Ecolab Inc. has entered into a marketing agreement with DuPont to commercialize new antimicrobial coating technologies for the food and beverage processing industry that will reduce the risk of environmental contamination by enhancing food facility hygiene. The control of mold, and pathogenic bacteria, especially Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, is a significant challenge for the food processing industry.

"This new technology provides an industry-leading antimicrobial coating solution that is easily applied and removed from surfaces in the food processing environment," said Thomas Handley, Ecolab's president, Global Food and Beverage. "This partnership combines the foundational knowledge of DuPont in coatings and polymer science, and its expertise in engineering solutions and market-driven innovation, with Ecolab's strength in application development, regulatory and customer expertise in the food and beverage processing industry."

Limited-scale market trials are under way in Europe and North America. The parties are currently working with regulatory agencies to obtain additional necessary approvals in the U.S., Canada and the European Union.

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In its June 21 edition, USA Today carried an editorial by Andrew Liveris, chairman and CEO, The Dow Chemical Company, which outlines his company’s vision for an “Advanced Manufacturing Plan” to rejuvenate the U.S. economy, regrow jobs and allow the manufacturing industry to compete successfully again in the global marketplace.

The plan calls for action on a number of fronts to establish a broad policy framework that will enable economic growth in this key sector, which employs nearly 13 million people in the U.S. and six million in related fields. As part of an integrated and strategic approach that will incentivize manufacturers to create the jobs of the future, Liveris recommends a focus on:

• New infrastructure that modernizes our nation’s communication networks, electric grids, and air, sea and land transportation systems;
• Investment in R&D, which has proven to lead to economic growth, greater worker productivity and higher standards of living;
• Funding for education to enhance key skills for manufacturing in science, technology, engineering and mathematics;
• A “pro-trade” policy to create reciprocal market access with important trading partners;
• An alternative energy strategy that encourages efficiency, lower carbon alternatives and an expanded traditional supply;
• Smart regulatory reform to ensure product innovation isn’t bogged down by regulations that lack a solid scientific basis;
• Lowering corporate taxes and issuing R&D tax credits to incentivize manufacturing companies to operate in the U.S.; and
• Civil justice reform to control spiraling costs.

The USA Today editorial appeared the same day Dow hosted vice president Joe Biden at its global headquarters in Midland, Michigan, where the company showcased several of its major green tech initiatives.

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Sherwin-Williams has introduced Polysiloxane 1K, a single-component polysiloxane finish coat that provides superior weathering and chemical resistance compared to typical polyurethanes.
 
“Polysiloxane 1K offers excellent long-term color and gloss retention, extending the coating system’s life cycle in harsh environments,” said Brad Rossetto, Vice President, Marketing, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings. “It’s a single-component coating that eliminates the hassle of mixing that comes with two-component coatings. This means less product and packaging waste, saving time and cost.”
 
Polysiloxane 1K is an ideal steel coating choice for maintenance or new construction applications in the petrochemical, power generation, marine and general industrial markets.
 
Fast-drying Polysiloxane 1K utilizes a patented Sherwin-Williams resin and cures with a reaction from atmospheric humidity. It offers low VOCs (<250 g/L), is HAPs free and isocyanate free.
 
Polysiloxane is available in an Extra White base that can be tinted. It provides protection in a recommended range of 1.5 to 2.5 mils DFT. Application can take place in temperatures as low as 40º F and up to 90 percent relative humidity. It dries to touch within two hours at 77º F and can be recoated within four hours.

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Rebuilding Together, a leading nonprofit working to preserve affordable homeownership, has announced that their longtime sponsor, Sherwin-Williams, will be supplying all the paint and painting supplies for the upcoming event, Fifty for Five.

Fifty for Five is Rebuilding Together's large-scale event occurring August 24 – 29, and consists of rebuilding fifty homes in Gentilly, Louisiana, to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. For an entire week, Rebuilding Together affiliates, volunteers and community leaders will unite to deliver considerable renovations that will allow many homeowners who have been displaced since the hurricanes to move back into safer and improved homes.

"Sherwin-Williams is committed to helping our communities where we do business," said Bob Wells, SVP Corporate Communications and Public Affairs for Sherwin-Williams. "Following the hurricanes, our associates provided paint and thousands of hours of volunteer labor to help our neighbors in the Gulf region rebuild their neighborhoods and we are pleased to continue those efforts now as a supporter of Rebuilding Together's Fifty for Five."

Sherwin-Williams has been a Rebuilding Together President's Circle Sponsor since 2007. During that time, Rebuilding Together and Sherwin-Williams have developed a strong relationship; rebuilding communities by delivering critical renovations to low-income homeowners nationwide.

Sherwin-Williams has continuously donated paint and home-improvement supplies, and recently assisted in launching Rebuilding Together's Greater Los Angeles affiliate.  In addition, Sherwin-Williams has provided valuable lead safe work practices training and education opportunities to the Rebuilding Together affiliate network.

"As a global and environmental leader in paint and coatings products, Sherwin-Williams is a model partner for this large-scale event in helping us generate a meaningful impact throughout the Gentilly neighborhood and New Orleans community," said Gary Officer, President and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "We are pleased to continue our rewarding partnership with Sherwin-Williams during this event."

Sherwin-Williams is joining an array of other sponsors, media personalities, partners, community leaders, and volunteers who are committing their time and resources to one of Rebuilding Together's largest outreach events.

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Valspar has agreed to acquire Australian paint maker Wattyl Ltd for approximately $124 million (A$142 million) and also assume its existing debt. The deal will help Valspar build on its presence in the Asia Pacific region and presents new opportunities for growth, Valspar said. It is subject to approval by shareholders and regulatory authorities. Under the deal, Wattyl, which began operations in 1915 and owns the Wattyl Solagard and Estapol brands, will hand over its 30 percent share of the domestic paints market to Valspar.

