BASF and Medi-Solve Coatings collaborate
BASF Future Business GmbH and Medi-Solve Coatings LLC have formed a collaboration in the field of antimicrobial
coatings for catheters and other minimally
invasive medical devices. This collaboration combines Medi-Solve’s proprietary
AquaCoat coating technology with BASF
Future Business’ proprietary HyGentic sil-ver-based antimicrobial additive platform.
According to BASF, in the area of medical
devices materials, it is expanding its portfolio by forming partnerships with innovative companies such as Medi-Solve
Coatings LLC. New functional materials
for medical applications not only improve
the standard of medical care for an aging
population, but also address important
economic needs, such as the cost pressure
in the healthcare system. Medi-Solve
Coatings will be using its proprietary and
patented coating technology to apply
BASF’s HyGentic antimicrobial additives
to dialysis catheters, PICC lines and other
catheters known to have high infection
rates in clinical applications. This collaboration is designed to benefit clinicians
and patients around the world by reducing possible sources of infection and improving the standard of care.
RPM acquires synthetic fiber
manufacturer
Through its subsidiary The Euclid Chemical Company, RPM International Inc. has
acquired PSI Packaging, Inc. (PSI), a producer of micro- and macro-fibers for the
ready-mixed and pre-cast concrete market. With headquarters and manufacturing located in LaFayette, GA/USA, PSI has
annual sales of approximately $6 million.
PSI, which was founded in 1999 by its
four current owners and executive officers, will become part of Euclid Chemical,
a unit of RPM’s building solutions group
that serves construction markets worldwide. PSI will provide both a complementary product line to existing Euclid
Chemical fiber products, as well as manufacturing capacity and expertise.
PPG launches online solar
reflectance index tool for cool
roofs
PPG Industries’ coil and extrusion coatings group has launched an online tool
that helps architects and building owners
select the best cool roof coating color,
based on reflectance, for new and retrofit
building projects. Users can compare hundreds of cool roof coating colors, many
registered with Energy Star or the Cool
Roof Rating Council (CRRC), by visiting
coolcolorsdatabase.ppg.com and entering
available or desired data for one of more
of the following criteria: product code;
product name; color description; l*a*b*
color space value; solar reflectance
(TSR/SRV); thermal emittance (TE); solar
reflectance index (SRI); and Energy Star
and/or CRRC listing. Based on the criteria provided, the selector tool generates a
report with data tables and color swatches
for all matching cool roof coating colors.
Users also can review the full menu of Energy Star- and CRRC-listed cool roof colors from PPG by clicking the search
button. Scott Moffatt, PPG director of
marketing for coil and extrusion coatings,
said the color selector is designed to
streamline the specification process. “We
understand how difficult it is for architects
and specifiers to sort through manufacturers’ catalogs and industry listings to
find the right colors and products for their
projects,” he said. “This tool enables them
to expand the search process and accelerate it at the same time.”
AkzoNobel opens new
industrial coatings plant for
coil and plastic coatings
AkzoNobel’s plan to accelerate growth
and increase revenue in India to €1 billion
within the next five years has been underlined by the official opening of a new industrial coatings plant near Bangalore. The
facility, which will produce coil and specialty plastic coatings, is located in
Hoskote on an existing AkzoNobel site
that already manufactures marine and
protective coatings, automotive coatings
and powder coatings. The technologies
most in demand include laser-etch coatings
for the automotive industry, soft-touch
technology for smart phones and coil coatings for high performance steel and aluminum construction markets. The new
Bangalore facility will be capable of manufacturing up to 18 million liters per year,
with scope for further expansion. The additional capacity will also boost the company’s ability to meet the growing demand
in India and neighboring countries. AkzoNobel currently employs approximately
1,500 people in India and operates six production facilities, two research laboratories and roughly a dozen sales locations,
representing activities from across all coatings and specialty chemicals businesses.
Helios strengthens operations
in Slovenia
Helios Group has opened a car refinishing
coatings center and a production plant for
water-based coatings in Domzale, Slovenia. The coatings manufacturer also
opened a center for metal coatings in
Medvode, Slovenia. Helios invested € 14
million in the three projects. Additional
resources will be invested in the production plant for water-based coatings and
the car refinishing coatings center until
2012. Currently the production capacity
of decorative and car refinishing water-based coatings is 500 tons per month.
GMM opens facility in India
GMM Development Limited has opened a
new manufacturing facility located in
Ahmedabad, India. The new GMM India
facility includes a technical development
center, full-scale coatings production area,
and offices for administration, sales and
finance. This operation will produce non-stick coatings and industrial coatings for
the local Indian market, as well as for the
export market globally. Beyond the main
facility, GMM has also purchased an ad-
