Axalta Coating Systems recent- ly opened its newly expanded European Technology Center
(ETC) in Wuppertal, Germany. The center will be home to the company’s liquid
coating research facilities for the Europe,
Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
“Axalta is making this considerable
investment in its EMEA research and
development facilities to expand, to up-
grade and to centralize our technologi-
cal capabilities to support our growth
in the region,” said Matthias Schönberg,
vice president of Axalta and president
of EMEA. “The origins of our company
can be traced back to the Wuppertal
site, where paint production first began
150 years ago. Today, over 300 techni-
cal professionals will work on creating
and developing next generation paints
and services to address regional market
needs and to meet our customers’ specific
requirements.”
The ETC will comprise facilities that
house the latest coating research equip-
ment. The entire campus encompasses
15,000 square meters of laboratories,
formulation and application capabilities,
a weathering and corrosion service, pilot-
scale and full scale-up facilities, customer
demonstration center, as well as offices.
Dr. Barry Snyder, Axalta’s senior
vice president and chief technology of-
ficer, said, “Axalta’s expanded ETC in
Wuppertal will include several new labs
for light vehicle paint research, new
laboratories for industrial electrocoat
research, as well as expanded labs for
refinish paints and new color develop-
ment facilities for both the refinish and
commercial vehicle markets. Its central
location for Europe, and historical im-
portance to the company as a whole,
make it the ideal base for regional liquid
paint research and development work.”
Axalta has taken a strategic approach
in expanding and enhancing its global
coating research and development capa-
bilities, with recent announcements of
new technology centers to be construct-
ed in North America and Asia Pacific.
The company is constructing a Global
Innovation Center in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, which will be the hub of
its worldwide technology network, and
a new technology center in Shanghai,
which will support technology applica-
tions across the Asia Pacific region. In
EMEA, Axalta’s powder coatings tech-
nology hub is in Montbrison, France, on
the campus of its powder manufacturing
facility.
RPM Acquires Leading U.S.
Manufacturer of Concrete
Care Coatings and Sealants
RPM International’s Rust-Oleum
Corporation subsidiary has acquired
Seal-Krete, a leading U.S. manufacturer
of concrete care coatings and sealants for
the retail market with annual net sales in
excess of $10 million. Terms of the transaction, which is expected to be accretive
to earnings within one year, were not
disclosed.
Seal-Krete, formerly a division of
Clayton Valve, manufactures a complete line of priming, painting, sealing
and finishing products for maintaining
and decorating concrete, masonry, brick
and pavers. Its products are sold primarily through home improvement
centers, as well as through independent
hardware and paint stores. Among its
leading brands are Seal-Krete Original,
Damplock, Epoxy-Seal and Clear-Seal.
“The acquisition of Seal-Krete expands Rust-Oleum’s range of concrete
care products. Complementing our existing EpoxyShield and RockSolid lines,
Seal-Krete will allow us to offer a complete one-stop-shop for concrete care,”
stated Frank C. Sullivan, RPM chairman
and chief executive officer. “We expect to
grow Seal-Krete by leveraging its products across the Rust-Oleum distribution
network.”
Matrix Coatings to Join the
Whitford Recommended
Coater Program
Whitford president David Willis recognized Matrix Coatings Corp. as a member
of the “Whitford Recommended Coater”
(WRC) program and awarded a plaque
to Matrix president Larry Sloan at the
Whitford Worldwide headquarters. Willis
commented, “We are pleased to recognize Matrix as a Whitford Recommended
Axalta Opens Expanded Technical Center
in Wuppertal, Germany
