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NPCA and IPPIC Call for Rapid Ratification of Anti-Fouling Systems Treaty
The Anti-Fouling Working Group of the International Paint and Printing Ink Council (IPPIC), for which the National Paint & Coatings Association (NPCA) serves as Secretariat, is urging countries to ratify the International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-Fouling Systems on Ships ... Read full story here 

Becker Industrial Coatings Acquires U.S. Coil Coating Manufacturer
Becker Industrial Coatings, a part of the Beckers worldwide group of companies, made the acquisition. Milwaukee-based Grace Matthews advised Specialty Coatings on the transaction ... Read full story here

The People File

Benjamin Moore President Denis Abrams to Assume Title of Chief Executive Office
The board of directors of Benjamin Moore & Co. has announced that effective July 1, 2007, Yvan Dupuy, chairman and CEO, will relinquish the title of chief executive officer, remaining solely as chairman. Denis Abrams, currently president and COO, will succeed him, while retaining the title of president ... Read full story here

Maroon Assigns Romito and Mensen to New Positions
Maroon Inc., Avon, Ohio, has made new appointments at its headquarters facility.  Dominic Romito has been promoted to director of polymer technology and will manage the company’s resin portfolio.  Steve Mensen has been named inside sales manager, bolstering Maroon’s customer support.

Akzo Nobel Appoints Ton Geurts to Director of Purchasing
Akzo Nobel, Arnhem, the Netherlands, welcomes Ton Geurts as director of purchasing.Geurts joins Akzo Nobel following a successful career at DSM, where he served in a wide variety of senior positions in legal counseling, purchasing, and business and program management.

Herbert Giffins Joins CHEMARK
The CHEMARK Consulting Group, Inc., Southern Pines, N.C., has named Herbert Giffins senior architectural consultant. Phil Phillips, managing director of CHEMARK says, “With his highly successful overall experience in the architectural coatings business, the last 21 years with the Kelly Moore Paint Company and the last seven as president and CEO, Herb can directly relate to the issues and help architectural business grow profitably.”

Petry to Head Up RAHN’s European Applications
Dr. Volker Petry is the new head of applications in Europe. His main duties are implementing customer projects, evaluating new and existing products, and coordinating laboratory operations. Petry has the benefit of experience in marketing, production and laboratory operations, as well as successful completion of a 6-sigma black belt certification program.

Faussadier to Lead Eliokem’s Newly Created Ventures Department
Eliokem, Akron, Ohio, has appointed Olivier Faussadier, director and member of the executive committee, to head up the new Ventures Department, which is exclusively dedicated to finding acquisition opportunities in Europe, Asia and the Americas ... Read full story here

DS Containers Adds Regional Sales Directors
At DS Containers, Batavia, Ill., Brock Manner has been named director of sales, Midwest, and George Buckland, director of sales, East Coast ... Read full story here 

Net Sales for Sherwin-Williams Increased 8.6% in 2006
The Sherwin-Williams Company, Cleveland, announced its financial results for the year and fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2006. Consolidated net sales increased $619.1 million, or 8.6%, to $7.81 billion in the year and $84.5 million, or 4.9%, to $1.79 billion in the quarter, due primarily to strong paint sales by the Global Group and by stores open for more than 12 calendar months in the Paint Stores Group ... Read full story here

Allied PhotoChemical Named One of Top 50 Companies to Watch in Michigan
The Edward Lowe Foundation has selected Allied PhotoChemical, Kimball, Mich., a leading manufacturer of UV paint and coatings solutions, as One of Top 50 Companies to Watch in Michigan ... Read full story here

RAHN Launches New Epoxy Acrylate
Rahn introduces GENOMER* 2235, a low-viscosity, aliphatic epoxy diacrylate for radiation-curable inks, coatings and adhesives ... Read full story here

Everlight Selects Distributor for Canada
Everlight USA, Charlotte, N.C., has appointed Canada Colors & Chemicals, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada, as its agent and distributor for UV stabilizers in Canada.  Visit www.ecic.com  for additional information.

