Financial results announced by major coatings manufacturers for the third quarter indicate that sales and profits continue to be pressured by weakness in key global economies, with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States reported to be causing additional business declines. Lower raw-material costs, however, were reported to be mitigating some of the effects of reduced sales.
Earnings declines were reported by The Sherwin-Williams Co., PPG Industries Inc., DuPont Co., ICI plc, Akzo Nobel, Ferro Corp., and Rohm and Haas Co.