Coatings World - July 2012

The move to Ashington reinforces AkzoNobel’s commitment to ensuring that some of its most recognizable brands continue to be manufactured in the UK, with a particular focus on the north-east. It follows a series of significant investments in the company’s fire protection facility, and research facilities at its Felling, Tyne and Wear site.

The famous Dulux Dog attended the groundbreaking ceremony to represent one of AkzoNobel’s most iconic brands, which also include Polycell, Cuprinol and Hammerite.

The new site, due to commence opera-
tions in late 2014, will halve AkzoNobel’s
environmental impact in the North-East,
reducing energy consumption per liter of
paint produced by 60 percent compared
to today’s operations. This will be
achieved by employing cutting-edge man-
ufacturing technology and the latest in
building design, while also making large
sustainability improvements by recycling
and reusing waste and water. Examples of
technology to be used include: A biomass
boiler providing a renewable source of
heat; solar panels on the roof providing a
renewable source of electricity; and rain-
water harvesting into the process water.

Dürr to build an automotive top
coat line for Smart France SAS
Along with numerous projects in the
emerging markets, Dürr has recently re-
ceived an order for the construction of an
automotive paint shop in France. In the first
quarter of 2012, Smart France SAS ordered
a top coat line for their plant in Hambach.

Nova Paint Club Proves Value of Global Cooperation at Meeting in Argentina

The latest Nova Paint Club meeting was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, between April 22 and 27. It was hosted by Miguel Rodriguez, the operations director of Argentinean member Sinteplast SA. The meeting brought together both marketing directors and board representatives from the Nova Paint Club’s member companies.

The Nova Paint Club draws its members from 10 companies operating in over 80 countries. The club is now in its 30th year, having first met in Cannes, France, in 1983. The host company, Sinteplast SA, is family-owned and has manufacturing and sales operations throughout much of South America. Nova delegates visited a number of Sinteplast’s Colorshop franchises in Buenos Aires and toured its new factory on the outskirts of the city.

At the meeting, the marketing directors noted the considerable progress on initiatives developed at their meeting last year. The Buenos Aires meeting led to new joint programs being launched in areas including color trends and special color documentation.

The Nova representatives also received a keynote address from Dr. Ricardo Arriazu, the noted Argentinean economist with strong ties to both the IMF and the World Bank. He delivered his own analysis of critical issues facing the global economy.

“This meeting has been a valuable reminder of the benefits of co-
operation in a challenging and uncertain global environment,” said
Joao Serrenho, president of CIN and current president of Nova. “It’s
inspiring to see initiatives developed at previous meetings delivering
tangible results for our member companies.”
The next board meeting of the Nova Paint Club will take place in Oc-
tober 2012 in Stuttgart, Germany, hosted by Votteler Lackfabrik GmbH

Miguel Rodriguez left, Nova President Joao Serrenho second left, together with members of the Nova board and partners.

& Co. and will be held alongside a meeting of Nova’s technical directors.

The Nova Paint Club is an international organization founded in 1983 to provide a framework for leading global independent paint companies to benefit from exchanges of technical information, technology and expertise in all areas of their operations.

The Nova Paint Club currently has 10 core members with their main operations based in Argentina (Sinteplast SA), Canada (Cloverdale Paint Inc), Colombia (Global Paints SA), Germany (Votteler Lackfabrik GmbH & Co), Greece, (Druckfarben Hellas SA), India, (Asian Paints), Israel (Tambour Ltd), Portugal (CIN SA), Spain (Barnices Valentine S.A.), and the USA (Vogel Paint Inc). These companies also have other operations and/or subsidiaries, which extends their total involvement to around 80 countries throughout the world.