PPG completes $5 million expansion of Wuppertal, Germany, coatings plant completes acquisition of Cuming Microwave

Transcription

1 CUBE July cube@brggroup.com +44 (0) PPG completes $5 million expansion of Wuppertal, Germany, coatings plant completes acquisition of Cuming Microwave PPG Industries has announced the completion of a $5 million expansion at its coatings manufacturing facility in Wuppertal, Germany. The project added equipment to existing buildings on the campus, supporting up to a 35 percent increase in annual production capacity of environmentally sustainable waterborne coatings for automotive and industrial applications. The facility, which employs more than 190 people, plans to hire employees to manage the increased capacity. The additional capacity will enable PPG to meet increasing demand for its waterborne coatings by automotive manufacturers and industrial customers in the region. Waterborne coatings use water as a base instead of the chemical solvents used in traditional coatings. In addition to a heightened focus throughout Europe on using sustainable products and practices, waterborne coatings demand is being driven by adoption of compact paint process technologies by automotive manufacturers in Europe. Compact paint processes reduce the number of steps needed to paint a vehicle, enabling manufacturers to reduce energy used during the process and downsize the space CONTENTS BASF completes divestiture of textile chemicals business to Archroma 2 AkzoNobel expands Performance Coatings research facility in Houston 3 Sun Chemical expands global capacity for functional & decorative metallic effects 3 Jotun welcomes decision by ISO s Marine Environment Protection Sub- 4 Committee to circulate ISO IGM Resins acquires Lamberti Photoinitiator business 5 Ashland completes sale of industrial biocides assets to Troy Corporation 6 A PROFILE OF THE ASIA-PACIFIC PAINT INDUSTRY 7 1

2 required for the paint process in a manufacturing facility. Waterborne coatings offer manufacturers a more sustainable alternative to typical solventbased coatings by reducing volatile organic compounds, said Jean-Marie Greindl, Vice President, automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) coatings, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and President, PPG EMEA. PPG has been at the forefront of this technology throughout its evolution and holds a leading position in this segment in Europe. Other PPG news. PPG Industries has announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Cuming Microwave Corporation based in Avon, Massachusetts, and its wholly-owned subsidiary Cuming-Lehman Chambers, Inc., based in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition enhances PPG s portfolio of aerospace coatings with speciality coatings and materials that absorb microwaves and radio waves such as radar. The products are used for military aircraft and also have applications in electronics, telecommunications, medical and automotive end uses. Source: PPG, 30 June and 1 July BASF BASF has closed the previously announced transaction to divest its global textile chemicals business to Archroma, a supplier of speciality chemicals to the textile, paper and emulsions industries. BASF will continue to manufacture and supply textile chemical products to Archroma. Included in the transaction is the legal entity BASF Pakistan (Private) Ltd., Karachi. The closing of this divestiture is expected by August All remaining businesses of BASF in Pakistan, which are conducted by BASF Chemicals & Polymers Pakistan (Private) Limited, are not in the scope of the transaction. Other BASF news. BASF is selling its 25% share in the joint venture SolVin to Solvay. Financial details were not disclosed. In addition, BASF has reached agreements with Solvay and Inovyn to continue to supply BASF s site in Antwerp with basic chemicals. SolVin was established in 1999 as a joint venture between Solvay and BASF in the area of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Source: BASF, 1 July 2

3 AkzoNobel AkzoNobel Performance Coatings is investing around 3 million ($3.4 million) to expand its research and development facilities in Houston, Texas. The upgraded facility will support the company s Protective Coatings, Marine Coatings and Specialty Coatings businesses. Completion is due in early The expanded facility will provide a central, state-of-the-art technical resource for our businesses in the US, creating the critical mass for effective R&D to efficiently support our customers, said Aidan Mernin, RD&I Director for Protective Coatings. The expanded facility will be able to house up to 35 laboratory staff, with 30 skilled technologists employed initially. Key capabilities will include a dedicated area for experimental paint making, a modern paint application laboratory and environmentally controlled drying areas for conditioning of test panels. Enhanced chemical resistance testing will also be available to support the Ceilcote and Enviroline linings ranges in North America. This investment underlines our focus on technology and product innovation and providing technical support for our customers, said Mauricio Bannwart, Managing Director of AkzoNobel s Protective Coatings business. It will be an integral part of our global RD&I function and will directly contribute to our overall growth plans. Source: AkzoNobel, 26 June Sun Chemical Sun Chemical will expand its global capacity for the production of Benda-Lutz metallic effect pigments designed for autoclaved aerated concrete, printing inks, coatings and plastics by more than 40 percent. With total investments exceeding $10 million and scheduled for completion by the end of 2016, Sun Chemical will strengthen its position in the metallic effects market and allow the company to accommodate for the growing demand for its metallic effects pigments. Both decorative and functional metallic effects continue to be strategic product lines for Sun Chemical, said Myron Petruch, President of Sun Chemical Performance Pigments. In the past several years, we have seen tremendous growth of our Benda-Lutz brand in a wide range of applications. We are optimistic that this upward trend will continue and are planning for future growth. Produced in Austria, Poland, Russia, China and the United States, Benda-Lutz metallic 3

