Akzo Nobel Car Refinishes, Arnhem, The Netherlands, formally opened its international ICT Competence Center in Bangalore, India. The company said the global center will work in close cooperation with a similar facility in Velp, The Netherlands, and will play a major role in the development of new IT-related services for the collision-repair industry. The center will be responsible for the development of IT body-shop systems such as Carinfo and Sikkens, and will mainly focus on test work and activities in the area of data retrieval and programming, the company said. In the future software development will also be performed in India. The ICT Competence Center is part of a unit of Akzo Nobel Car Refinishes India, which was incorporated in 1997. Akzo Nobel in 2002 opened an international R&D center and a training center for painters, body-shop owners and managers.

BASF Coatings AG, Münster, Germany announced plans to expand the existing resin plant at the business's headquarters in Münster, with the installation of an additional production line for cathodic electrodeposition coatings resins. Production at the resin plant began in 1978 and in 1992 the company introduced a continuous, 24-hour production cycle. The facility produces a variety of resins used in coatings.

BASF's Urethane Chemicals business, Wyandotte, MI, has appointed Tri-iso Inc., Claremont, CA, western region distributor for Lupranate isocyanates and Pluracol polyols. The distribution territory includes Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska and Hawaii. The products are used in coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers.

Bayer Polymers L.L.C., Pittsburgh, announced the launch of a website offering information on the formulation of coatings using the company's polyaspartic technology. The site, located at www.PolasparticCoatings.com, provides formulator guides; examples of polyaspartic coatings applications; brochures; product-information bulletins; MSDSs; and links to technical papers on polyaspartic technology. The technology is designed for use in protective coatings for industrial and commercial structures in harsh environmental and/or heavy-wear conditions. Applications include direct-to-metal railcar coatings, flooring topcoats and coatings for bridges, tunnels and light poles, the company said.

BYK-Chemie, Wesel, Germany, recently started operations at two new application-technology labs in China, at Shanghai and Guangzhou. The company said the location of the labs near its production site at Tongling will enhance the transfer of technology between laboratory and manufacturing plant, allowing increased customization of additive products in response to local requirements. With the opening of the two labs, the company said it "recognizes the growing significance of the Chinese chemicals market." BYK-Chemie, based in Wesel, Germany, is a supplier of additives for coatings, ink and plastics.

Charles Ross and Son Co., Hauppauge, NY, announced the launch of a website focusing on the company's high-shear mixer equipment line. The site, located at www.highshearmixers.com, offers information on the company's range of mixers, with site links to sections on models; selector guides; technical articles; photographs of typical systems; literature; and other resources. The company's line of high-shear mixers includes conventional high-speed dispersers, batch and inline rotor-stator mixers, multi-shaft designs, and the new SLIM (solids liquids injection manifold).

Chartwell International Inc., Attleboro Falls, MA, announced the launch of an updated website, offering information on the company's range of products for coatings, adhesives and rubber. The site, located at www.chartwellintl.com, provides product descriptions, use-level suggestions and end-use product recommendations. Chartwell is a supplier of adhesion promoters and anticorrosion agents.

Eastman Chemical Co., Kingsport, TN, announced the launch of a website and availability of related resources designed to assist coatings formulators in addressing regulatory-compliance issues involving VOCs and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). The materials include a recently published white paper, "Solvent Technology for Present and Future Air Quality Regulations," which the company said reviews key developments in governmental regulations affecting the industry since the 1970s and offers formulating recommendations. The paper is available for download by going to the web address at www.performancesolvents.eastman.com/online_publications/m310/pdf/m310.pdf. The website, located at www.eastman.performancesolvents.com, offers information on solvent properties, problem-solving strategies to meet environmental objectives and formulation tools, the company said.

Fluid Metering Inc., Syosset, NY, announced the launch of a website offering information on the company's line of dispensers and metering pumps for laboratory, industrial, process and OEM applications. The site, located at www.fmipump.com, features expanded technical -support elements, including sections on technical FAQs, sales-literature and instruction-manual downloads, and "Application of the Month" case histories. The website also offers details on operating principles, pump capacities, motor characteristics, materials of construction, prices, and ordering information.

