Lubrizol Introduces New
Wood Coatings Mobile App
The Lubrizol Corporation has introduced a new mobile application - the
Wood Coatings Product Guide - designed
to help formulators of wood coatings
identify advanced Lubrizol chemistries
that help achieve a wide-range of performance needs.
“We are very excited to launch
this new mobile app,” explained Dan
Latas, global market segment manager,
Lubrizol Performance Coatings group.
“Formulators have often inquired
about an electronic tool capable of sim-
plifying the process of finding the right
materials to solve their unique coatings
challenges, and now one is available.
The Wood Coatings Product Guide app
allows formulators to search for the
best chemistries for their coating prod-
ucts based on their application, the type
of coating and their most important
performance attributes.”
The app allows users to narrow
product recommendations by global
location, preferred coating system (sol-
vent-borne, water-borne or EB-UV),
coating type (primer, sealer, stain, top-
coat), technology type (dispersants, sur-
face modifiers or resins/binders), desired
performance benefits and more. A list of
available coating technologies that meet
those search criteria is displayed. Users
can further access detailed information
such as product descriptions, literature,
technical data sheets, as well as request
product samples.
“We expect the app to get a lot of attention and use,” continued Latas. “This
is just a beginning, but we think it’s a significant step forward. We look forward to
users sharing feedback that can make the
tool even better in the future.”
Cetec Estimates Growth for
2015
Cetec has announced its estimate of a 20
percent sales growth for 2015. “The rath-
er optimistic estimate, especially in such
turbulent economic scenario, is support-
ed by a strategy that combines portfolio
expansion and the development of cus-
tom automation systems,” the company
said in a statement.
So far, the business activities of Cetec
were almost entirely divided between the
company’s two most traditional lines:
electrostatic painting equipment and the
exclusive distribution in Brazil of airless
painting machines manufactured by the
US company Titan, a global benchmark
in its segment.
“This year, we will increase our activities with the launch of several items
for liquid painting, such as tanks, guns
and agitators,” said Eduardo Cernic, director of Cetec. In this area, according
to him, Cetec has recently started working as a distributor of the French company Kremlin Rexson & Sames, one of
the world’s largest manufacturers of
pumps and guns (airless and HVLP).
“We expect that liquid painting accounts for 10% of our revenues already
in 2015,” Cernic said.
In parallel, Cetec intends to expand
its development area of automated painting systems, in the wake of the growing
change in the working parameters of
most industries, which have been increasingly seeking to rely on smart factories –
a concept that is also known as “Industry
4.0”. “These are solutions tailored to
the companies’ needs to keep raising the
level of automation of their processes as
much as possible. Yamaha, Caio, Deka,
Electrolux, Monark and Tramontina,
among others, are already operating with
the systems developed by Cetec.
AkzoNobel Breaks Ground
on New Specialty Chemicals
Plant in China
AkzoNobel’s Specialty Chemicals business recently broke ground on a new
alkoxylation facility in Ningbo, China,
bringing the company’s total investment
in the strategic multi-site to more than
€400 million.
As well as contributing to AkzoNobel’s
position as one of the leading surfactant
producers in China, the new facility also
creates a more sustainable footprint in
the region and will enable the company
to better serve its customers.
“Our investment in this new plant is
further proof of our ongoing commit-
ment to China, which is one of our most
strategically important markets. The new
facility also gives added momen-
tum to our organic growth ambi-
tions, as well as enabling us to
continue expanding our manu-
facturing footprint in Asia,” said Werner
Fuhrmann, executive committee member
responsible for Specialty Chemicals.
“The new alkoxylation facility in
Ningbo will allow us to better serve
our customers in the region, which is
one of our top priorities,” said Graeme
Armstrong, managing director of
AkzoNobel Surface Chemistry. “It also
provides us with the opportunity to meet
the increasing demands of the market
while operating production locally, which
will result in less need for transportation,
shorter turnaround times and a lower
carbon footprint.”
The Ningbo multi-site covers around
50 hectares and accommodates pro-
duction for chelates, ethylene amines,
ethylene oxide, organic peroxides and
Bermocoll cellulose derivatives. Surface
Chemistry’s latest investment will in-
crease annual capacity by nearly 18,000
tons, mainly catering for domestic de-
mand in China.
“Ningbo is one of the company’s most
important production locations and this
new investment means we can offer additional employment opportunities to
the local market, while continuing to
focus on organic growth, operational
excellence and achieving leading performance,” added Lin Liangqi, president of
AkzoNobel China.
As well as contributing to AkzoNobel’s
position as one of the leading surfactant
producers in China, the new facility also
creates a more sustainable footprint in the
region. The added alkoxylation capacity (the process of reacting a fatty amine
with ethylene oxide to make ethoxylated
amines) will enable the company to better
serve its customers in the agrochemical,
oilfield and personal care markets.
AkzoNobel Surface Chemistry is a
global leader in the manufacturing and
supply of specialty surfactants, synthetic
and bio-polymer additives and specialty
polymers. AkzoNobel currently employs more than 7,400 people in China.
Revenues in China totaled €1.7 billion
in 2014. CW