4 effects are a comprehensive line of premium powders, pastes, vacuum metallised pigments, and preparations that provide industry leading solutions for the building materials, packaging inks, coatings and plastics markets. These investments provide additional capacity, vertical integration and position us to bring unique products to market, Petruch said. We will continue to invest in advanced manufacturing processes and in research and development efforts designed to deliver more styling and performance options to our customers worldwide. Source: Sun Chemical, 25 June Jotun The 17 National Standardisation Bodies represented on ISO s Marine Environment Protection Sub-committee (ISO- TC8-SC2) have voted in favour of circulating ISO parts 1 and 2 as Draft International Standards. In anticipation of final approval of the standard expected next year, Jotun will update Performance Guarantees offered as a part of its Hull Performance Solutions so that they are fully compliant with the standard. According to Geir Axel Oftedahl (Jotun s Business Development Director, Hull Performance Solutions), the purpose of establishing these standards is to prescribe practical methods for measuring changes in ship-specific hull and propeller performance and to define performance indicators for hull and propeller maintenance, repair and retrofit activities. Poor hull and propeller performance is currently estimated to account for around 10 per cent of the world fleet s energy costs and corresponding greenhouse gas emissions, he explains. By creating a standard, the industry will have access to proven ways to measure speed loss, leading to better decisions about hull coatings and propellers. We believe improving hull and propeller performance can reduce the world fleet s fuel cost by as much as US$30 billion per year and achieve an estimated 0.3 per cent reduction in man-made greenhouse gas emissions. The vote represents a genuine milestone for the MEPC Sub-Committee. Oftedahl, who managed the project on behalf of ISO, and Svend Søyland (Senior Adviser, Nordic Energy Research), who has served as the Convener of the ISO working group, expressed their gratitude to the other members of the sub-committee. The 53 experts representing ship owners, ship builders, class societies, paint manufacturers, performance monitoring companies and various research institutions worked for more than two years to reach a consensus on the drafts. 4

5 Oftedahl expects the standard will accelerate industry-wide best practices and will offer much needed transparency for buyers and sellers of a wide range of fuel saving technologies and services. The standard will benefit responsible suppliers, owners and the environment, he says. Source: Jotun, 30 June IGM Resins IGM Resins, a leader in the development, manufacture and supply of products and technical services to the global radcure industry, has acquired the Photoinitiator business of Lamberti on 30 June The acquisition adds to IGM s technical development capabilities and brings an advantaged product line that includes materials compliant with US FDA and stringent European regulatory requirements, which are complementary to the company s extensive photoinitiator offerings. IGM Resins is a portfolio company of Arsenal Capital Partners. The acquisition includes all assets, technology, intellectual property and employees dedicated to the R&D and commercial activities related to the business, which will be operated as a division of IGM near Milan, Italy in a new office laboratory complex. Products include the ESACURE line, which will continue to be sold under the existing brand. The manufacturing unit, which includes IGM-owned assets, and pilot plant will continue to be operated by Lamberti under a manufacturing agreement. We are excited to have the Lamberti team join IGM and expand our already broad range of speciality and all-purpose photoinitiators with the ESACURE brand products, said Edward Frindt, CEO of IGM Resins. This acquisition, along with the recent addition of IHT in August 2014, further moves IGM into the forefront of developing next-generation safe and easyto-use photoinitiators for UV inks, coatings and speciality markets. It also increases our ability to expand capacity and sales to a growing market. The addition of the ESACURE Photoinitiators enhances our extensive product line and will better position IGM to meet the changing UV requirements and higher demands of the market, said John Huiberts, President of IGM Resins. It will enable us to offer a larger range of high performance speciality photoinitiators and enhanced technical service to our customers. Source: IGM Resins, 1 July 5

6 Ashland Ashland Inc. has announced that it has completed the previously announced sale of the industrial biocides assets within Ashland Specialty Ingredients to Troy Corporation, a global leader in microbial control products and performance additives. Financial terms were not disclosed. Industrial biocides help control and prevent the growth of bacteria, mould and other microorganisms in a wide range of coatings, construction materials and energy products. Specialty Ingredients' lineup of preservatives products, which is focused on consumer markets, was excluded from the sale to Troy. Ashland is committed to retaining and growing that strategic business. Source: Ashland, 1 July 6

