These and other trends are presented in a new study, Green Building Materials, by Freedonia.

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified lumber and wood panels are expected to be the fastest-growing green products, albeit from small bases. FSC-certified products are produced via environmentally responsible and socially beneficial forestry practices. As the supply of FSC-certified wood grows, demand for FSC-certified wood panels is projected to more than triple between 2008 and 2013, growing more than three times as fast as the overall market for wood panels.

Other products expected to see fast growth through 2013 include water-efficient plumbing fixtures and fittings and energy-efficient lighting fixtures. Demand for these products is forecast to grow at a double-digit pace through 2013, but account for only a small share of total green building materials market.

The greatest absolute gains will come from green floor coverings, the largest source of green building materials demand. Green carpets and flooring include Green Label Plus-certified carpets and products made from rapidly renewable resources (e.g., bamboo and cork flooring).

Concrete made from fly ash, blast furnace slag and other recycled materials accounted for the second-largest share of green building materials demand in 2008—more than 15 percent of the market total. The use of recycled materials in concrete not only reduces the volume of waste sent to landfills, but often enhances the performance of the concrete.<more>

Zero-VOC Paint Colorants
BASF introduced PureOptions, described as a point-of-sale paint-tinting system that can be used to produce a range of paint colors with low odor and zero VOC content as measured in accordance with U.S. EPA Method 24.

The colorants are formulated to retain optimal paint performance properties such as gloss, color reproducibility, and blocking resistance without the addition of VOCs, the company says. The products also contain no alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs), which are considered environmentally detrimental. The colorants are reported to be produced using the same processes as the company’s other colorant products. <more>


Epoxy-Urethane Floor-Coating System
CASS Polymers Inc. introduced the PolyMax 4000EF epoxy-urethane floor-coating system, described as low in VOCs at less than 85 grams per liter, with virtually no odor during installation and a high-gloss, light-reflective, UV-stable finish.

The product is reported to be non-porous and easy to clean and maintain, and is characterized by a high degree of wear and chemical resistance, the company says. The system’s “breathability” prevents blistering and peeling due to the trapping of moisture vapor under the coating. The system is reported to provide resistance to aviation and automotive fluids such as gasoline, hydraulic fluids. and Skydrol.<more>

PPG Aerospace Offers “Green” Paint System
SYLMAR, CA – A new “green” exterior aircraft painting system in development by PPG Industries’ Aerospace Coatings business has shown corrosion resistance comparable to processes using chromated pretreatment and primers. It also provides an easier application than alternative environmentally responsible systems.


The PPG Aerospace chromate-free depaint/repaint process includes a new exterior epoxy primer based on nanotechnology and an adhesion promoter PPG manufactures under license from Boeing.

“In salt spray and filiform corrosion testing, metal surfaces protected by new Desoprime HS CA 7502 high-solids exterior epoxy primer showed the same corrosion resistance as those coated with chromated primers,” said Alan Schoeder, PPG Aerospace Commercial Coatings Global Segment Manager. The primer is expected to be qualified this year at Boeing, he added. <more>

Green is the new, hot color in automotive paints
Waterborne refinishing products are replacing solvent-borne refinishing products because they emit less volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants, including toluene, xylene, methyl ethyl ketone and ethyl benzene than solvent-borne materials. This makes waterborne paints less toxic as the VOC level is reduced by almost a half. VOCs contribute to depletion of the ozone layer, smog production and adverse health effects.

The VOCs are organic chemical compounds that have high enough vapor pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere. A wide range of carbon-based molecules, such as aldehydes, ketones and other light hydrocarbons are VOCs. The Environmental Protection Agency defines a VOC as any organic compound that participates in a photoreaction.<more>
 

Nordson Prodigy(R) Powder Painting Solution Saves Refrigeration Manufacturer Nearly a Quarter of a Million Dollars in First Year of Use
Asymtek DispenseJet(R) Systems Enable Consistent and Reliable Dispensing of Liquid Electrolyte Materials for Micro-fuel Cells and Electro-chemical Applications
Nordson Prodigy(R) Powder Painting Solution Saves Refrigeration Manufacturer Nearly a Quarter of a Million Dollars in First Year of Use
Nordson Earns Multiple Awards for Product Innovation and Customer Service at 2009 IPC APEX Expo
EFD Wins 2009 Vision Award from Surface Mount Technology Magazine
Asymtek Features Customer-Inspired Dispensing Solutions at APEX 2009 in Booth 2024
April 8, 2009 4:30 PM EDT

