technology transfer company, and Trio Industries Group, Inc. (Pink Sheets:TRIG), a fully integrated manufacturer of finished household cabinet components and contract furniture, announced today that Trio Industries Group, Inc. has acquired Cornboard Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of UTEK Corporation, in a stock transaction.


Cornboard Technologies, Inc. holds the exclusive license to a patented technology developed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that uses the fibrous husk and stalk waste products of the corn processing industry to form a structural composite board that is thought to be stronger and harder than wood-fiber composites. The use of this otherwise discarded resource may provide significant cost savings and reduce the utilization of wood forests. The corn-based fiber is widely available, and the husks require no further processing prior to their use in the composite.

"With cornhusks, no processing is required other than cleaning and drying. The fiber is then layered into a mold that has been pre-treated with a releasing agent for easy removal," said Inventor Scott White, Professor of Aeronautical Engineering at Illinois. Professor White added, "Once the composite has been compressed and cooled, it is removed from the mold and can be cut or shaped as needed. First forming thinner composites and then compressing them together can prepare composites of any thickness."

"Trio Industries Group, Inc. is enthusiastic about this technology and its potential for being a suitable and practical replacement to wood-fiber particle board. We are looking forward to expanding upon this technology," said Rob Gyemant, Chief Executive Officer of Trio Industries Group, Inc. "The overproduction of agricultural products like corn provides an abundant supply of renewable resources for industrial products as well as the opportunity to reduce undesirable effects on our natural resources."

"UTEK is pleased to consummate this technology transfer with Trio Industries Group, Inc. and we look forward to continuing our efforts to identify additional technology acquisition opportunities for their consideration," said Joel Edelson, Vice President of Technology Alliances for UTEK Corporation.

About the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a world leader in research, teaching and public engagement, distinguished by the breadth of its programs, broad academic excellence, and internationally renowned faculty. Illinois alumni have earned Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes and Olympic medals, have orbited the earth and lead international corporations. The campus offers rich experiences beyond the classroom, from the best performing arts to Big Ten sports. For more information about the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, please visit its website at http://www.uiuc.edu.

About Trio Industries Group, Inc.

Trio Industries was formed in early 2000 to capitalize on disruptive new coatings technologies developed by DuPont and Rohm and Haas Company, two leading specialty chemical firms which patented powder coating applications that provide an enhanced performance acrylic coating finish to wood products. Such coated wood products are used in a variety of industries, including leading starter homes and multi-family housing developments, office furniture components and ready-to-assemble products being sold by today's "big box" retailers. For more information on Trio Industries, please visit its website at http://www.trioindustries.net.

About UTEK Corporation

UTEK(R) is a leading, market-driven technology transfer company that enables companies to rapidly acquire innovative technologies from universities and research laboratories worldwide. UTEK facilitates the identification and then finances the acquisition of external technologies for clients in exchange for their equity securities. This unique process is called U2B(R). In addition to its U2B(R) service, UTEK offers both large and small capitalization companies the tools to search, analyze and manage university intellectual properties. UTEK has operations in the United States, United Kingdom and Israel. For more information about UTEK, please visit its website at http://www.utekcorp.com.


Huber Group Acquires Majority in Micro Inks
Coatings Flash - November 07, 2005
The Huber Group, the world's 5th largest printing ink manufacturer has agreed to form an alliance with the Bilakhia Family in Micro Inks Ltd. Huber has agreed to acquire a majority stake between 50.5 % and up to 59.06 % in Micro Inks at a price of INR 675 per share resulting in a total consideration of up to INR 9,915 million. Bilakhias would continue to hold a minority interest in Micro Inks. Huber, through its holding company MHM Holding GmbH will also launch the obligatory tender offer to acquire up to 20 % of the shares of Micro Inks Ltd. The transaction, which is subject to requisite Indian regulatory and other approvals, is expected to be completed by early 2006. Both parties have also agreed to cooperate globally and the Bilakhias will acquire a 46 % stake in a European subsidiary of Huber - Stehlin & Hostag AG.

Flexible workstations from Maxton Fox
In response to a growing demand in the market for a workstation that is more flexible but still be attractive, Maxton Fox has updated its Kris Kros Over system to meet these requests.

The Kris Kros Over system installed at Ray White, Brisbane.

While still maintaining its core essence of being a highly-configurable panel and desk system, the group says it has improved on the finer details and improved it’s function and flexibility.

This system was introduced as a large-scale installation for Ray White (Brisbane) and proves to be a highly successful and effective solution. Stemming from the success of this project, a number of other clients have benefited from the freedom that this system provides.

The Trimatrx system is a product and process system developed between Orica, Alpine Industries and Dulux Powder Coating whereby powder coating can be applied to MDF board. A special resin is used in the manufacture of the board to create MDFMR, allowing it to be coated successfully using electrostatic spray guns during the powder coating process.

