WACKER's new Silicones R&D Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is dedicated to support the company’s overall business and product development in North America.

Breakthrough microbial-control technology that was developed at a Canadian university and commercialized by material science/chemistry startup Exigence Technologies has received a major funding award from the European Commission for further product development and commercialization in Europe.

The ACOMP technique has not only proven to be able to fully monitor research and industrial polymerization processes but has also proven the capability to automatically control polymerization reactions in real time to deliver a polymer that is ‘born characterized’.

This new laboratory not only aids BASF customers, but is part of a larger plan that is transforming southeast Michigan's economy from one that is manufacturing based to one that is knowledge-based.

At the end of each year I like to look back at all of the events that made news headlines over the previous 12 months. I thought it might be fun to do the same with the coatings industry, so here is a brief review of what happened this year.

This is our annual Emerging Technologies issue, in which we feature news items, articles and profiles of some of our industry’s newest and most innovative research.

Globalization and short product life cycles are increasing the pressure on companies to open up their innovation processes. However, currently German industrial managers rate the use of external knowledge as least relevant for successful innovation.

This article highlights pertinent current and future issues shaping the coatings industry.