Arch Chemicals Inc. has acquired Butler Mabbutt & Wrighton (BM&W), a producer of finishes for wood, leather and plastic products, and the Industrial Division of Humbrol Ltd., a manufacturer of varnishes, textured finishes and various other industrial coatings.
The terrorist attacks and subsequent U.S.-led military response launched in October added to uncertainty about the health of the global economy, but growth forecasts had already been reduced following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved a measure banning the use of hexavalent chromium and cadmium in coatings for motor vehicles and mobile equipment, effective Jan. 1, 2003.
Akzo Nobel N.V., the world's biggest coatings manufacturer, announced the establishment of a $1 million charitable fund to support families of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Akzo Nobel was joined by a growing array of companies launching employee and corporate donation programs to assist those affected by the terrorist attacks.
Rohm and Haas Co. has acquired the Megum rubber-to-metal bonding business of Chemetall Co. of Frankfurt, Germany, including Chemetall's subsidiaries in Italy and Brazil.
Coatings consumption in key Latin America markets is forecast to grow at annual rates of more than 4% over the next several years, with revenues in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru potentially reaching a combined total of $4.65 billion by 2007.
BASF Corp. announced plans to close the company's Industrial Coatings Regional Business Unit's research laboratory in Columbus, OH, as part of a restructuring program.
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