AMHERST, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nordson Corporation (NASDAQ: NDSN) customer Kysor//Warren, a century-old manufacturer of refrigeration solutions for the supermarket industry, reports that it has realized annual savings of $225,000 related to efficiencies gained from the use of Nordson's Prodigy High-Density, Low-Velocity (HDLV) manual gun powder coating system.

Kysor//Warren (Columbia, GA) is a leading supplier of frozen, medium temperature and heated display merchandisers and mechanical refrigeration systems used by many major national and regional grocery chains. The company recently converted to a Nordson Prodigy system as it moved toward lean manufacturing operations. In its first year, Kysor/Warren attributed a savings of nearly a quarter of a million dollars to the Prodigy system, resulting from improved line density, material savings and increased productivity.

At Kysor//Warren, each refrigeration display case is manufactured and powder coated based on a custom order, which means 90 to 100 color changes on average during each two-shift day. The company offers approximately 150 colors with 40 or 50 different colors used regularly, and will add more colors as customers request them. At the time of conversion, Kysor//Warren had a 56-foot gap between parts for every manual color change. Its goals were to improve line density, increase production by coating 70 percent more units per week, and reduce spray-to-waste color changes.

The Prodigy manual spray system precisely dispenses powder coating for superior finish quality, less waste and fast color changes. Its innovative nozzle technology ensures a softer spray, larger fan pattern, even pattern distribution and less powder consumption. In addition, the combination of the Prodigy manual powder spray gun and controller and the Prodigy HDLV pump provides for higher transfer efficiency, higher powder output, and ultra-fast color change.

As a result, Kysor//Warren decreased its line spacing and picked-up an additional three hours of production time each day - without actually working three additional hours. The company also reduced wasted powder 25 percent. The HDLV technology is also helping Kysor//Warren achieve coating thicknesses consistently between 2 mils and 3 mils and one of the best lead times in the industry. It has also achieved a staggering 50 percent increase in production.

"We've increased the number of color changes, which goes against what you'd normally want when focusing on lean production. But when you cut color change time by 70 percent, it works really well toward increasing production," explains Matt Goodson, paint technician, Kysor//Warren.

The only fully integrated solution available to manufacturers today, the Prodigy system incorporates a HDLV high-capacity transfer pump, gun delivery pump and spray gun, offering high-performance material transport and application. Combining the benefits of a softer spray and less powder consumption with easy operation, many manufacturers have documented significant costs savings and more efficiency in their powder coating operations. The benefits of the Prodigy HDLV Manual Gun System include:

-- Less air in transport line for lower powder velocity and softer spray
-- Softer spray at gun tip for higher first pass transfer efficiency
-- Higher first pass transfer efficiency means greater powder savings
-- Softer spray with more powder means better coverage in cavities and
corners
-- Paints faster at high line speeds with higher powder output
-- Purgeable design provides ultra-fast color change


For more information on how Nordson's Prodigy HDLV Manual Gun System can help save costs and improve efficiency, visit us on-line at www.nordson.com/businesses/powder .

Nordson Corporation is one of the world's leading producers of precision dispensing equipment that applies adhesives, sealants and coatings to a broad range of consumer and industrial products during manufacturing operations. The company also manufactures equipment used in the testing and inspection of electronic components as well as technology-based systems used for curing and surface treatment processes. Headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, Nordson has more than 4,100 employees worldwide, and direct operations and sales support offices in 32 countries.
 
Nordson's CEO to retire, successor sought
 WESTLAKE, Ohio (AP) - Nordson Corp., which makes precision dispensing equipment, said Wednesday that Edward P. Campbell, its president, chief executive and chairman, intends to retire early next year.

Campbell, 59, will remain until the board picks a successor. That process, expected to take until the end of the year, will consider internal and external candidates.

