Sika Opens New
Mortar Plant in
Philadelphia
Sika has opened a state-of-the-art new mortar products plant in North
America with huge market potential in
interior finishing in the fast-growing cities on the U.S. East Coast. The new plant
is an extension of Sika’s existing concrete
admixture plant, the capacity of which
has also been increased.
Christoph Ganz, regional manager
North America:“We are continuing the
expansion that has taken place in the past
two years by investing in Sika’s growth
drivers such as mortars. This means that
we are expanding our supply chain, and
in parallel our sales force and marketing
efforts. The strengthening of our presence close to the booming megacities will
continue to be our focus in 2016. We
are planning to open two new plants in
North America, one of which will be in
Canada, the other in the U.S. This will allow us to generate further growth potential both for our customers and for Sika.”
The opening of its second new mortar plant in North America in the last
two years, in addition to the acquisition in March 2015 of the mortar products manufacturer and marketer BMI
Products of Northern California Inc.,
gives Sika a network of 18 manufacturing sites in North America. Thus Sika is
ideally positioned to take advantage of
the improved market conditions in the
construction sector in North America,
which is benefiting from growth drivers
such as commercial and infrastructure
projects undertaken as part of the general urbanization megatrend. Forecasts
for the U.S. construction market predict
an annual growth rate of 8 percent for
2015 and 10 percent for 2016.
PPG Paints Announces
Exclusive Paint Sponsorship
with HomeAdvisor
The PPG Paints brand was recently
named an exclusive paint sponsor by
HomeAdvisor Inc., the nation’s largest dig-
ital home services marketplace. Through
this relationship, HOMEADVISOR
professionals who are PPG Paints cus-
tomers have the opportunity to reach
high-quality, project-ready customers and
substantially grow their businesses.
PPG Paints professional customers
who join the HomeAdvisor exclusive net-
work receive a suite of benefits, includ-
ing getting matched with project-ready
homeowners and being able to view
project details and scope. Other benefits
to network professionals include access
to MHELPDESK field management soft-
ware, and access to Instant Booking, the
HomeAdvisor on-demand scheduling
tool that enables homeowners to instantly
schedule appointments with pre-screened
home-improvement professionals on a
computer or mobile device.
In addition, the PPG Paints brand’s re-
lationship with HomeAdvisor Inc. allows
current or former PPG Paints profession-
al customers to receive a discount for the
first 30 days of their HomeAdvisor mem-
bership, as well as an 8 percent rebate on
all paid leads.
“The PPG Paints brand is proud to
work with one of the most trusted web-
sites in home improvement,” said John
Salvadore, senior marketing manager,
PPG Paints brand. “Together, PPG and
HomeAdvisor aim to provide premium
tools, resources and products so con-
sumers and professionals can get the job
done right.”
Among several other premiere home-
improvement brands in the category spon-
sorship program, the PPG Paints brand
will be featured on the HomeAdvisor
online portal for all paint searches. In ad-
dition, the brand will have informational
content pages on areas of the site such as
the True Cost Guide, a free resource that
allows homeowners to view project costs
in their area, and ProReviews, a service
providing a directory of pre-screened
home-improvement and -repair profes-
sionals in a customer’s area.
The PPG Paints brand and national
store network are dedicated to providing
exceptional paint, expertise and supplies
to painting contractors across all industry
segments. The brand meets all painting
needs with a broad and deep product line,
outstanding technical support and indi-
vidualized customer service, including
timely delivery and state-of-the-art color
matching through PPG’s THE VOICE OF
COLOR platform. PPG Paints products
are readily available across the nation
from a network of more than 3,000 lo-
cations including independent dealers
and company-owned stores, ensuring ad-
equate inventories and consistent service
coast-to-coast.
Rust-Oleum Partners with
Wipe New
Rust-Oleum Corporation has partnered
with Wipe New LLC, a direct marketing
company that has developed the Wipe
New brand of specialty products designed to make faded and dull surfaces
look new again.
Unlike other products that offer only
temporary results, Wipe New’s unique
nano-polymer formulation withstands
many washings and weather for a much
longer time, the company stated. The
company is based in Virginia Beach, VA.
“Wipe New is creating innovative
products that make rejuvenating surfaces
a quick and easy process,” said Tom Reed,
president and chief operating officer of
Rust-Oleum. “The Wipe New brand will
benefit from our marketing and category
management expertise.”
Floyd Kuriloff, Betty Morgan, and
Tony Bender of Wipe New, along with
their team, will continue to support the
growth of this business in conjunction
with Rust-Oleum.
Jotun Starts Marine and
Protective Coatings Factory
in Brazil
Jotun opened a new marine and protective coatings factory outside Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil. The new facility is the
company’s first in South America, and
will have an annual production capacity
of 10 million liters.
The opening ceremony was attended
by H.R.H. Crown Prince of Norway,
Haakon, who officially opened the factory. The Norwegian Minister of Trade and
Industry, Monica Maeland and local representatives from the State of Rio de Janeiro
and the City of Itaborai were also present.
