PPG Industries has finalized the acquisition of Consorcio Comex, S.A. de C.V.
(Comex), an architectural coatings company with headquarters in Mexico City,
Mexico, in a transaction valued at $2.3
billion.
“We are pleased to have successfully
completed this acquisition, the second-
largest in our company’s history, as it
adds a leading architectural coatings
business in Mexico and Central America
to our portfolio,” said Charles E. Bunch,
PPG chairman and CEO. “We look for-
ward to working with the Comex team as
we integrate the business into PPG.”
Comex manufactures coatings and re-
lated products in Mexico and sells them
in Mexico and Central America through
more than 3,700 stores that are indepen-
dently owned and operated by more than
700 concessionaires. Comex also sells its
products through regional retailers and
wholesalers, and directly to customers.
The company has approximately 3,900
employees, eight manufacturing facili-
ties and six distribution centers, and had
sales of approximately $1 billion in 2013.
Comex was founded in 1952.
Behr Marquee Wins Top
Honor from The Home
Depot
Behr Marquee Interior Paint & Primer
has won top honors in the 2014
Innovation Award selected by The Home
Depot, the world’s largest home improve-
ment retailer. The Home Depot’s annual
Innovation Awards recognize revolution-
ary new products that provide benefits to
consumers and companies that exceeded
expectations in sales, service and program
execution. Behr Marquee Interior One
Coat Color Collection includes 372 hand-
picked colors featuring a paint formula
that is low in VOC and GREENGUARD
Gold Certified.
“We continually work with our ven-
dor partners to bring the latest, most-
innovative, convenient products to our
customers, while also providing value,”
said Bill Hamilton, merchandising vice
president, The Home Depot. “Behr
Marquee Interior Paint and Primer
won top honors in our Merchandising
Innovation Award because of its per-
formance. When using colors from the
Behr Marquee Interior One Coat Color
Collection, consumers can achieve spec-
tacular color with just one coat.”
“We’re incredibly honored to be recognized among tens of thousands of
other new products this year by our esteemed partner The Home Depot,” said
Jodi Allen, chief marketing officer, Behr
Process Corporation. “
Guaranteed-beautiful, one-coat coverage is one of
many revolutionary paint products we’re
proud to continue to bring to the home
improvement marketplace.”
AkzoNobel Develops
Additive to Make Roads
Safer
AkzoNobel has launched an additive for
road salt which helps to protect against
frost damage and makes driving safer.
Inspired by the ability of certain
animals to withstand cold and prevent ice forming in their bodies, Ecosel
AsphaltProtection is a fully biodegradable additive for de-icing brine. It works
by slowing the freezing process, resulting in soft, slushy ice, rather than hard,
abrasive ice. After in-depth research and
development, the product is available to
customers in Italy and the Netherlands.
“Adding Ecosel AsphaltProtection
to normal winter road salt can reduce
frost damage by around 50 percent,”
explained Werner Fuhrmann, member
of the AkzoNobel Executive Committee
responsible for Specialty Chemicals.
“Municipalities and governments will
substantially benefit from the results - less
need for road repairs, fewer traffic jams,
lower maintenance costs and greater road
safety.”
He added that by extending the
service life of roads, CO2 emissions will
also fall, not only because of fewer traffic
tailbacks, but also because there will be a
reduced need for materials and energy for
maintenance.
“The additive not only protects people
and the planet, it also makes economic
sense as it brings down the total cost of
ownership,” continued Fuhrmann. “In
addition, launching this product further
highlights our strategy of sustainable
innovation and represents the latest ad-
dition to our growing portfolio of eco-
premium products.”
By mimicking nature, AkzoNobel re-
searchers were able to tackle the repeat-
ed freeze-thaw cycles that affect asphalt
mixtures. Water trapped inside asphalt
expands by about nine percent when
it freezes, breaking up the road itself.
Passing traffic then further accelerates the
damage.
Ecosel AsphaltProtection works by
preventing the water trapped inside the
asphalt pores from turning into hard ice.
It encourages the formation of slushy ice,
which is mechanically weaker than the
asphalt and therefore substantially reduces the risk of damage.
Destined to be a key contributor to the
Sustainability and Transportation pillars
of the company’s Human Cities initiative,
the new product was successfully tested
in cooperation with the Dutch, Danish,
Swedish and Austrian road authorities.
Axalta Renews Powder
Coatings Joint Venture
Partnership in China
Axalta Coating Systems has renewed its
strategic partnership with the Huajia
division of the Yongjia Group under a
new name, Axalta Huajia Coatings. The
reaffirmed joint venture reinforces the
company’s leading position as a powder
coatings manufacturer and innovator
through continuously providing quality powder coating solutions designed
to meet the needs of local and global
PPG Completes Acquisition of Comex