Campbell, who joined Nordson in 1988 as corporate vice president, also said he will retire from the board after the CEO transition.<more>

Asian Paints Mar qtr net profit seen at Rs 71.7 cr: M Oswal
Motilal Oswal has come out with its earning estimates on FMCG sector for the quarter ended March 2009. According to the research firm, Asian Paints' March quarter sales are expected to go up by 7.5% to Rs 1217.6 crore on YoY basis.

The company's net profit is expected to go down by 25.8% to Rs 71.7 crore on YoY basis.<more>

ASTM A1059/A1059M
The ASTM International Committee A05 on Metallic-Coated Iron and Steel Products has approved a new standard, ASTM A1059/A1059M, Specification for Zinc Alloy Thermo-Diffusion Coatings (TDC) on Steel Fasteners, Hardware and Other Products. The new standard is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee A05.13 on Structural Shapes and Hardware Specifications. The technology described in ASTM A1059/A1059M has, over the last 15 years, become a popular means for providing an environmentally friendly way to replace toxic materials, such as cadmium and chromium compounds, used for corrosion protection.<more>

Dow completes acquisition of Rohm and Haas
The Dow Chemical Company has completed its acquisition of Rohm and Haas on 1 April. This combination will create a USD 14 billion diversified business portfolio, which will be called Dow's Advanced Materials division. The division is intended to achieve USD 3.0 billion in additional value growth opportunities, as well as annual cost synergies of USD 1.3 billion. Rohm and Haas is the key element in Dow's new Advanced Materials division. Pierre Brondeau has been named president and CEO of this division, which includes: Coatings, Building and Construction, Specialty Materials, Adhesives and Functional Polymers, and Electronic Materials.

More news from Rohm and Haas
Rohm and Haas has announced plans to exit its current powder coating production site at Castellón, Spain, and build a new, smaller facility in the same area. According to the company, the new facility reflects the company's continued drive for customer excellence in terms of rapid product development and turnaround of made-to-order products, in addition to its already extensive made-to-stock Claymore range of 800 products, which was introduced last year across all of Europe. This transition will occur throughout the rest of 2009 and into 2010.

"Despite the challenges of the current economic climate, through the introduction of our pan-European Fast-Track development model and the re-engineering of our manufacturing footprint, we are demonstrating our commitment to the very important Spanish powder coatings market," said Xavier Susterac, general manager for Powder Coatings, Europe. "This new set-up will be less extensive than our current site, reflecting the new dynamics of the Spanish market. However, it will enable us to offer excellent service to our customers and to remain very competitive by reducing our manufacturing costs

Coatings Supplier of the Year for Fourth Time
Apr 02, 2009  DuPont has been selected as the 2008 Supplier of the Year by Yamaha Motors do Brazil, a subsidiary of Yamaha Motors Corporation. DuPont is the exclusive coatings supplier to Yamaha, which built 340,000 motorcycles in 2008 at its Manaus manufacturing site. <more>

Dupont India growing by leaps & bounds despite slowdown

Did we hear slowdown? Dupont India is all set to prove that even at the time of slowdown, the company is growing by leaps and bounds. While globally people were fired, the India division is hiring people and has a target of adding 300 more people to its already existing workforce. Diane Gulyas, Group VP, Dupont talks to Mansi Tiwari about how Dupont India will drive the growth for Dupont.<more>


Indian paint market to grow
(European Coatings Report)
The Indian decorative paint market is to achieve at least 2,000,000 tonnes by 2013 as international influences are established and consumers grow more adventurous. Additionally, a steady growth in the automotive market can be expected as Indian car ownership increases in line with affordability and infrastructure. The above insights are from IRL's fourth Profile of the Indian Paint Industry. The report provides a five-year market forecast based on estimates of the various paint sector sizes for the Indian fiscal years 2008/9 to 2013-4. Strong growth in the Indian powder coatings segment is expected, as new applications and their advantages are discovered.