Solutia Expands Dowd and Guild’s Distributorship
Solutia Inc., St. Louis, has expanded its distributor sales contract for Butvar^® PVB resins and aqueous dispersions with Dowd and Guild Inc., San Ramon, Calif., to include the states of Utah, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and New Mexico ... Read full story here

Michelman Offers Barrier Coatings for Paperboard
Michelman offers barrier coatings that are designed to protect paperboard from damaging elements, including water, moisture, oil, grease and abrasion ... Read full story here

National Coatings Provides Energy-Saving Roof Coatings
AcryShield Cool-Roof acrylic water-based roof coatings from National Coatings helped avoid as many as 24 million pounds of CO₂ production in reduced demands for energy across the nation in 2006 ... Read full story here

KW Plastics Launches Closed-Loop Recycling Programs
KW Plastics recently introduced an all-plastic paint container made entirely of 100% recycled content that is 100% recyclable, an innovation that has peaked the interests of environmentally conscious leaders in the paint and coatings industry ... Read full story here

Tiwest Joint Venture Partners Plan to Expand Australian Titanium Dioxide Plant
The Tiwest Joint Venture partners, Tronox Incorporated subsidiary, Tronox Western Australia Pty Ltd. (50% interest), and South African-based Exxaro Resources Limited (JSE Limited: EXX) subsidiary, Yalgoo Minerals Pty Ltd. (50% interest), plan to increase annual production capacity at the Tiwest titanium dioxide pigment plant in Kwinana, Western Australia ... Read full story here 

Dow Announces March 1 Price Increases for Oxygenated Solvents
In response to rising raw material costs, The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich., will raise the off-schedule prices on a number of its Oxygenated Solvents products in North America effective March 1, 2007, or as contracts allow ... Read full story here

Reichhold Announces List and Off-List Price Increases on Epoxy Coating Products in North America
Reichhold Inc., Research Triangle Park, N.C.,is increasing prices for epoxy resin and epoxy resin solution coating products sold in North America shipped on or after March 1, 2007. Prices on all epoxy resin and epoxy resin solution coating products will increase by $0.08 per pound or as contracts allow ... Read full story here

DSM Increases Prices for Uralac Polyester Powder and Liquid Coating Resins
Gerben Algra, DSM global business director for powder coating resins, says that the recent price hikes for crucial feedstock forces DSM, Zwolle,the Netherlands, to raise prices for its range of Uralac™ polyester powder coating resins from 0.05 to 0.08 euros/kg as of March 1 ... Read full story here

Bob Ziegler Resigns From FSCT Following 30-Plus Years of Service
The FSCT board of directors regretfully announces the resignation of Robert F. Ziegler as executive director of the FSCT effective February 15, 2007. Ziegler has served as executive director since January 2006 ... Read full story here

John Cech of CVC Specialty Chemicals Appointed President of TRFA
John Cech, general manager, CVC Specialty Chemicals, Inc., has recently been appointed to serve as president of the Thermoset Resin Formulators Association (TRFA).  In this capacity, Cech will promote the organization’s mission to serve the needs of thermoset formulators and suppliers and its key objective to be the premier forum to interact and exchange knowledge.

e-Training Course Offered This Week on What Drives the Waterborne & High Solids Coatings Market
Many presentations from stakeholders in the industry deal with the theme of waterborne and high-solids coatings from a technological or regulatory perspective. The purpose of this presentation will be to address the subject from a market standpoint, aiming to identify and quantify on a global basis the coatings sectors where the technologies have the best opportunities for future penetration ... Read full story here

ASC to Meet in Savannah for Spring Convention
The Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC), Bethesda, Md., has made plans for its Spring 2007 Convention and Exposition to be held in Savannah, Ga., from April 15-18, 2007. The Spring Convention will feature a two-and-a-half-day conference program, networking events, and the adhesive and sealant industry’s largest exposition of raw materials, equipment and service providers ... Read full story here