Fresh Paint
for its restoration and preservation
of mural art and other masterpieces
in churches, cathedrals and other
American houses of worship.
JOTUN SETS UP FIRST
DEALER IN KAZAKHSTAN
The first Jotun Multicolor showroom
was recently opened in Atyrau,
Kazakhstan and is operated by Jotun
Turkey, which has territorial rights
over Kazakhstan for the multinational
paint firm headquartered in Norway.
Jotun has been active in Kazakhstan
for several years due to the burgeoning oil and gas industries there.
Participation in a number of big projects provided Jotun with a stable presence on this market. With the new
Multicolor center, Jotun Turkey is
hoping to start serving smaller customers and strengthening the company’s position. Unlike other Jotun
Multicolor centers that cater only to
Jotun’s decorative product portfolio,
the one in Atyrau is an example of the
firm’s Single Source Solution
approach. When visiting the dealer
shop, prospective customers will be
able to find both protective and decorative products.
FROST & SULLIVAN SAYS ASIA PACIFIC
PAINT & COATINGS MARKET IS BACK ON TRACK
According to Frost & Sullivan’s Chemicals & Materials Practice, which hosted
an analyst briefing via webinar on the Asia Pacific paint and coatings market
last month, despite being hit hard by the economic downturn and having to
face some major challenges along the way, the Asia Pacific region has managed
to rebound nicely. According to IMF, “Asian economies swiftly deployed stimulus packages to boost government
spending, reduce interest rates
and stabilize financial markets.”
These measures have aided in the
region’s rapid recovery.
The paint and coatings industry in Asia is expected to expand
at a moderate rate with China
and India remaining the engines
of growth. The industry also forecasts vast growth opportunities in
key developing Southeast Asian
countries such as Indonesia and
Vietnam. Although, the Asian paint industry seems to be faring better than
its western counterparts, industry players still need to be wary of continued
weak global demand and focus on remaining competitive in the market.
“The Asia Pacific paint and coatings industry continues to gain momentum despite facing major challenges in 2009,” said Sheila Senathirajah,
program manager, Chemicals & Materials Practice, Frost & Sullivan.
“With China and India leading the way, followed by key Southeast Asian
countries, the industry is forecast to expand moderately this year with the
promise of rapid growth expected in the coming years.”
CUSTOM-BILT METALS JOINS PPG
CERTIFIED METAL PANEL PROGRAM
Custom-Bilt Metals, Chino, CA, has
joined its PPG’s Certified Metal Panel
Program (PPG/CMPP). PPG/CMPP is
a certification program administered
by the PPG coil and extrusion coatings
group. It gives architects a direct
channel to metal panel manufacturers
certified by PPG to apply high-performance Duranar, Duranar Ultra-Cool and Coraflon fluoropolymer coatings to metal building components,
and/or to specify, design, fabricate
and/or install aluminum components
pre-painted with these coatings.
BAYER INVESTS IN PRODUCTS
FOR MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
Bayer MaterialScience recently completed its acquisition of PolyBioMed
Ltd. based in Sheffield, UK, expanding
its product portfolio for medical technology. PolyBioMed, formerly a subsidiary
of Lombard Medical Technologies plc,
provides polymer coatings, surface
treatments and biomaterials to the
medical device industry. The acquisition
gives Bayer MaterialScience access to
application areas such as coronary
drug-eluting stents, plus catheter systems for interventional cardiology, urol-