Interpolymer opens new manufacturing facility for acrylic polymers in China
Interpolymer GmbH, Hassloch announced that the first production line of a new facility for waterborne styrene-acrylic dispersions, acrylic solutions and wax dispersions has started production in Nanjing, China. The plant is scheduled to be fully operational for all technology platforms by June 2009. The plant was constructed on a greenfield site at the Nanjing Chemical Industrial Park with a current capacity of 40,000 metric tons annually and with additional space for further expansion. The plant has been designed with the capabilities to manufacture environmentally friendly polymers and additives for specialty paints, inks and coatings, personal care products, detergents and cleaners, as well as for tailor-made polymers.<more>

PPG Industries
PPG Industries recently established the first waterborne automotive paint training center in a college in China at Shanghai Communications Polytechnic (SCP). The opening of the training center increases the coordination between college education and original-equipment manufacturing technology while enhancing the link between studies and practical work experience. "College is a place where talented individuals are trained," said James Yang, business director of PPG Refinish, China and Hong Kong. "Since 2003, PPG has been involved in various educational programs in the region. The establishment of the waterborne paint training center clearly demonstrates PPG's determination to lead the industry in environmentally responsible technology. We hope to create the most eco-friendly, advanced and efficient working environment through providing waterborne paints, green equipment and advanced technologies to students


European Coatings Show 2009, Brief closing report
Undiminished power of innovation
The European Coatings Show plus Adhesives, Sealants, Construction Chemicals, which took place in the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg from 31 March to 2 April 2009, again proved its undiminished power of innovation at its tenth edition since 1991.

The international coatings industry currently faces special challenges due to the problems experienced by its major customers in the building and motor industries. Development is making great advances, however, especially in the field of high-quality coatings and paints, sealants, construction chemicals and adhesives: The basic properties alone have long ceased to be sufficient; there is an extremely big demand for new product functionalities such as self-cleaning and self-healing coatings or antibacterial coatings. And all this under the important aspects of environmental compatibility and sustainability.

The 806 exhibitors who came to Nürnberg for the European Coatings Show 2009 from 42 countries offered the approx. 20,000 trade visitors from 90 nations a world-class range of raw materials, laboratory and production equipment, testing and measuring equipment, and services on a net display area of almost 27,500 m2 . This clearly exceeded the cautious expectations of the exhibiting companies. 160 product presentations at three forums at the heart of the exhibition provided additional information during the three days of the event.

European Coatings Congress and European Coatings Award 2009
The European Coatings Congress, which started the day before on 30 March, was the industry’s magnifying glass once again: 160 top speakers from all over the world ventured a look into the future of the coatings industry with the 461 congress participants at 26 highly compressed sessions. The European Coatings Award for the best congress paper at the European Coatings Congress 2009 was presented to Dr. Zhen Wen Fu and his colleagues Andrew Hejl and Andrew Swartz from Rohm and Haas, USA, for their paper on “Designed diffusion technology: A paradigm shift in film formation”.

Click here for your tube video (in german)


Akzo Posts Unexpected Loss as Asian Paint Sales Slip (Update2)
April 23 (Bloomberg) -- Akzo Nobel NV, the world’s largest maker of paints, reported an unexpected first-quarter loss on sliding demand for household paints in Asia.

The net loss was 7 million euros ($9.1 million), compared with a profit of 105 million euros a year earlier, the Amsterdam-based company said today in a statement. Analysts predicted a profit of 49.3 million euros. Sales declined 13 percent to 3.3 billion euros. <more>



Job-cuts layoffs

Merck to cut back on pigment production
German pharmaceutical and chemical company Merck KGaA said it would curb pigment production in Germany, the U.S., Japan and China, while it expects 2009 to be a difficult year overall. The company said it would put about 500 German pigment workers on shorter hours but didn't expect job cuts domestically. The 500 affected German workers are at the Gernsheim facility near Frankfurt. Other pigment production sites in Savannah, Georgia, Onahama, Japan and Songjiang, China would also be affected by production cutbacks, but spokeswoman Phyllis Carter wouldn't say if that meant facility shutdowns, shorter hours programs or job cuts.

Spokane paint-making plant to close
Sherwin-Williams Co. will close its Columbia Paint and Coatings manufacturing facility in Spokane, WA, eliminating 37 jobs. The paint-making plant on Haven Street opened 36 years ago. No retail paint stores are closing, the company said. Sherwin-Williams acquired Helena, MT-based Columbia Paint in 2007. The company operates 120 Sherwin-Williams stores and 42 Columbia Paint stores in six Northwest states. That includes four Columbia and six Sherwin-Williams stores in the Spokane area. The Spokane plant will close this summer because of "the challenges in the economy have created reduced demand and created excess capacity," the company said.

