DuPont announced plans to build a $10-million automotive-coatings laboratory in Japan to facilitate technical approvals for coatings used by Japanese auto manufacturers worldwide and to support auto-assembly operations.
BASF announced plans to consolidate its coatings-manufacturing operations in North America in moves that will include the discontinuation of automotive liquid-coatings production at the company's Morganton, N.C., site and the transfer of production there to facilities in Decatur, Ala.; Greenville, Ohio; Tultitlan, Mexico; and Windsor, Ontario.
Akzo Nobel CEO Hans Wijers said the Netherlands-based coatings, chemicals and pharmaceuticals company will pursue growth of its Coatings segment as part of a strategy to focus on core operations.
Bayer MaterialScience L.L.C. announced plans to close an aromatic polyisocyanate production unit at the company's New Martinsville, W.Va., site by the end of the first quarter of next year.
Scott Bader Inc. has appointed Palmer Holland Inc., North Olmstead, Ohio, to an expanded distribution territory that includes Ohio, Michigan (excluding the Upper Peninsula), Kentucky, Southern Indiana, Western Pennsylvania, Western New York and West Virginia.
Petro Canada has appointed Fitz Chem Corp., Itasca, Ill., distributor of synthetic coating fluid in Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
ALTANA Electrical Insulation, a business unit of ALTANA Chemie AG, announced the start of operations of a production plant in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China.
Akzo Nobel announced plans to sell its Coatings Resins business to Nuplex Industries Ltd. of New Zealand for 110 million euros, or approximately $137 million.
The Valspar Corp.'s board of directors authorized the repurchase of up to 2 million shares of the company's outstanding common stock, or 3% of the total of outstanding shares, over a 12-month period.