Dow Jones names BMW the greenest automaker, again
There's a lot of competition to be seen as the world's greenest automaker – just look at the branding efforts surrounding the Toyota Prius or the Chevrolet Volt for examples – but if you look at the way an automaker designs, builds and recycles its products, then BMW is the top dog.

That declaration comes from the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World, which has declared BMW Group to be the "most sustainable automobile company worldwide." If this sounds familiar to you, well, perhaps you were reading the site last year or perhaps it's because BMW has won the title for five years in a row now. In fact, BMW reminds us it is the only automaker that has been listed on the Index since it was created in 1999. Guess the DJSI likes BMW's responsibility – the Germans call it Verantwortung – a lot. <more>.

DuPont cleaning up polluted groundwater
Parlin plant releases details of ongoing cleanup efforts
For years the Parlin DuPont plant has been cleaning up nearly century-old contamination buried deep underground.

The company is now looking to inform and educate local residents about its 30-plus-year remediation plan.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) set a one-year deadline in September 2008 requiring companies charged with site remediation to inform local residents of work progress. Parlin's DuPont plant, which has been cleaning up site contamination for over 20 years, has been using various means to notify and educate the public.

The 350-acre DuPont plant, home to 300 employees, produces materials for the communications, technology and display graphics industries. It is the company's oldest continuously running plant, having operated in Sayreville for 105 years.

Since 1986, DuPont has been testing, identifying and cleaning up contamination that was buried underground years ago due to old waste-management practices. <more>

Repair shop switches to water-based paint Change will be mandatory in N.J. by 2012
Collex Collision Experts of Shrewsbury is trying to save the earth, one vehicle at a time.

This month, the collision repair shop began using a waterborne paint system as a way to reduce the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air.

To convert to the new system, Collex owner Michael Grant said new air systems had to be installed in the two painting booths at the Shrewsbury Avenue business. The upgrades cost about $16,000.

"We wanted to start using the water-based paint for the good of the community," he said. "Some things you do, not because you have to, but because you feel it is the right thing to do." <more>

Joint Corrosion Terminology Standard Announced
WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, PA — A new terminology standard is the result of a joint effort between the two major organizations that develop corrosion standards, ASTM International and NACE International. The new standard, NACE/ASTM G193, Terminology and Acronyms Relating to Corrosion, was developed by Subcommittee J01.02, Working Group on Terminology, under the jurisdiction of J01, Joint ASTM/NACE Committee on Corrosion. Committee J01 was formed as a pilot program for the two organizations to develop joint standards, preventing duplication of effort.

“The new NACE/ASTM joint terminology standard will be used by not only ASTM and NACE, but also by other corrosion organizations worldwide to prevent confusion in corrosion testing and in the interpretation of corrosion standards,” said Harvey Hack, Senior Advisory Engineer, Northrop Grumman Corp., Undersea Systems, and Chair of J01.02.

 

German researchers develop self-healing surfaces
The engineers‘ dream of self-healing surfaces has taken another step towards becoming reality – German researchers have produced a electroplated layer that contains tiny nanometre-sized capsules. If the layer is damaged, the capsules release fluid and repair the scratch.

Human skin is a phenomenon – small scratches and cuts heal quickly, leaving no trace of a scar after just a few days. It’s a different matter with materials, such as metals – if the electroplated layer protecting the metals from corrosion is scratched, rust protection is lost. Engineers are working on transferring the self-healing effect of skin to materials. The idea behind this is to introduce evenly distributed fluid-filled capsules into the electroplated layer – rather like raisins in a cake.

If the layer is damaged, the pellets at the point of damage burst, the fluid runs out and ‘repairs’ the scratch. Until now, these plans have failed due to the size of the capsules – at 10 to 15 micrometers they were too large for the electroplated layer, which is around 20 micrometers thick. The capsules altered the mechanical properties of the layer.

Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA) in Stuttgart, together with colleagues from Duisburg-Essen University, have developed a process for producing electroplated layers with nano-capsules, in a project being financed by the Volkswagen Foundation.

At only a few hundred nanometres in diameter, the capsules are measured on another scale entirely, compared with previous results. “The challenge lies in not damaging the capsules when producing the electroplated layer”, says Dr. Martin Metzner, Head of Department at IPA.

