Silicones significant room for
growth to support its global five-year strategic plan to become a
leader in the silicones industry.
“The sizable footprint in Charlotte will
enable us to expand our manufacturing
workshops, increase our laboratory space
and give us significant room to grow in
existing specialty markets and enter new
markets,” said J. Christopher York, president of Bluestar Silicones North America.
“In addition, this investment will greatly
improve our day-to-day operational efficiencies to become even more responsive
to market needs.”
The company also intends to increase
staffing in sales, marketing and technical
service. Employment is projected to increase 25 percent in the next two years at
the new Charlotte facility. As part of the
plan, existing manufacturing workshops
will begin to be transitioned into the
Charlotte site towards the end of this year.
According to York, new process equipment will be purchased and installed at
the new site for more localized manufacturing to support growth in key markets.
In addition, bulk storage capability will
be available at the new site to improve efficiency and assure raw material feed-stock supply.
This investment also includes expanding Bluestar Silicones R&D capabilities in
North America at the new site. Bringing
R&D personnel together from Ventura
and Rock Hill to Charlotte, combined
with larger R&D laboratory facilities,
new pilot equipment and increased
staffing will offer customers improved
technical responsiveness and faster product development.
Bluestar Silicones expects the transition for customers will be seamless in
terms of supply with noticeable improvements in its manufacturing environment
and operational efficiencies.
The company intends to produce its
extensive range of silicone technologies at
the Charlotte facility, including liquid silicone rubbers (LSRs), high consistency
rubbers (HCRs), room-temperature vulcanized silicones (RTVs), fluids, dispersions, release coatings, specialty fluids,
resins and antifoam, marketed under its
Silbione, Silcolease, Silcolapse, Lyndcoat
and Bluesil trade names.
The new site is expected
to be fully transitioned by
mid-2013
General Motors
names BASF
Supplier of the Year
2010
BASF has been named General Motors’ Supplier of the
Year for 2010. The Supplier
of the Year Award recognizes BASF for consistently
performing above expectations as a global supplier of
OEM coatings to General
Motors. The award has
been given to BASF seven
times in the last nine years,
recognizing the coatings
supplier for excellence in the areas of
quality, service, technology and price.
BASF receives the General Motors’ Supplier of the Year Award
for 2010 at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit Michigan.
Pictured from left to right are Jim Hentschel, Executive Director and Global Functional Leader, Body, Exterior, Dimensional
Engineering, General Motors; Beate Ehle, Executive Vice President, BASF Corporation; and Randy Pappal, Executive Director and Group Global Purchasing Leader, Body/Exterior,
Interior/Safety, HCAV and Mexico, General Motors.
Nova Technical Committee
meets in London
On February 24, 2011 The Nova Paint
Club’s Technical and Purchasing Executive Committee met in London to discuss
key issues affecting the global coatings industry. Representatives from leading coatings companies around the globe
discussed proposed legislation impacting
specific materials and concerns over the
global supply chain.
In addition to the discussions, the
Nova Club presented its Gold Award to
the outgoing chairman of the Nova Tech-
nical Committee, Yacov Mor, techical di-
rector of Israel’s Tambour, a Nova Mem-
ber since 1987. Nova president Joao Ser-
renho thanked Mor for his outstanding
contribution to the Nova Club and pre-
sented him with the Nova Gold Pin.
Nova president Joao Serrenho (left) thanked
Yacov Mor for his outstanding contribution
to the Nova Club and presented him with the
Nova Gold Pin.
PPG publishes ULTRA-Cool
coatings brochure
PPG Industries’ coil and extrusion coatings
group has published a brochure highlighting colorful Duranar ULTRA-Cool and
SUPERL II ULTRA-Cool infrared-reflective
coatings for metal roofs, sidewalls and
building components. The six-page booklet
quantifies the energy and environmental
benefits associated with ULTRACool coatings, which are designed to deflect solar
heat away from buildings so they stay
cooler and use less energy for air conditioning. Duranar ULTRA-Cool coatings
are available in a broad palette of light and
dark colors, enabling architects to design
bold, distinctive buildings without sacrificing energy performance. The brochure also
features Duranar VARI-COOL coatings,
the first metal coatings to combine
ULTRA-Cool coatings technology with
www.coatingsworld.com
April 2011
