Major Automotive Manufacturers Impacted by Crisis in Japan
GM, Honda, Mazda, and Toyota among the manufacturers making adjustments to limit disruptions in the supply chain.
MAZDA
On March 24 Mazda Motor Corporation announced it will suspend the production of vehicles utilizing "in-process" inventory at its Hofu plant from March 28 onward. Mazda had temporarily resumed partial production at its Hiroshima and Hofu plans on March 22, producing replacement parts and parts for overseas production and vehicles utilizing in-process inventories. A decision on the resumption of full-scale production of both parts and vehicles will be made at a later date, according to a statement released by Mazda Motor Corporation. <more>

Abhijit Roy
Abhijit Roy is a team man. This attribute is said to have catapulted him to the helm of affairs at Berger Paints.
When he takes over as the CEO of Berger Paints in June 2012, he would have spent over 16 years with the company in different capacities. He had begun this journey in 1994 as a product manager.
A marketing graduate from the batch of 1989-91 at the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) and a BTech from Jadavpur University, Roy has undertaken the roles of product manager, general manager (marketing) and senior vice-president (sales & marketing) in the company.
During these years, Kolkata-based Berger Paints has also grown — from a Rs 120-crore to a Rs 2,000-crore company — and occupied the second position in terms of sales, behind only Asian Paints.
“I think his greatest asset over the next few years will be the fact that he has been part of, and grown with, Berger Paints, through its growth over the years,” said incumbent CEO Subir Bose.
Roy had played a major role in the investment Berger Paints had made in the area of green/lead-free paint — an initiative announced a year before and received well in the market, Bose said. The company has evolved from a two-factory to an eight-factory unit.
“The biggest challenge that he will face emanate from the growing competition that Berger faces with multinational companies increasing their footprint in India. Creation of niche segments and portfolio diversifications will also pose challenges,”, Bose explained.<more>

Asian Paints' P M Murty is BS CEO of the Year
Asian Paints Managing Director & CEO P M Murty is the Business Standard CEO of the Year for 2009-10. Murty was selected by a distinguished six-member jury led by ICICI Bank Chairman K V Kamath.

The jury members felt Murty, a 60-year-old IIM Calcutta alumnus who has been a one-company man through his working life, had risen to the challenge of competing in an industry that was fiercely competitive, and had come through with flying colours.<more>

Nippon Paint launches marketing operations in Mumbai
MUMBAI: Nippon Paint India has introduced marketing operations here. Through this move, the paint manufacturer has displayed the importance of expansion in the Indian markets in a phased manner. Mr Ramakanth V Akula, president- deecoratives, Nippon Paints India, said, “Having set new benchmarks of quality in India over the past 4 years, our dedication to innovation of products and our excellent customer service has been consistently recognised.<more>

Trilogy Electrostatic Spray Gun Maximizes Transfer Efficiency with the Highest kV Available for Liquid Painting Applications
The Trilogy Electrostatic Spray Gun System from Nordson delivers the highest kV in the industry - 93 kV - increasing transfer efficiency, reducing material costs and improving part finish.
At 93 kV, Trilogy systems provide superior transfer efficiency and paint wrap. With the strongest electrostatic load lines, voltage remains consistently high - even as gun-to-part distances change - ensuring high efficiency coverage. Equipped with Nordson air caps, Trilogy guns produce fine particle atomization at lower pressures for improved paint-to-part transfer with minimal overspray. With a Trilogy system, extreme fan pattern control from four to 20 inches is also achieved through fast, easy air adjustments that can accommodate varying part configurations. The increased transfer efficiency and fan pattern control saves money on coatings and rejects.
Trilogy spray systems are designed with coating versatility in mind. Featuring two atomization technologies - air spray and high volume, low pressure (HVLP) - Trilogy systems deliver superior application performance with a variety of substrates, coatings and part profiles. In addition, switching from air spray to HVLP and back is simple, requiring only the change of a nozzle. Trilogy systems are also available in manual or automatic gun models that incorporate the latest in engineering and design materials.<more>

Akzo Nobel names new marketing director
Akzo Nobel Automotive and Aerospace Coatings recently appointed Laura Costello marketing director for the Sikkens, Lesonal, U-Tech and Wanda brands in the car and commercial business sectors. Costello will be responsible for all

Renovation of massive Golden Gate Bridge main cables to start
Scaffolding is set to arrive by Wednesday at the Golden Gate Bridge so workers can do something that has never been done since the span opened: renovate the massive main cables.
The bridge — opened in 1937 — has two main cables that pass over the tops of the two main towers and are secured at either end in giant anchorages. They are the steel strings that hold the bridge together and support the roadway.<more>

