Dunn-Edwards has introduced Bloc-Rust Premium metal primer in white and red oxide that uses an advanced waterborne alkyd technology. It offers corrosion resistance and adhesion on a variety of interior and exterior ferrous and non-ferrous metal surfaces. This alkyd emulsion formula provides the superior application properties of an oil-based primer, according to the company. It is easy to apply and has excellent flow and leveling for a smooth finish. Unlike an oil-based primer, it is low odor and fast drying. To demonstrate performance, ferrous metal panels were primed with Bloc-Rust Premium and other leading water-based rust inhibitive primers. The panels were exposed to continuous salt air and fog conditions that simulate exposure to corrosion-inducing conditions for 12 months. The test results showed Bloc-Rust Premium resisted rust and corrosion development better than any of the competing brands, according to the company. Bloc-Rust Premium does not contain ethylene glycol (EG), which the company removed from its paint formulas in 1984.

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Muralo has introduced Breathe Safe Water-based Zero VOC Interior Primer. Formulated with no harmful solvents, Muralo Breathe Safe Interior Primer seals unpainted and painted drywall, plaster and wood trim and it’s specified for space that is occupied during painting. Muralo Breathe Safe is a virtually odorless, water-based latex, based on a sustainable chemistry technology. It meets or exceeds Green Seal and LEED green building requirements. It is ideal for nursing homes, schools, babies’ rooms and health care facilities, as well as the hotel/motel industries. Also available in the Breathe Safe line are the Flat, Eggshell and Semi-Gloss wall finishes, which can be tinted to any color, and a Ceiling White Paint.

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Bredero Shaw, the pipe coating division of ShawCor Ltd., has received a contract with a value in excess of $90 million from Corus UK Limited to provide pipeline coatings for the Total E&P UK Ltd. Laggan-Tormore project. Laggan-Tormore is an offshore gas field, which lies 125 km north-west of the Shetland Islands in water depths of up to 600 meters. The work will be executed at the Bredero Shaw pipe coating facility in Leith, Scotland. This contract involves coating approximately 298 km of 18" and 241 km of 30" pipe that will be protected with three-layer polypropylene anticorrosion coating, internal flow efficiency coating and concrete weight coating. Coating will commence during the fourth quarter of 2010.

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In Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia, The Public Pension Agency is building the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD)—designed to become the largest financial center in the Middle East—covering an area of 1.6 million square meters.

KAFD will house a large community of professionals working within the financial sector and related industries, hosting the headquarters of the Capital Market Authority (CMA), the Stock Exchange (Tadawul), the Commodity Market, banks, financial institutions and other service providers. The district will be located south of Riyadh, and is set to turn the country into a major center for financial services on a global level.

The development area will also be home to hotels, shops, recreational facilities, waterways, squares, parks, sports arenas, restaurants, a financial academy for 5,000 students and six mosques including a Grand Mosque. The transportation within the development will be via a monorail system and skywalk bridges.

Jotun Paints' will provide coatings for the construction of 30 buildings, the World Trade Center, and the GCC Central Bank Tower with the Fenomastic range for interiors, and the Jotashield range for the exteriors. Jotun Paints also secured approvals to paint floors with its range of solvent-free Jotafloor coatings. The ongoing construction is estimated to paint an area of three million square meters, which is scheduled for completion at the end of 2013.

Beside the Princess Nora University (PNBU) for Women, the KAFD in Riyadh remains one of the biggest achievements for Jotun’s decorative project sales team in Riyadh till date.

Hill International is the project manager, while Omrania & Associates and Gensler & Associates are the project consultants. Saudi Binladin was awarded the $3.7 billion design and build contract (DB) for the construction of 30 buildings, the World Trade Center and the GCC Central Bank Tower. Saudi Oger and El Seif are the two other contractors who are a part of this development.

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PPG recently kicked off the second year of the PPG Adventures in Technology (AIT) program in the Greater Detroit area with program partner Catalyst Connection. The program is funded by a multiyear $75,000 pledge from the PPG Industries Foundation to help Catalyst Connection engage high school students and corporations in and around Detroit in 10-week collaborative projects.

"We are excited to be continuing the PPG AIT program in Greater Detroit," said Scott Dietz, manager of workforce initiatives, Catalyst Connection. "After proving its value in Pittsburgh, with more than 50 companies and more than 1,000 students participating through the years, we’re happy to see AIT taking hold in Detroit as well. Students are partnered with some really cool companies to help them build on skills they’ve learned in the classroom.”

The PPG AIT program aims to interest students in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines, and careers in manufacturing, by partnering them with local companies to tackle real-life business issues. This year, students from Detroit Cristo Rey High School are teaming with PPG’s automotive technology center in Troy on a project to determine the best color palette for a new hybrid/electric vehicle. The other two teams are Lakeland High School, White Lake, MI, and Vicount Industries, Inc., and International Academy Macomb, Clinton Township, MI, and Lunar Industries, Inc.

