Plus, adding Crown Polymers’
mid-western location to our existing California and Texas distribution centers will enable us
to better serve our east-coat customers,
distributors, and private label partners.”
BASF Coatings’ Global
Trend Book Released
Every year, BASF Coatings’ Global
Trend Book presents 65 new trend colors for automotive OEM coating. In
addition to original color samples from
the new paint collection, it also offers
the carmakers’ designers in-depth background information about the trends
and their developments.
A special feature of the book is its
design concept, which is adapted to the
collection’s trend topic every year and
weaves its way throughout the publication as a theme. The Global Trend Book
was designed by BASF’s Global Design
Team, which consists of 11 designers
worldwide in close cooperation with
the agencies ARE WE DESIGNER and
RAUM MANNHEIM. The book is the
main communication medium of BASF
Coatings’ designers and has received numerous international design awards in recent years, including the Red Dot Award,
the iF Award and the Horizon Award.
The color designers compile the
book’s content from their trend research
in North and South America, Asia and
Europe. “We work with trend worlds.
This means that we focus our trend analysis on three defined areas: technology,
society and individuality. It enables us to
meticulously follow global developments.
“What’s happening here? Where are attitudes, living habits or technical possibilities in flux?” explained Astrid Van der
Auwera, Global Strategic Marketing at
BASF’s Coatings division.
After an intensive analysis, the design-
ers filter out important trend aspects and
define six trend worlds. Regional color
trends and global developments from
the areas of technology, society or indi-
viduality are presented in six specifically
designed trend booklets. “This layout al-
lows us to present globally relevant trend
colors and address the requirements
in regional markets,” explained Mark
Gutjahr, Head of Design Europe at BASF
Coatings. In this way, the book provides
the carmakers’ color and trim designers
with access to a solid basis for their color
decisions, which they will see on the roads
in three to five years. The color presenta-
tion is supported by the newly designed
3D panels. The special geometry of the
panels enables the color and special-effect
behavior of the paint to be simulated on
the body and to be evaluated in a differ-
entiated manner.
The current trend book, entitled
“RAW”, will be revealed together with
the color trends in late July and will be
presented to the carmakers’ designers at
exclusive customer-specific events.
BASF’s Deck and Wall
Coating Applicator Training
Courses Validated by SWR
Institute
The Sealant, Waterproofing & Restoration
Institute (SWR Institute) recently validated BASF’s Deck Coating Applicator and
Wall Coating Applicator training courses
offered in the US and Canada.
BASF’s applicator training programs
offer “hands on” application experience
with our Master Builders Solutions brand
of high performance products. This is
combined with classroom education to
improve application process, job site
safety, aesthetics and project profitability.
“Training is one of the primary needs
expressed by our customers,” said Mary
Schneider, Director of Marketing for
BASF’s Construction Systems business
in North America. “In addition to our
Master Builders Solutions product of-
fering, BASF is committed to providing
our customers with the latest application
expertise to help them be safer and more
productive on the job.”
The SWR Institute is an internation-
al trade association whose mission is to
elevate the standard of practice for the
sealant, waterproofing and restoration in-
dustry through education and fellowship.
The validation confirms that the courses
meet stated learning objectives and indus-
try standards, so specifiers, contractors,
and building owners should feel con-
fident in using installers that have been
validated by these training programs.
Somerset Hardwood
Flooring Joins PPG
Certified Applicator
Program Group
PPG Industries’ building products-in-terior coatings group announced that
Somerset Hardwood Flooring, Somerset,
Kentucky, has been accredited as a member of the PPG CAP Certified Applicator
Program (PPG/CAP) group and is the first
program participant accredited to apply
DURETHANE wood coatings by PPG to
hardwood floors.
Brian Knapp, PPG director, coil
and building products, said the addition of Somerset Hardwood Flooring
to the PPG CAP Certified Applicator
Program group represents the beginning of a new era for the program,
which had previously certified only
metal-coatings applicators.
“When architects and contractors
work with a metal applicator certified by
PPG, they know that applicator has been
trained and audited to provide exceptional levels of product quality and customer
service,” he explained.
“With the addition of Somerset
Hardwood Flooring to the program,
architects can now specify Durethane
coatings for prefinished commercial hard-
wood flooring with the same confidence
they have for DURANAR metal coatings
on exterior building components.”
Paul Stringer, Somerset Hardwood
Flooring vice president, sales and mar-
keting, said membership in the PPG CAP
Certified Applicator Program group will
expand the aesthetic and performance
options available to commercial archi-
tects and interior designers.
“Somerset Hardwood Flooring has always been known for its ability to add
warmth and beauty to American homes,”
he said.
“Now, thanks to our membership
in this trusted and prestigious program, commercial architects and interior designers can confidently specify
our prefinished hardwood floors in office buildings, retail stores, hospitals,
museums, restaurants, bars and other
high-traffic environments that have traditionally featured less attractive, more
utilitarian flooring products.” CW