Henkel announces price increase for industrial adhesives
With immediate effect, Henkel is implementing a price increase for certain product groups of its industrial adhesives. Increase amounts will vary based on market segment and technology. On average, the price increases will range from 10 - 25 %.
According to the company, the price increase is attributable to ongoing escalation of raw material costs over the last 15 months, especially affecting oil and natural gas based products. Continual spikes in global demand, coupled with capacity constraints in primary chemical, rosin, and resin feed stocks, have further tightened supply and have driven raw material prices upward, says Henkel.
For this reason, further price increases will become necessary in the following categories: hotmelts, polyurethane, water based adhesives and surface treatment products - says the company.<more>

ASTM Industrial Protective Coatings Subcommittee Publishes New Test Method
The texture - often called the profile - of concrete is one of the most important characteristics of a coating or overlayment bonding. A new ASTM International standard now fulfills the need within the concrete surface preparation field for a means of measuring and permanently replicating the profile of a concrete coated building surface.

ASTM D7682, Test Method for Replication and Measurement of Concrete Surface Profiles Using Replica Putty, was developed by Subcommittee D01.46 on Industrial Protective Coatings, part of ASTM International Committee D01 on Paint and Related Coatings, Materials and Applications.

“This technique uses replica putty to make impressions of concrete surfaces for either visual comparison or for quantifying the surface roughness,” says David Beamish, general manager, DeFelsko Corp., and a D01 member.<more>


PPG protective and marine coatings announces global price increases
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 24, 2011 – PPG Industries’ (NYSE: PPG) protective and marine coatings (PMC) business announced today that it is raising prices globally, as permissible by contract.
“As economies recover from the global recession, prices for basic commodities such as copper are increasing at alarming rates,” said Thomas Mauck, PPG vice president, protective and marine coatings. “Also, prices for epoxy and other processed raw materials that PMC uses are rising to account for the high costs of basic commodities. Based on current information and conditions, we forecast these inflationary trends will continue during 2011.”
PPG’s PMC business is a world leader in protective and marine coatings and is committed to supplying customers with quality coatings at the highest possible service level. Its products protect customers’ assets in some of the world’s most demanding conditions and environments, such as projects in the energy, infrastructure and marine segments. PPG PMC (www.ppgpmc.com) features AMERCOAT(R), SIGMA COATINGS(R) and other brand families.<more>


OMNOVA Announces Price Increases For Specialty Chemicals
OMNOVA Solutions' Specialty Chemicals business announced a price increase for styrene butadiene emulsion polymers ... more about price increases here

Ross Appoints New Asian Regional Sales Manager
Bogard Lagman, the former executive vice president of Charles Ross & Son Co., has been appointed the new regional sales manager for Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

Bogard is based out of Manila, Philippines and is responsible for sales management of products manufactured in Ross plants. His 30 years of experience in the specialty mixing and blending equipment business will be invaluable to Ross customers in these markets. In addition to assisting customers, he will be working directly with the company’s network of sales representatives.

Ross manufactures in five U.S. locations, in two Chinese locations, and in India. The company produces a diversified line of specialty mixing, blending, drying, and dispersion equipment for the process industries.<more>

Researcher: New Materials Could Prevent Nuke Disasters
Next-generation claddings and perhaps coatings may head off future nuclear disasters, but only if the United States is willing to return the research to the front burner, says a scientist who is developing more protective cladding for nuclear applications.

“There are materials that can withstand a few thousand degrees Celsius, but they have traditionally not been used for nuclear fuel cladding,” Dr. Hongbing Lu, of the University of Texas at Dallas, said in a recent interview.<more>


Sapa Extrusions Mississauga facility adds horizontal paint line
The Mississauga plant of Sapa Extrusions North America, headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., has acquired a new state-of-the-art horizontal paint line scheduled to be in full operation by June 2011 at its Guelph facility, according to a March 21 release. Capabilities of the new equipment provide a complete complement to the vertical paint line currently in operation at the Mississauga facility.

The advanced design of the horizontal paint line is fully automated and incorporates a 1,050-foot-long production line. It provides the ability to paint both liquid and powder coat custom colors, especially high-performance fluoropolymers, a three coat system, for a wide range of architectural and commercial applications.

With a paint line opening of 66 inches high by 32 inches wide and a maximum paint length of 29 feet, the equipment has the ability to paint a wide variety of product shapes and sizes, according to the release. That translates to outstanding painting performance for everything from small casted parts to larger and heavier fully assembled components, panels and break shapes.<more>