Fresh Paint
year, Orleans bought over Socotherm’s
60% interest. Having acquired 100% of
Socotherm’s pipe-coating assets, OSK
Research said Orleans would soon sell
them to Wah Seong. A new joint-venture
company would be set up and Wah Seong
would then lease these assets back to the
joint-venture company, according to
OSK. With Socotherm in the picture,
Wah Seong will gain access to key oil and
gas markets like Europe, South America,
Africa and Australia, where Socotherm
has a reputable standing.
CALIFORNIA PAINTS TEAMS UP
TO PRODUCE COLOR TRENDS FOR
SPRING SUMMER 2011
California Paints is part of the Spring
Summer 2011 color trends generated by
Global Color Research. Presented by Mix
Trends, the color selection consists of
twenty forecast colors that create unique
color stories. All colors have been selected from California Paints’ Perfect Palette
collection. Global Color Research, the
London-based color consultancy studio,
is a key provider of dependable color
trend information, which is available to
all design markets. Mix Trends, a biannual color publication produced by
Global Color Research, used the colors of
California Paints to develop color stories
titled Whisper, Spirit, Genteel and Risk.
All stories reflect optimism and growth
for the 2011 year and help embrace the
future. California Paints worked closely
with Global Color Research and Dunn
Edwards, manufacturer of premium
paint products in the Southwest region,
to create this color trend summary in a
concise booklet format. Each color story
brings the color selections to life, while
helping to inspire and guide designers in
their color selection.
PPG NAMES AUTO COLOR SUPPLY
2009 PLATINUM DISTRIBUTOR
PPG’s automotive refinish business has
named Auto Color Supply of Mur-
freesboro, TN, as its 2009 Platinum
Distributor of the Year. The award was
presented to Auto Color Supply owner
Pat Anderton in February during the
annual PPG Platinum Conference at
the Green Valley Ranch Resort in
Henderson, NV. Anderton bought Auto
Color Supply in Murfreesboro from his
sister and brother in-law in 1983. Since
then, he has expanded operations and
opened stores in Shelbyville and
Columbia, TN. His team of 12 employ-
ees sells a full line of PPG products.
Anderton became a PPG Platinum
Distributor in 2005. The PPG Platinum
Program began in 1995 as a loyalty and
support initiative for PPG single-line
distributors with the ultimate goal of
providing exceptional service and bene-
fits for PPG refinish customers. The
program delivers competitive advan-
tages to participants by aligning the
technology, training and customer sup-
port of PPG with the entrepreneurship,
customer awareness, local market
knowledge and service capability of the
independent distributor.
DEMAND FOR PAINT IN
JAPAN TO GROW IN 2010
The Japan Paint Manufacturers
Association has published data for the
demand for paint in Japan for the fiscal year 2010. The predicted total volume is 1,434,000 tons, which is 1.1%
more than in the fiscal year 2009.
Market sectors predicted to grow in
2010 include new vehicles (226,000
tons, + 9.7%); electrical appliances
(67,000 tons, + 6.3%); metallic products
(97,000 tons, + 5.4%); and industrial
machinery (58,000 tons, +18.4%).
Market sectors facing a decline include
buildings (364,000 tons, -0.8%); steel
structures (76,000 tons, -1.3%); marine
usage (111,000 tons, - 7.5%); wooden
products ( 26,000 tons, - 7.1%); and DIY
usage ( 25,000 tons, - 7.4%).
MPI LAUNCHES PROGRAM
FOR RAW MATERIAL SUPPLIERS
Master Painters Institute (MPI) has
launched its “Starting Point” program
for paint raw materials suppliers.
Under the new program, MPI will
invite paint raw materials suppliers to
submit wet samples of their starting
point (guide) formulas that feature
their new or strategic materials.
BAYER INTRODUCES BAYMEDIX
MEDICAL PRODUCTS BRAND
Bayer MaterialScience LLC has introduced the Baymedix brand of medical
products, consolidating several product
concepts under one unifying name. The
Baymedix portfolio includes several
coatings products: Baymedix CL lubricious coatings; Baymedix CH hydrophilic coatings; and Baymedix CD
drug-eluting coatings. In addition to
covering the existing product lines, the
Baymedix name will also be applied to
custom-tailored polymers designed to
meet individual customer needs.
MERCEDES-BENZ APPROVES
NEW PPG PRIMER WORLDWIDE
Mercedes-Benz has approved PPG
DP4000 2K primer by PPG’s automotive refinish business for worldwide
refinish repairs of all Mercedes-Benz
cars. The 2K primer is designed to help
body shops cut costs and increase productivity. The technology underpinning