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AkzoNobel has sold its National Starch business to Corn Products International for $1.3 billion. The transaction, which has been approved by the boards of both AkzoNobel and Corn Products International, is expected to close at the end of the third quarter of 2010. Corn Products International is a global provider of ingredient solutions for diversified industries based in Westchester, Illinois, in the U.S. National Starch—a subsidiary of the former ICI —was taken over by AkzoNobel as part of its acquisition of ICI in January 2008. While it was regarded as an excellent business, according to AkzoNobel, the board of concluded that National Starch did not offer sufficient opportunity to create value within the company's transformed coatings and specialty chemicals portfolio. In April 2010, it was announced that AkzoNobel had received renewed expressions of interest in National Starch, which had accordingly been reclassified as a discontinued operation. National Starch is a recognized innovator in food ingredients and specialty starches. The company had 2009 revenue of $1.2 billion from sales of specialty starches to both local and multinational customers in the food, papermaking, consumer and industrial markets. It has 2,250 employees around the world and operates 11 plants in eight countries.

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International Paint has opened a new, worldwide product development laboratory in Singapore. The new laboratory, which is situated in the Tuas industrial zone to the west of the island, will focus on the development of the next generation antifouling and foul release technology. The new laboratory will have 20 chemists working in modern facilities with the latest equipment for measuring and assessing antifouling performance.

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MetoKote Corporation has opened a €6.5 million coating center in the Friesenheimer Insel area of Mannheim, Germany, that will begin production in July 2010 and will supply electro-deposition coating (e-coat) on tractor components for Germany's leading manufacturer of agricultural equipment, John Deere.

Located approximately nine kilometers (5.5 miles) from John Deere's European headquarters and tractor assembly facility, MetoKote's 11,500 square meter (near 124,000 square foot) site features an advanced e-coat operation, capable of coating multiple substrates including steel, and aluminum and iron castings.

The line's all-spray, zinc phosphate pretreatment, and 61.6 cubic meter (17,000 gallon) e-coat tanks are able to process components up to 0.91M x 1.83M x 3.5M (3' x 6' x 11.5') in size and transport them through the line by way of its "power-and-free," non-synchronized, overhead conveyer system. The cathodic e-coating system has two-color capability. Maximum coating capacity for the line is 2.2 million square meters (23.7 million square feet) per year. At full capacity the facility can employ up to 50 team members. 

MetoKote's Mannheim coating operation meets all required environmental compliance regulations with its own integrated waste-water treatment center that can process six cubic meters (1,585 gallons) of water per shift. An inherently eco-friendly process, e-coating reclaims 98% of its material, returning it back to the operation. The facility also boasts a solar panel roof which will return 0.18 megawatts of electricity back to the Mannheim grid on an annual basis. The facility begins initial operations in support of John Deere; however, MetoKote will expand its coating services by supplying e-coat to other customers in the region. MetoKote has access to an additional 12,500 square meters (three acres) of land for future expansion.

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AkzoNobel's revamped Glidden paint brand has won a top U.S. marketing accolade for its Glidden Gets You Going campaign. Relaunched and revitalized last year, the brand recently received a prestigious Effie Award in the Household Furnishings and Accessories category at a ceremony held in New York City.

It's the first time Glidden has won an Effie, which recognizes the most effective advertising efforts in the U.S. each year. Launched in 1968, the scheme honors excellence in marketing strategy, creative execution and sales performance, as judged by an independent panel of executives from advertising agencies and Fortune 500 marketers.

"This award in many ways validates the notion that simplifying the paint and color selection process absolutely resonates with do-it-yourself consumers," said Akzo Nobel Paints LLC vice president of marketing, Rob Horton.

"The response has been overwhelming and we continue to see the campaign, now in its second year, positively motivate and inspire consumers to purchase. Our agency partners were instrumental in delivering a compelling body of work which disrupted traditional paint industry conventions."

The nationwide relaunch campaign, which included giving away free quarts of paint and staging a spectacular dance event in Manhattan's Union Square Park, focused on how Glidden makes it easier for consumers to add color to their lives while instilling a sense of confidence that they'll love the results.

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PPG has launched the first use of its next generation B1:B2 waterborne paint technology in the U.S. The next generation B1:B2 (wet-on-wet) compact process technology is currently in production at the BMW assembly plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. This marks the first use of a waterborne compact process in a U.S. automotive manufacturing plant.

“We are proud to have launched this process as a first in the U.S.,” said Bob White, director, global accounts, BMW. “Our waterborne B1:B2 technology highlights our dedication to helping our customers reduce the overall paint shop footprint and environmental impact, while achieving superior appearance and maintaining color flexibility.”

In the traditional automotive paint process, the application of pretreatment and electrocoat is followed by a primer layer. After the primer layer is cured, a topcoat layer of basecoat and clearcoat is applied and cured. This process has become a focus of technical brainstorming, due to it being both costly and time consuming.

The next generation B1:B2 technology works within BMW’s Integrated Paint Process and allows the customer to reduce the number of steps necessary to paint a vehicle by moving the traditional primer application into the topcoat booth. This movement eliminates the dedicated primer booth and all related processing.

The B1 layer provides primer, filling, chip and durability benefits. The B2 layer provides color and additional durability. Both the B1 and B2 layers are applied wet-on-wet and do not require a baking or a heated dehydration process in between. The fewer processing steps results in reducing the overall energy usage and paint shop footprint.

Compact paint processes like the B1:B2 process from PPG generate savings in capital and operating costs for OEMs by reducing the manufacturing footprint of a paint shop, lowering energy consumption and increasing overall process efficiency.

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