Coatings World - October 2008

Fresh Paint

Until recently, the BASF Coatings design team, which every year develops about 20 new colors for the automotive industry and publishes annual trend forecasts, had been working in a design studio in the middle of the production plant. “With the new competence center, which is in the middle of a green landscape whilst remaining close to the pulse of the Münster facto-

ry, we are taking account of our customers’ need for professional design and will be able to help them even better in future,” said Juan Ximénez-Carrillo Gerber, head of the automotive OEM coatings Europe business unit.

The lower floor of the new Design Center is reserved for presentations and customer meetings, while the upper floor provides a working space

where designers can research and finalize their ideas. The heart of the lower floor is the large presentation area, where the current trends are showcased. The library, which is fully stocked with specialist books and magazines, is not only a place where users can look up information but also provides an inviting space for breaks or meetings. The light cabin is another

2008 FSCT HECKEL AWARD TO BE PRESENTED
TO PAST-PRESIDENT FREDERICK (FRITZ) WALKER

The Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology (FSCT) has announced that past-president, Frederick (“Fritz”) H. Walker, has been named the 2008 recipient of the organization’s highest honor—the George Baugh Heckel Award. Walker is the intellectual asset manager for Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. Presentation of the Heckel Award will be made during the FSCT Annual General Meeting luncheon, on Tuesday, October 14. The meeting will be held in conjunction with FutureCoat! 2008, offered October 15–16, at the Hyatt McCormick Place, in Chicago, IL. Considered the most prestigious of FSCT awards, the George Baugh Heckel Award honors an individual whose contributions to the organization have been outstanding. Established in 1951, the award is dedicated to the memory of George Baugh Heckel, who served as temporary chairman when the Federation was organized in 1922, and as secretary for many years thereafter.

Walker served as president of the FSCT from 2004–2005. His contributions to the organization include serving as chair of the FSCT’s Structure and Governance Task Force

and the Professional Development Committees, and as a long-time member of the Publications Committee and the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Coatings Technology and Research. Walker is a member of the Philadelphia Society. As previously announced, Walker has been selected to present the Joseph J. Mattiello Memorial Lecture at FutureCoat! 2008. The lecturer, chosen from among select individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the science and/or technology of coatings, is invited to deliver a paper at the FSCT’s major technical conference. His presentation will be a focal point of the 2008 FutureCoat! Conference.