Coatings World - July 2017

years’ finishing positions,” says Robert Kuchera, Business Relations & Events for Punch Powertrain Solar Team.

The team will rely not only on Cromax, which will supply and apply the paint for the specially designed solar car, but also on Axalta’s considerable experience in other motorsports disciplines around the world, including NASCAR and Formula OneTM. The car will be sprayed at Axalta’s Cromax EMEA Training Centre in Mechelen, Belgium, and will be officially unveiled in the summer. Students will work in tandem with Cromax application experts to understand the intrica-cies of vehicle painting and the ways in which Cromax products can enhance the design, structure, and speed of the car. The Cromax logo will appear on the car, on the team’s clothing, and on the team support vehicles.

Dries Van den Bergh, Cromax Brand
Manager Europe, Middle East and Africa
(EMEA), adds, “Axalta has a rich heri-
tage in motorsport of all kinds, and our
support of student teams is perhaps the
most rewarding. Supporting the Punch
Powertrain Solar Team is part of our
global effort to help students apply their
skills and develop new technical, scien-
tific and engineering solutions.”
Participation in university racing en-
ables Axalta to help students recognize
the role of coatings in motorsports in
addition to the applied technology, engi-
neering, and innovation that go into the
company’s products. Axalta’s partnership
with the Punch Powertrain Solar Team
also aligns with the company’s commit-
ment to sustainability by supporting next
generation vehicles that can offer a re-
duced environmental footprint.

PPG Donates $10K to
Kentucky Science Center

The PPG Foundation recently donated $10,000 to the Kentucky Science Center to support school visits by the organization’s “Ion Jones and the Lost Castle of Chemistry” traveling science education program. The donation was made on behalf of PPG’s architectural coatings plant and distribution center in Louisville.

Supported by the PPG Foundation for three years, the interactive “Ion Jones and the Lost Castle of Chemistry” program travels to local and regional schools to teach students how chemistry affects various industries, technology and the environment. As part of the show, students explore and observe chemistry in action courtesy of a fiery volcano, a cola geyser, an exploding hydrogen-filled balloon and other experiments. The Ion Jones show is just one of many Kentucky Science Center programs that encourage people of all ages to “do science” in engaging, educational and entertaining ways to inspire a lifetime of learning.

“PPG looks for every opportunity to support and cultivate students’ math and science education. We’re proud to help bring the ‘Ion Jones and the Lost Castle of Chemistry’ program and its engaging way of teaching chemistry in different ways to children in more schools,” said Chris Smith, PPG plant manager, Louisville.

“The Kentucky Science Center and PPG have a long-standing partnership, and we are honored that the PPG foundation continues to support our mission of educating students on the importance of science and mathematics with unique, innovative programs,” said Jo Haas, executive director, Kentucky Science Center.

Maersk Line Partners
with AkzoNobel to Drive
Sustainability

AkzoNobel and leading global container shipping company Maersk Line have signed a strategic sustainability partnership to reduce carbon emissions per container shipped by 10%.

The aim of the partnership - which
reflects the mutual ambition of both com-
panies to jointly elevate sustainability in
the maritime industry - is to drive positive
change in a number of areas, including:
•Creating transparency on sustain-
able best practices in the supply
chain
•Identifying ways to integrate sus-
tainability into the customer-suppli-
er relationship as a decision-making
factor
• Reducing carbon emissions per con-
tainer shipped by 10%

Both companies serve as customer and supplier for each other, which means the two parties enter into the partnership on equal terms.

“This sustainability partnership
with AkzoNobel is an important step
towards a common framework to joint-
ly elevate and promote supply chain
transparency and sustainability in our
industries,” said Annette Stube, Head
of Sustainability Maersk Transport
and Logistics. “Successful resolution of
sustainability issues will rarely occur
through the power of one individual
company. The fact that we are custom-
ers and suppliers to each other and are
joining forces to drive change, can have
significant positive impact to the cus-
tomer-supplier relationship.”
Added André Veneman, AkzoNobel’s
Corporate Director of Sustainability:
“We are proud to partner with Maersk
Line. This is a pioneering collaboration
where two industry leaders have come to-
gether to make the world a more sustain-
able place, in line with our own Planet
Possible approach. We live in a world
where sustainability is important for
the long-term existence of our company,
our society and our planet. By working
together with customers, partners and
suppliers, we can make life more liveable,
healthy and inspiring.”
As a part of the agreement - which was
signed in The Hague, the Netherlands - the
two companies will continue to cooperate
and explore innovations and new ideas to
help improve their own sustainability and
business performance, as well as within
the overall marine and logistics industry.

Both parties are also part of the Sustainable Shipping Initiative (SSI), an ambitious global coalition taking practical steps to tackle some of the sector’s greatest opportunities and challenges. Connecting the shipping industry’s key stakeholders, the SSI works towards sustainable shipping practices.