7 NEW FROM IRL A PROFILE OF THE ASIA-PACIFIC PAINT INDUSTRY IRL is pleased to announce the launch of a new edition of its regional title A Profile of the Asia-Pacific Paint Industry. This fully updated report provides market data for 2013 and forecasts for 2018, and gives an overview of the paint industry trends across 13 countries in the region. The Asia-Pacific economies are growing fast, boosting growth in the demand for many building and industrial materials, including paints and coatings. The total market for paints and coatings was 21.4 million tonnes in 2013, and is forecast by IRL to increase to 29.2 million tonnes by 2018; this is equivalent to an average annual growth rate of 6.4% in the medium term. China is by far the largest national market for paints and coatings in the Asia-Pacific region, followed at some considerable distance by India and Japan. The smallest markets are those of New Zealand and Singapore. While medium-term growth is forecast to be low in the more developed and mature markets such as Australia, New Zealand and Japan, the developing market of India is predicted to demonstrate growth of over 10% per annum over the next five years. India still offers significant potential for paints and coatings market growth, as per capita consumption remains very low. The Chinese market is still offering good medium-term growth of around 6.5% per annum for paints and coatings suppliers, driven by growth in downstream industries such as automotive, construction, shipbuilding, petrochemicals and civil engineering. However, this forecast growth is lower than in previous years as the country is experiencing slower economic growth, caused by rising costs of labour, land and raw materials, and increasing taxes. The third tier of growth markets comprises the South-East Asian economies of Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. These countries are experiencing rising incomes, improving standards of living and increasing domestic demand, while labour and production costs remain relatively low. 7

8 Overall in Asia-Pacific, architectural coatings account for just less than 50% of the total paints and coatings market, although this figure varies considerably from country to country. India s high share of the architectural segment, at over 80%, reflects the very underdeveloped nature of much of the country s industrial infrastructure. Protective coatings and general industrial coatings (including can and coil coatings) are the second and third largest end-use segments, respectively. New Zealand and Singapore are the only two countries with no consumption of automotive OEM coatings, since they do not possess any automotive production facilities. Australia s consumption of automotive OEM coatings is expected to fall to zero by 2018 as the country loses its vehicle manufacturing capabilities. The relative importance of the protective coatings segment is underpinned by the considerable activities in terms of oil and gas production, energy generation and mining that take place in many of the Asia-Pacific countries. Protective coatings have a particularly large share of the market in China due to the fast growth of sectors such as civil engineering, marine engineering and container manufacturing. Marine coatings have a very high share of the national paints and coatings market in Singapore, reflecting that country s importance as a regional hub for maritime transportation, and also in South Korea, which remains a key shipbuilding nation despite losing some business in recent years to China and other low-cost countries such as Indonesia. Industrial wood coatings are an especially dominant end-use segment in Vietnam, thanks to the importance of the wood processing industry and the strong demand for Vietnamesemade furniture from export markets around the world. Although the market for plastic coatings is relatively small in all countries covered in this report, it is of greater relative importance in Japan and Taiwan, since those countries are key manufacturers of electrical and electronic goods. 8

9 A Profile of the Asia-Pacific Paint Industry gives an insight into the market changes in the past few years, as well as outlining the key trends affecting the decorative and industrial coatings segments for each individual country covered. The scope of the study covers Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. It provides 2013 market data on nine mainstream paints and coatings segments: architectural/decorative, industrial wood coatings, protective coatings, marine coatings, automotive OEM coatings, automotive refinishes, powder coatings, general industrial coatings and plastic coatings. Forecasts on these are also presented for the year The cost of the full report is 4,500 (four thousand five hundred Euros). For more information on this and our other reports, please contact Cathy Galbraith at: Coating Update by (CUBE) is a free weekly news digest of the latest business news and events in the global paints and coatings industry, and is published in-house by specialist coatings research company IRL. Subscriptions: If you or your colleagues would like to subscribe to CUBE, please send an along with your name, position and company to cube@brggroup.com with SUBSCRIBE written in the subject field. Please add news@brggroup-chems.com to your safe senders list. If you no longer wish to receive CUBE, please send a blank to cube@brggroup.com with UNSUBSCRIBE written in the subject field. Enquiries: For enquiries or feedback to the Editor of CUBE (Mrs. Katie Tofts), please send an to cube@brggroup.com. Please also send your press releases to this address. For enquiries regarding other services that IRL can provide please irl@brggroup.com detailing your request. CUBE IRL