To give students a better feel for their project, PPG treated participating Detroit Cristo Rey High School students to the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, a portion of which enables viewing of the final assembly process for new Ford F-150s from an elevated walkway at Ford’s Dearborn, MI, truck plant. The tour is one of five attractions of The Henry Ford in Dearborn, a National Historic Landmark and nonprofit organization with a mission to provide educational experiences based on authentic objects, stories and lives from America’s traditions of ingenuity, resourcefulness and innovation.

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PPG recently kicked off the second year of the PPG Adventures in Technology (AIT) program in the Greater Detroit area with program partner Catalyst Connection. The program is funded by a multiyear $75,000 pledge from the PPG Industries Foundation to help Catalyst Connection engage high school students and corporations in and around Detroit in 10-week collaborative projects.

"We are excited to be continuing the PPG AIT program in Greater Detroit," said Scott Dietz, manager of workforce initiatives, Catalyst Connection. "After proving its value in Pittsburgh, with more than 50 companies and more than 1,000 students participating through the years, we’re happy to see AIT taking hold in Detroit as well. Students are partnered with some really cool companies to help them build on skills they’ve learned in the classroom.”

The PPG AIT program aims to interest students in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines, and careers in manufacturing, by partnering them with local companies to tackle real-life business issues. This year, students from Detroit Cristo Rey High School are teaming with PPG’s automotive technology center in Troy on a project to determine the best color palette for a new hybrid/electric vehicle. The other two teams are Lakeland High School, White Lake, MI, and Vicount Industries, Inc., and International Academy Macomb, Clinton Township, MI, and Lunar Industries, Inc.

To give students a better feel for their project, PPG treated participating Detroit Cristo Rey High School students to the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, a portion of which enables viewing of the final assembly process for new Ford F-150s from an elevated walkway at Ford’s Dearborn, MI, truck plant. The tour is one of five attractions of The Henry Ford in Dearborn, a National Historic Landmark and nonprofit organization with a mission to provide educational experiences based on authentic objects, stories and lives from America’s traditions of ingenuity, resourcefulness and innovation.

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Jotun Powder Coatings has launched the ‘Cool Shades Collection,' a new collection of powder coatings formulated to reduce the temperature of aluminium building components that are exposed to the sun, thereby contributing to lowering buildings’ energy consumption and cooling costs. The range is based on heat management pigment technology that reflect the infrared energy from sunlight and keeps coated surfaces cooler, while still absorbing visible light energy to allow colors to maintain their vibrancy.The ‘Cool Shades Collection’ offers a wide range of colors to match both modern and traditional architecture, and is an ideal application for window frames, curtain walls, shutters, louvers and wall panels.

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For the fifth consecutive year, DAP Products Inc. was awarded the Golden Hammer Retailer Award as the premier supplier in the caulking and sealants category. Home Channel Newspresented John McLaughlin, president and CEO of DAP Products Inc., with the honor at the 26th Golden Hammer Retailer Awards in Las Vegas, NV, during the 2010 National Hardware Show.Based fully on peer recognition, buyers and merchandise managers of America’s top 500 retailers voted DAP as one of only 32 suppliers that demonstrate best of field excellence, specifically in the Lumber Building Materials and Durables category.The criteria for selection included category management, inventory management, new product innovation, quality control and serving professionals.

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H.B. Fuller is to implement a price increase on its water-based, hot melt and reactive adhesives sold in North America on June 1. The increases will average between eight and 15 percent, depending on technology.The company cited increased supply pressures and higher than expected increases in raw material feedstocks, which began to increase in the fourth quarter of 2009.

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AkzoNobel, the world’s leading automotive powder paint supplier has launched Interpon A, which brings together the company’s range of automotive powders into one clear and comprehensive global collection.

Interpon A’s global standardization allows customers to quickly identify products from one of six ranges—underhood/body, interior trim, exterior trim, alloy wheels, powered wheels and body shell. Within each range, products are broken down into more specific categories which detail, for example, their performance capabilities, energy requirements, color range and approved manufacturers.

“This makes our range much more transparent,” said Oscar Wezenbeek, AkzoNobel’s global automotive director. “Customers can see at a glance the benefits of individual products, which car manufacturers use them and even how we can help them improve their carbon footprint.”

One of the latest additions to the Interpon A range is a low temperature cure primer that reduces curing time by 20 degrees centigrade, allowing energy cost savings.

Equally important, according to Wezenbeek, customers can order Interpon A products to be delivered to any site in the world, and be confident that the quality will remain the same.

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