of well-known professional and
consumer paint brands, including OSKAR and Danke!. The
company’s products are sold
in more than 120 do-it-yourself stores
and 3,500 independent retail outlets in
Romania. DEUTEK, which is currently
owned by EEAF, reported sales of € 30
million in 2015.
“DEUTEK is a well-managed business with a long heritage of excellent
customer service and a portfolio of leading, well-recognized brands in Romania,”
said Jean-Marie Greindl, PPG senior vice
president, global architectural coatings,
and president, PPG Europe, Middle East
and Africa (EMEA). “The acquisition
adds the fastest-growing paint brands in
Romania, where PPG has only a small
presence in architectural coatings.”
Four Companies Join Forces
in Long-Term Renewable
Energy Commitment
A unique partnership has been set up in
which four leading companies, including AkzoNobel, have made a long-term
agreement to jointly source power from
renewable energy projects for part of
their operations in the Netherlands.
Formed two years ago together with
DSM, Google and Philips, the consortium’s first agreement is to buy electricity from Windpark Krammer, which
was established by two cooperatives
together with 4,000 members in the
province of Zeeland and the island of
Goeree-Overflakkee.
The four companies have agreed to
source a total of 350,000,000 kWh a
year once Windpark Krammer becomes
operational in 2019. This is equivalent to
the total annual consumption of 100,000
Dutch households. It’s the first time that
a group of multinational companies in
the Netherlands has teamed up with local citizens to create what is effectively a
consumer-to-business energy partnership.
“As a recognized leader in the field
of sustainability, the consortium offers
AkzoNobel a welcome opportunity to
further increase its renewable energy use
and continue finding new ways to do
more with less” said Knut Schwalenburg,
Director of AkzoNobel Nederland.
“We are proud to be part of the fu-
ture of energy sourcing and this partner-
ship shows that innovation does not stop
at product development. It also means
finding new ways of working together
and illustrates our commitment to be-
coming more sustainable. In addition, by
supporting communities to create more
green energy, we are helping our cities to
become cleaner and more liveable.”
Added Tijmen Keesmaat, Managing
Director of Windpark Krammer: “This
is a great achievement. When we started
working on the concept eight years ago,
we did not foresee that we would be
able to provide sustainable power, not
only to our members, but also to multi-
national companies.
“It is particularly great that we de-
liver directly to end users and that we
cut out the middleman. This collabora-
tion is energy transition on a complete-
ly new level and we are proud that we
can play an important role in the new
energy landscape.”
The consortium will enable the four
companies involved to make a signifi-
cant contribution to delivering on the
Dutch renewable energy target of 14 per-
cent by 2020, which was agreed in the
Dutch Energy Agreement for Sustainable
Growth in 2013.
PPG Earns American Honda
Approval
PPG has received approval from American
Honda Motor Co., Inc., for use of
NEXA AUTOCOLOR 2K, DELTRON,
GLOBAL REFINISH SYSTEM,
ENVIROBASE High Performance and
AQUABASE Plus products for warranty
repairs of Acura and Honda vehicles in
the United States. Steve Topczewski, PPG
original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
business development manager, automotive refinish, said the approval is reflected
in the newly released Acura and Honda
Warranty Refinish Guidelines service bulletins, adding that the noted PPG brands
incorporate advanced color technology
to deliver quality finishes.
“PPG takes great pride in partnering
with American Honda,” Topczewski said.
“Honda has a high standard for excel-
lence, and we are pleased to provide the
premium paint products that will pro-
duce durable and beautiful finishes for
its Acura and Honda brand automobiles.
We look forward to continuing our work
with American Honda.”
PPG has a long-standing relation-
ship with American Honda, providing
a variety of automotive coatings for its
vehicles. The latest approval extends
to those Nexa Autocolor 2K, Deltron,
Global Refinish System, Envirobase High
Performance and Aquabase Plus products
listed in the Honda and Acura bulletins.
USGBC: Building Owners
Show Strong Support for
Better Designed, Healthier
Buildings
The design and construction of healthier
buildings is a key business benefit for
building owners, developers, managers
and investors, according to the results of
a new SmartMarket Report released today by Dodge Data & Analytics and to
which the U.S. Green Building Council
(USGBC) is a contributing partner.
“Our world is confronting massive
challenges that affect our physical, men-
tal and social well-being,” said Mahesh
Ramanujam, chief operating officer,
USGBC. “We know that programs like
USGBC’s LEED green building rating sys-
tem and IWBI’s WELL Building Standard
provide key solutions to business leaders
who are looking for the best way to cre-
ate healthier, more sustainable buildings.
We will continue to educate and push the
market to prioritize human health in the
built environment, which has benefits
that extend beyond the building itself
to the cities, communities and neighbor-
hoods where we live.”
The report, “The Drive Toward
Healthier Buildings 2016,” shows that
the design and construction industry
in the U.S. is poised for wider adoption
of building practices that prioritize the
physical, mental and social well-being
of tenants and occupants. The construc-
tion of healthier buildings for occupants
is of interest for about two-thirds of U.S.
building owners, according to the report,
which also found that 79 percent believe
such buildings will lead to improved em-
ployee satisfaction and engagement as