Honeywell Nylon Inc., Hopewell, VA, announced the launch of a website for the company's Chemical Intermediates Group, offering product-specification literature and material safety data sheets (MSDSs) for the company's cyclohexanone, cyclohexanol and flake or molten caprolactam. The site, located at www.chembuys,com, also allows online monitoring of orders, invoices and shipments. Honeywell Nylon is a supplier of specialty polymers and chemical intermediates.

The Lubrizol Corp., Wickliffe, OH, announced sales-agency appointments for three regions in the United States for the company's AMPS (2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid) monomer product. Lubrizol said the sales agencies will supplement the company's direct sales force. The agent companies and sales regions are Specialty Chemicals Sales Inc., Cleveland, in the Midwestern states; American Dispersions Inc., Louisville, KY, in the southeastern states; and Tri-iso Inc., Claremont, CA, in the western states. Applications for Lubrizol's AMPS monomer include emulsion resins for coatings and adhesives.

Malvern Process Systems, London, announced the launch of a website offering information on in-process particle characterization and its applications and the company's range of systems for on-line, in-line and at-line particle measurement. The site, located at www.malps.com, includes a suite of multi-language audiovisual presentations that provide an in-depth look at various topics related to process industries, including particle measurement and sampling technologies and industrial applications and challenges, the company said.

Michelman Inc., Cincinnati, has appointed Kelly Chemical (Shanghai) Corp. sales agent for The People's Republic of China. Kelly Chemical Corp. is based in Taipei, Taiwan, and operates offices in Shanghai and Shen-Zhen, China. Michelman, based in Cincinnati, is a supplier of specialty emulsions and dispersions.

Micro Powders Inc., Tarrytown, NY, has appointed Van Horn, Metz & Co. Inc., Conshohocken, PA, distributor in eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington D.C., and parts of upstate New York. Micro Powders is a supplier of high-performance wax additives.

Netzsch Inc., Exton, PA, said its Grinding and Dispersion Division has appointed Manutrol Inc. Canadian sales representative for Netzsch's wet grinding and dispersing equipment and dry grinding and classification machines.

PPG Industries Inc., Pittsburgh, said its Duranar SPF coatings, manufactured by the company's PPG Industrial Finishes business, have been named one of the "Best Products of 2003" by Architectural Record magazine. The coatings, introduced in 2003, employ infrared reflective pigments to increase the reflectivity of medium to dark colors and reduce the amount of heat absorbed by structures, the company said. Primary applications are metal roofs. Keith Prins, general manager of PPG Industrial Finishes, said the Duranar SPF coatings "help create environmentally friendly buildings, which is increasingly important to today's architects." He said the development of the product line allows PPG to offer reflective coatings in a broader color range.

SiberHegner North America Inc., Baltimore, announced a company name change to DKSH North America Inc. The move follows the recent merger of the SiberHegner Group and Diethelm Keller Services Asia Ltd. to create DKSH Holding Ltd. DKSH is an international marketing company based in Asia that specializes in souring marketing, logistics, distribution, fulfillment, and after-sales service. In the United States, the company supplies raw materials and specialty additives for the coatings, ink, adhesives, polymers, and other markets.

Tomah3, Milton, WI, has appointed DoveChemCentral and RishiChem non-exclusive distributors for cationic and nonionic surfactants in a number of Asian and Middle Eastern countries. DoveChemCentral Pte. Ltd. was appointed distributor for China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, The Philippines, and Taiwan. RishiChem was appointed distributor for Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Middle East countries. Tomah3 is a supplier of ether amines and derivatives and alcohol ethoxylates. DoveChemCentral is a joint venture of Chemcentral Corp. and Dovechem Holdings of Southeast Asia. RishiChem is a joint venture of Chemcentral and Rishiroop Group, based in India.