“The smaller the capsules, the thinner and more sensitive their casing. The electrolytes used for these electroplated-technical processes are extremely aggressive chemically and can easily destroy the capsules”. The researchers therefore had to find a compatible material for the capsule casing depending on the electrolytes used. <more>

Automotive clearcoats and bird droppings
In a new study, the effects of two types of biological materials, i.e. natural bird droppings and pancreatin, on properties of an automotive acrylic melamine clearcoat were examined. In addition, two different testing approaches including pre-aging and post-aging were utilized to investigate the biological resistance. To this end, effects of these biological materials on clearcoat surface properties and appearance were investigated by different techniques including digital camera, SEM, AFM, optical microscopy and a gloss meter. In addition the mechanical properties of clear coats were evaluated by micro Vickers measurement and DMTA analysis. For further investigation FTIR analysis was utilized to obtain a better understanding of the failure mechanism. Results showed that the biological materials have an extremely vital effect on the appearance of the coatings. A decrease of Tg and hardness of the films made by pancreatin and bird droppings were observed and were attributed to the chemical alterations as proven by FTIR analysis. It was also found that the biological degradation occurred on the samples that experienced the post-aged testing method was more severe than the samples exposed to pre-aged testing. On the other hand, although bird-droppings and pancreatin revealed the same failure mechanism the effect of the former was more severe. In addition, it has been shown that the enzymatic structure of biological materials is responsible for catalysing the hydrolytic degradation of clearcoats at neutral pH. Therefore, the biological degradation mechanism may be regarded as an enzymatically induced hydrolytic cleavage. The whole article by B. Ramezanzadeh, M. Mohsen, H. Yari and S. Sabbaghian will appear in "Progress in Organic Coatings", Vol. 66, Issue 2, October 2009.


LANXESS completes acquisitions in India and China
German specialty chemicals group LANXESS has successfully completed the acquisitions of the chemical businesses and production assets belonging to Indian company Gwalior Chemical Industries Ltd as well as China's Jiangsu Polyols Chemical Co. Ltd.

German specialty chemicals group LANXESS has successfully completed the acquisitions of the chemical businesses and production assets belonging to Indian company Gwalior Chemical Industries Ltd as well as China's Jiangsu Polyols Chemical Co. Ltd. The transactions have received the necessary approvals from the anti-trust authorities and Gwalior shareholders. Both transactions have taken economic and legal effect at the start of September

LANXESS is paying EUR 82.4 million - including debt - for the assets of Gwalior, while the acquisition price for Jiangsu Polyols will remain undisclosed. Both transactions complement the portfolio of LANXESS’ business unit Basic Chemicals, which is one of the leading manufacturers of raw materials for agrochemicals, polymers, surface coatings, and pigments

“These acquisitions in India and China are further milestones in our company’s long-term growth strategy in the BRIC countries,” said Axel C. Heitmann, Chairman of LANXESS’ Board of Management. “We will start to integrate these two successful businesses into our group and will warmly welcome the new employees into the LANXESS family.”

Gwalior is one of the largest Indian producers of benzyl products and one of the leading global producers of sulphur chlorides for the agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals as well as for the flavor and fragrance industries. In its business year 2008/2009 (ended March 31), the Indian company achieved sales of approximately EUR 57.8 million and currently employs about 400 permanent staff mainly based at its production site in Nagda, Madhya Pradesh state.

Jiangsu Polyols achieved sales of about EUR 10 million in 2008 and currently employs some 170 staff at its facility in Liyang, west of Shanghai. It mainly produces trimethylol propane (TMP) that is used in lubricants, paints, and coatings. LANXESS’s business unit Basic Chemicals is already a major supplier of TMP in China.

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.58 billion in 2008 and currently 14,335 employees in 23 countries. The company is represented at 44 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manu­facturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. <more>

DSM Powder Coating Resins to Increase Prices
ZWOLLE, The Netherlands – DSM Powder Coating Resins has announced a price increase for its range of Uralac® Powder Coating Resins sold in North America effective for all orders shipped on or after Oct. 15, 2009, or as otherwise permitted by the terms and conditions of customer contracts. Prices are increased by $0.05 to $0.07 per pound depending on the grade

Dow to Raise Prices of Oxygenated Solvents Products
Midland, MI - March 03, 2009
The Dow Chemical Company announced Friday that it will raise prices in North America for products in the Oxygenated Solvents portfolio as set forth in the Attachment to this press release effective April 1, 2009, or as contracts allow. This increase is required to address the continued escalation in raw material costs.

“The recent escalation in hydrocarbon costs has caused the gap between price and cost to narrow significantly,” says Martin Sutcliffe, global business director, Glycol Ethers. “Given the current market conditions, we have no choice but to fully implement this price increase.”