DuPont to reduce staff numbers
DuPont Teijin Films, whose European headquarters are in Contern in Luxembourg, has announced that it will reduce its staffing by 39 by the end of the year. However, no severance packages will be planned because there will be no layoffs. The reductions will come from early retirement and natural wastage. Vacancies will no longer be filled as the chemical company is suffering from the economic crisis.

Don't let trade secrets leave with employees
Desperate times can sometimes result in desperate measures. During an economic downturn, the pressure to generate revenue can be great. Economic espionage can result when employees are forced to come up with the next big idea or they have financial difficulties. Economic espionage is defined as the theft or misappropriation of trade secrets. It's just one type of criminal activity companies should be on the lookout for during the current recession. Here are the details of two cases, along with some lessons for all businesses.

Safeguard Your Most Valuable Assets

During a recession, internal fraud can increase. These incidents can range from employees padding their expense accounts because they are falling behind in their bills to managers inflating earnings because they are under pressure to meet certain targets
Companies that are taking cost-cutting steps, such as layoffs, can experience employees seeking revenge. Even worse, in some companies, the chaos after lay-offs can result in more fraud opportunities. For example, segregation of duties is less likely with a reduced staff. So companies cutting jobs should put internal controls in place to prevent the theft of intellectual property and other assets by departing employees.

Consider two well-publicized cases that involve former employees engaged in economic espionage, which is defined as the theft or misappropriation of trade secrets:

Case #1: Gary Min, a scientist with the chemical company stole intellectual property after accepting a position with a competitor. Before leaving Dupont, Min proceeded to raid the company's databases of 22,000 abstracts and 16,000 pdf documents estimated to be worth in excess of $400 million. Dupont notified the FBI and shortly after joining his new employer, Min was arrested. He was sentenced to 18 months, fined $30,000 and ordered to pay $14,500 in restitution to Dupont. <more>

An Avalanche at the top
Treacherous business conditions in the winter, the after-effects of far-ranging acquisitions, exceptional charges and the global financial crisis have triggered a top-to-bottom avalanche in the results reported by the world’s top paint and coatings companies. Some of the recent results for the Q1 period are tabulated below: (NB: Q1 coincides with Q3 for RPM (Dec-Feb) but represents the period Nov-Jan for Valspar)

Performance of Top Paint Companies in the Winter Quarter

Q1 Sales in 2009 Q1 Net Income in 2009 vs 2008

Company (Currency) In Million currency units Change from
Q1 2008 (%) 2009 (In Million currency units) 2008 (In Million currency units)

 

• PPG Industries suffers the greatest fall in sales of these companies with a 30% drop in sales (6% of which is through a divestment), which is then further exacerbated by US$ 186 million in restructuring charges, which turned the bottom line deep red;
• AkzoNobel reports a net loss of €7 million once exceptional charges are taken into account. Without these and fair value adjustments, a net income of €28 million is recorded by the company;
• Sherwin-Williams retains the greatest net profit even though here net profits have fallen by 52%; rival Valspar, which like Sherwin-Williams is also fairly free of integration costs, also turned in a modest quarterly profit, although this was down by 41%;
• RPM International has been hit by falling sales in both of its divisions, with profits undermined by rising general expenses. <Cube 405>

Kansai Nerolac net dips 16% at Rs 20 cr
The ongoing economic slowdown coupled with the high volatility in the commodities market in 2008 has caused Kansai Nerolac Paints net profit dip by 16 per cent at Rs 20 crore as compared to Rs 24 crore for the same quarter a year-ago.<more>


GJ company donates color to woman with traumatic injury
Her coworker Ron Winstanley called Pro Powder Coating to inquire about coating Page’s crutches with a brilliant splash of color.

Page brought her Canadian crutches to Pro Powder, at 549 Bogart Lane. When she returned to collect them she was surprised there was no charge for the “candy blue” coating the company had baked on them.

“They said my smile was payment enough,” Page said. “They were so incredibly kind and generous.”

“Our heart went out to her. She’s been through a lot,” said Pro Powder owner Terri Leach. “It was something we could do to brighten her day a little bit. <more>