This was completed earlier this year after almost two years of extensive testing carried out in the Dulux laboratories in conjunction with Maxton Fox’s manufacturing facility in western Sydney. When applied by a Dulux registered applicator such as Maxton Fox (one of only two in NSW), the coating meets Din standards (68861) for performance of the surface when exposed to extreme conditions such as coffee and lipstick staining, cigarette burns, and boiling water spills. If damaged in use, acrylic paints are available for on-site touch-ups.

Coupled with the design flexibility of the powder coated Trimatrx worksurfaces, Kris Kros Over establishes itself as a popular addition to the Maxton Fox range of workstation systems.

 

Fluorine & Silicone in Coatings
Dec 6-7
Manchester, UK , Web: www.flourineandsiliconecoatings.com   

PACE 2006,
Jan 29 - Feb 1
Tampa Convention Center Tampa, FL Sponsored by PDCA and SSPC , Web: www.pace2006.com 

ASTM Committee D01 on Paint and Related Coatings, Materials, and Applications
22.1. - 25.1. 2006
Ft. Lauderdale, FL/USA
ASTM International, Tim Brooke

Statistics and Standardization
24.1. 2006
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./USA
ASTM International Committee D01 on Paint and Related Coatings, Materials and Appliation

5th International Paint, Coatings, Resin, Chemicals & Composites Industrial Fair 2006
25.1. - 28.1. 2006
Tehran/Iran
Banian Omid Co.
 

Take-up and Drive
Drives can be either caterpillar chain or sprocket-type. They impart the mechanical force to the chain to move it through the system Typically, the drive unit is a floating frame type. The motor, reducer and power transmission float in a fixed frame. The drive is located at a point where it can supply significant pulling force on a heavily loaded portion of the chain. The drive is usually not located too close to an oven entrance that could dry out the lubricant and somewhere before the washer so that parts are not contaminated by drips. The function of the take-up is to maintain tension on the chain. It can be adjusted to compensate for chain stretch. As the chain stretches, the amount of slack may become too great to be ”taken up,“ and it will become necessary to remove links from the chain. This is a part of regular chain maintenance. A spring or counterweighted take-up can be used but a pneumatic take-up is preferred for thermal expansion and contraction. The cat drive should be located just before the take- up. Avoid excessive pressure on the pneumatic take-up. It should be no greater than 10 PSI to avoid binding the chain.

Power and Free Conveyor
A power-and-free system utilizes a free rail and multiple drive rails to transport parts through the various stages of the process at different speeds. The drive rail, which has a chain and drive like the continuous speed conveyor systems, sits above the free rail. Two load supporting trolleys, connected by a load bar, ride on the free rail below. The power track chain engages the trolleys and moves the load to a predetermined location. The load can be dropped and picked up by another drive. This gives the power-and-free conveyor the flexibility to move product at different speeds, to stop and accumulate product on load bars, or to route product to different locations. In powder coating systems, it can be used to route parts to any number of booths, each dedicated to a single color. It can also be used to bank parts in the oven, on close centers and hold them for a period of time, thus reducing the oven size. One of the reasons that a powder coater would consider a power-and free  system is very long parts. Parts in excess of 20’ can be very difficult to turn. With a power-and-free system, the two trolleys can be moved onto separate rails to make it possible to reverse the direction of the part without a turn. The flexibility of a power-and-free system can make them a very desirable asset in certain situations. However, power-and-free systems are complex designs that must be carefully balanced to avoid problems.They are also very expensive and they require more conscientious maintenance and care in operation.Controls for power-and-free systems utilize programmable logic controllers (PLC) for operation. The carriers are fitted with coded identification methods to indicate to the PLC how they are to be routed through the system. A mechanical flag or bar code is used to identify each carrier. The loader inputs the process information related to the carrier. As the carrier approaches a switch point, the flag is read by a photoeye and the PLC determines which way to route the carrier. The operator may interface with the control system with simple indicating lights or a more sophisticated system like a touch screen or other graphical system. The controls for any conveyor system should include a simple to understand input process to avoid operator error. Audible alarms should be included to announce a start up of the drive. System status can be monitored and details of daily operation can be stored and retrieved. Careful thought should be given to what control features are needed.
 

Dear Sir,
We take pleasure in introducing ourselves as representatives of Coating Thickness Gauges from Automation Dr. Nix GmbH – Germany.
Yours faithfully, Rajendra Bisawa, Pamvi Engineering Works Ltd.

Hi Vivek
As you mentioned in your newsletter for free listing. Please list us on your website
Kaushal Thakker
Perfect Coats Mumbai
Moderator: Done

Dear Vivek,
I am Rajendra Reddy Polu working as Senior Scientist (R&D) with one of the powder coating unit in Texas, since almost 10 years. I have been involved in developing powder coatings of functional and deco (industrail) applications.  I am trying to contact Arjun Sen.
Moderator We are sorry to inform that Mr Arjun Sen is no more. He passed away on April  26th this year.