“Our margins have continued to decline and are currently at unacceptable levels,” says Mark Bassett, global business director, Solvents & Intermediates. “We must improve our margins, so we can afford to compete for raw materials and make the products our customers need.” <more>

DuPont Titanium: Price increase for titanium dioxide products
DuPont Titanium Technologies (Wilmington, Delaware / USA; www.dupont.com) plans to raise prices for its “Ti-Pure” titanium dioxide (TiO2) grades sold in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Effective 1 October, prices will increase by EUR 100/t in the euro-denominated markets of western and central Europe and North Africa and by USD 150/t in the dollar-denominated markets of eastern Europe, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa

Asian Paints to divest entire stake in unit
Berger International Ltd had signed the conditional share purchase agreement to divest its entire stake in Berger Paints (China) Co Ltd, pending regulatory approvals
Mumbai: Asian Paints Ltd said on Tuesday that it will divest its entire stake in Berger Paints (China) Co Ltd to Golden Fly Horse International Holdings Co Ltd for $596,000.

Berger International Ltd, Singapore, a unit of Asian Paints, had signed the conditional share purchase agreement to divest its entire stake in Berger Paints (China) Co Ltd, pending regulatory approvals, it said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).<more>

Cops zero in on killers of 46-yr-old manager
Loot seems to be motive behind murder of a paints company staffer whose body was found in a car opposite Sola Bhagwat Vidyapith
In what appears to be a case of loot and murder, one suspect was detained and search for four others continued last night after a middle aged man’s body was found from an abandoned car opposite the Sola Bhagwat Vidyapith on Monday night, sources said. The police, however, have denied having caught anyone in the case.

The 46-year-old man who was murdered has been identified as Darshan Thakore Pandya, who worked as manager with Gunjan Paints at New York Tower-A, and is a resident of Shanti Shikar Society in Maninagar.

According to Darshan’s father Thakorebhai, Darshan had joined Gunjan Paints a month ago after quitting Art O Heart, an antique articles’ gallery.

Darshan, a family man, left the job after he was asked to shift base outside the state. Before that he worked for 23 years in Asian Paints, his 77-year-old father said. <more>

Berger Paints not looking at acquisitions currently
Berger Paints is not looking at an acquisition for now. "There is no truth in the company’s acquisition rumours; we are not looking at it currently,”  <more>

Nerolac focuses on decorative category
Kansai Nerolac, a leading paint manufacturer, is increasingly focusing on decorative category, which is the fastest growing, to gain market share. The company, which is otherwise the market leader in industrial paint category, is trying to leverage the concept of technology in the decorative category by bringing in an innovative product line, which doubles as a solutions provider to wall problems.
“The concept of technology was not playing a major role in the decorative category. Apart from aesthetic value, painting provides anti-fungal, anti-algae, anti-cracking and anti-peeling solutions. Through our innovative product line, we are trying to fix these problems along with giving consumers a wider palette to choose from. Being a leader in the industrial paint category, we are leveraging technology in decorative segment too," said Anuj Jain, vice-president, marketing and sales, Kansai Nerolac.
In the decorative category, emulsions are growing at a faster rate. “We want to strengthen our position in emulsions. We have launched innovative products in this category, to take on competitors such as Berger and Asian Paints,” Jain said.
The company plans to spend Rs 45 crore in brand building and merchandising at the retail outlets. The company has also introduced a new concept called 'Nerolac Colour Styler'. This shop-in-shop concept inside the retail store will provide information about different products. “We will also give colour consultancy by showing colours in different lights, which will help the customer to choose the right shade for their homes,” Jain said. The company, which is has an overall turnover of Rs 1,600 crore, has 12 per cent market share in the emulsions category.<more>

Nerolac ropes in Konkana Sen Sharma & Irfan Khan for ad campaign
MUMBAI: Kansai Nerolac Paints has launched its new campaign - Apke Rang. Apki Pehchan for its interior brand Nerolac Impressions.

Nerolac has roped in Konkona Sen Sharma and Irfan Khan for the campaign. This campaign is about rediscovering oneself through the process of painting. It shows an emotional appeal that would endear itself with the masses.

After Mohanlal and Amitabh Bachchan, Nerolac has roped in these two celebrities to establish Nerolac Impressions in the premium segment & connect it to consumers using a relevant motivation. The film is to showcase design possibilities for homes with the Nerolac Impressions while creating distinct imagery for itself within the category.

