According to the consulting firm of Kusumgar, Nerlfi & Growney, Asia consumed 9.7 million metric tons (21 billion pounds) of coatings in 2007, worth $28.7 billion. Volume is up 23 percent from 2004, while dollar value has increased by 40 percent.
Researchers at the City College of New York (CCNY) and Rice University have developed a low-cost, environmentally friendly technique for embedding antimicrobial silver nanoparticles into vegetable oil-based paints.
Rohm and Haas Co. has signed an agreement to acquire the FINNDISP division of OY Forcit AB, a Finnish paint emulsions operation, for approximately €60 million.
PPG Industries and Kansai Paint have expanded their alliance, known as PPG Kansai Automotive Finishes (PKAF), to include the sale of automotive coatings to Japanese-owned or operated original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in Hungary.
Malvern Instruments has acquired Viscotek Corp., a provider of chromatography solutions for the characterization of natural and synthetic polymers and proteins.
R.T. Vanderbilt Co. Inc. has announced it will discontinue its NYTAL® and CERAMITALC® industrial talc product lines and cease talc production at its Gouverneur Talc Division in Gouverneur, NY, by the end of 2008.