Coatings World - September 2012

2012 to February 2013, a specific products unit will be installed, encompassing an investment of These works will not only allow the brand to increase its operations in key overseas markets such as Central Europe, but also strengthen the CIN Group’s leadership in Portugal, driving an increase in its current market share.

Environmental sustainability was considered throughout the project, with the introduction of new technologies and new production processes, such as bonding, which allows the development of polyester powder coatings with metallic effects, free of heavy metals, to be used in architectural projects. The processes of the current plant will also be streamlined and made more flexible. This investment in market leading technology allows the creation of ever more innovative products that are eco-suf-ficient and also more competitive.

The expansion of the Maia plant will initially create an additional 15 jobs to the 58 already existing, and increase the area devoted to R&D, which currently employs 17 people solely in the area of powder paints.

CIN INDÚSTRIA, S.A. was founded in 2007. It was created by the demerger of CIN, S. A., with the aim of optimising the company’s position in the industrial paints market, a market that CIN has lead since 1958.

CIN INDÚSTRIA sells powder paints developed and produced in its plant located in Maia. These paints are sold under the Megadur and Ibercoat brands and are aimed at the following markets: architecture, functional and industrial use as metal furniture, job coaters, home appliances and automotive components.

The Megadur brand has been the segment leader in Portugal since the 90s. A large percentage of production is aimed at the European market, namely Germany, Spain and France.

CIN owns 10 manufacturing plants in six countries—Portugal, Spain, France, Angola, Mozambique and China—and employs about 1,400 workers for the decorative and civil construction segments,

plus protective and industrial coatings (metal and wood). CIN occupied the 46th place in the world rankings of producers of paint and varnish in 2012 (Ref: Coatings World). It exports to several markets in Central Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia.

Dürr receives Volkswagen Group Award

Volkswagen de México has presented Dürr with one of the Volkswagen Group Awards. The Mexican Group company Dürr de México, which is based in Querétaro, has received the award for its excellent performance at the VW factory in Puebla.

In 2010 and 2011, Dürr de México installed more than 100 painting robots there together with colleagues from Germany. The robots are used, among other things, for the interior painting of passenger car bodies as well as bumper painting. Paint booths and conveyor systems were also modified in the course of the robot installation. In addition, Dürr delivered a washing system, in which car bodies are cleaned between primer and base coat application.

“This award recognizes the strengths that Dürr stands for: employee commitment, decades of experience and innovative technologies, which help our customers increase their production efficiency,” said Bruno Welsch, president at Dürr Systems North America, during the award ceremony in Puebla.

This year, the Volkswagen Group Award went to 18 suppliers from North America. It is presented by Volkswagen to honor the excellent performance of parts, equipment and services suppliers serving its factories in Chattanooga (USA) and Puebla (Mexico).

PPG and WorldSkills International organize automotive refinishing competition

WorldSkills International, China’s automotive refinish competition, was held recently at PPG Industries’ new Shanghai Training Center. PPG helped organize the competition and provided tools, facilities and premium car-painting products for contestants from across the country.

Mou Jun, director of the China Employment Training Technical Instruction

Center, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People’s Republic of China, Gu Weidong, director of the Shanghai Occupational Skill Testing Center, and other government officials attended the event.

WorldSkills International has a 60-year history in vocational training. This year’s competition was sponsored by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People’s Republic of China, the Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau and the Shanghai Occupational Skill Testing Center.

“As a leading refinish coatings supplier,
PPG is honored to cooperate with the gov-
ernment to support and host this event,”
said Pauline Yuen, PPG vice president, re-
finish coatings Asia. “PPG shows its com-
mitment to the development of China’s
automotive refinish industry by continu-
ing to invest in talent-development pro-
grams for spray finishing.”
PPG began supporting vocational edu-
cation programs for automotive refinish
in China in 2004, when it initiated a
school-enterprise cooperative program,
and the company continues to proactively
develop relationships with vocational
schools. In early 2011, PPG entered into a
School-Enterprise Cooperative Agreement
with the Ministry of Education, marking
the inauguration of official occupational
training for automotive coatings in China.
In addition, PPG has actively engaged in
and organized major spray-finishing com-
petitions in China in recent years.

Due to the high demand for spray-finishing talent, PPG debuted its upgraded Shanghai Training Center in May 2012. The 3,000-square-meter training center is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. Along with established PPG centers in Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu, the new Shanghai facility provides enhanced training experiences for technicians from Chinese customers such as automotive manufacturers, auto service centers and car dealers.