The ad campaign will be released on 6 September, 2009. This film showcases a married couple whose home is being painted.

Asian Paints feels it’s right time to offload stake in ICI
ET NOW: India’s largest paint company Asian Paints has started selling its close to 10% stake in rival ICI India saying that the market conditions
are now ripe for exiting. Asian Paints had acquired ICI India shares in 2003, following disinvestment by the Government of India. In the past few weeks, Asian Paints has brought its stake down to 7.49%, a company spokesperson confirmed to ET NOW.

Asian Paints has offered these shares under ICI India’s buyback plan. As these shares are extinguished, the stake of the British promoter Imperial Chemicals will go up to around 55%, an ICI India official said. He was not willing to go on record. <more>


DSM Powder Coating Resins announces price increase for Europe and Middle East
14 Sep 2009 - DSM Powder Coating Resins announced that prices for its Uralac® range of polyester powder coating resins will increase by 6% to 8% depending on the product for deliveries as of 1st of October 2009.

These price increases are necessary due to the cost of feedstock which has been steadily rising since the end of Q1 2009.

Bert Bakker, DSM Powder Coating Resins Business Manager (EMEA), said: "These new prices reflect the increase in the cost of raw materials. As we continue to fund investments in innovations, new products and new technology development for our customers, these adjusted price levels will allow DSM to maintain its supply of high quality products and services and retain its position as a sustainable partner within the performance materials industry." <more>

Paint maker Jotun launches online visualisation software 'ColourAdvisor' news
Jotun Paints has announced the launch of 'ColourAdvisor', an online colour visualisation tool that will take painting solutions to the next level in India. Unlike other visualisation tools, Jotun will make available this application online and provide unlimited access to those wanting to paint their homes.

ColourAdvisor allows virtual painting with the colours of the buyer's choice before making a purchase decision to match, compare, specify, manipulate, re-colour, visualise, and design various colour schemes using the software.

More than 50 countries across the world have successfully adapted the ColourAdvisor. The software is available through a single registration at the company's website.
The ColourAdvisor (CA) software will be available on two platforms - internet and kiosks.

A first of its kind, ColourAdvisor is a user-friendly online tool which allows the end user to perform a 'digital paint job' by uploading a picture of their own rooms and selecting their desired colours. ColourAdvisor in addition provides an option to save the color suggestions on the website which could even be printed later with the various trial shades.

As a result, customers can now enjoy a more realistic experience through superior colour rendering, extended interactivity and accessibility to more colours, thereby enabling them to make better planning and painting decisions

Announcing the launch, Percy Jijina, GM - Decorative, Jotun India Pvt. Ltd. said, ''ColourAdvisor will make the decision making process for wall colours a 'fun-filled family acitivity' in which each member of the house participates. For the first time in India customers will be able to experiment with their colour preferences from the comfort and convenience of their own home

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Chemical incident after wall collapse at paints firm in Slough
Part of a chemical storage building collapsed in Slough yesterday.

Materials were being removed from one of the storage buildings at AkzoNobel Decorative Paints in Wexham Road, by a fork lift truck when the vehicle struck a part of the building structure, causing a wall and part of the roof to collapse.

There were no casualties but as a precaution, a full chemical incident was declared.

The area was cleared, and all water courses and steam to the building were isolated. <more><more1>

Chemical manufacturer gets state money to stay in New York
BREWSTER – The State Empire State Development Corporation Wednesday granted Akzo Nobel Surface Chemistry LLC $292,300 to offset the cost of purchasing and installing machinery at its two new locations. <more>

Akzo Nobel Launches High Performance Protective Coatings in Sri Lanka
Global coating and chemical leader AkzoNobel (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), announced launch of its high performance protective coatings range in Sri Lanka.
“Akzo Nobel has been the country’s pioneering and leading player in decorative and auto-refinishing categories and we are now happy to bring a range of world-class high performance protective coatings to meet the growing needs in Sri Lanka for specialty coatings”, said Gerald de Saram, the Managing Director / CEO of Akzo Nobel Paints Lanka (Private) Limited (formerly CIC Paints Private Ltd), a member of CIC Group of Companies. <more>

Five arrested for stealing paints
Paint tins of a popular paint company were recovered by Kodungaiyur police on Friday after they arrested five people involved in the robbery. Nerolac paints was storing material worth Rs 5 crores in one of its storage houses in the area where a theft two days ago had resulted in loss of paint worth Rs 5 lakhs. Investigation revealed that Shanmugan a former employee of the company was behind robbery.<more>