The EU’s REACH regulation has a clear message: meet the requirements or you will not be able to produce in, export to, or market within the EU. Is your company able to meet this challenge?
This is the second in a series of three articles about dirt pickup resistance. Article one, published in PCI, September 2007, outlined trends and identified why dirt pickup resistance is important in the current and emerging markets, specifically in low-VOC formulations, elastomerics and new business construction.
UV-curable coatings are a boon to the paint industry, as they not only reduce VOCs but also speed up production processes and provide protective, durable and attractive finishes. UV-curable polyurethane acrylates have been synthesized from polyester polyol (1,6-hexanediol, adipic acid and ethylene glycol), toluene diisocyanate and three types of reactive diluents i.e., ethoxylated phenol monoacrylate (EOPA), 1,6-hexanediol -diacrylate (HDDA) and trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA). In this paper several formulations of UV-curable polyurethane acrylate resins were used to study the effect of reactive diluents on performance properties. It was observed from the results that UV-cured polyurethane acrylate resin films on metal surfaces exhibit excellent gloss (60°), mechanical, and chemical- and stain-resistant properties.
Consumers continue to place more requirements on OEMs as they demand higher levels of product differentiation while also expecting low prices. OEMs in turn expect their plastic component suppliers to provide them with innovative methods of meeting customer expectations, while under intense cost pressures and operating in “lean” environments. And if this wasn’t challenging enough, now plastic component suppliers have a new buzzword to deal with: Sustainability. But sustainability is more than just a buzzword; major corporations are adopting sustainability policies, and major U.S. universities are creating entire curriculums around the sustainability concept.
Museum conservators at The Preservation Society of Newport County, in Newport, RI, have made a remarkable discovery that sheds new light on the Gilded Age of American architecture, and on one of history’s most prominent families.
As the coatings industry has continued to mature, it has become increasingly competitive. Having a manufacturing and distribution network that provides products to customers at the lowest possible cost will be a decisive factor in the success of all companies operating in the coatings industry. Furthermore, a successful strategy to increase market share by delivering preferred products and excellent service will be a key determinant of the winning companies. So how does one determine if his or her company’s costs, products and services are a source of competitive advantage or disadvantage? We believe that a good first step is benchmarking.
A number of readers contacted me regarding my PCI article about Gainsharing, “Gild Your Bottom Line,” which appeared in March, 2007. They were interested in improving their productivity through Gainsharing, but were reluctant to try because they doubted whether such a program would have long-lasting effects on their multi-cultural workforces.
One reader asked “Is it a flash in the pan…how long can I expect higher employee productivity and better profitability as a result of the Gainsharing?” Another one e-mailed me, asking, “Is Gainsharing an event or a continuing process?” What are they talking about?
Can you think of any organization that has had 35 consecutive years of sales growth? A few come to mind that may fit that category, but you can count them on one hand. Statistics from past RadTech International shows indicate that the UV/EB formulated product growth for the North American market is just over 7% annually.
Fueling this growth is not just the push for “green” technology and increased productivity required in manufacturing, but also the availability of new raw materials from suppliers. These new materials allow formulators the ability to produce UV coatings with improved physical properties and better product performance, which opens up new capabilities for users.
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