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manufacturers of powder coatingsfor household appliances.

Original Source: Coatings World, Feb 2013,18 (2), 45 (Website:http://www.coatingsworld.com) © RodmanPublishing 2013

MARKETSIndustry, academia align in the UK

Financial and scientificopportunities are drivingcollaborations between UK industryand universities. AkzoNobel andthe University of Manchester havesigned a new pact that aims todevelop novel anticorrosioncoatings. METRC, a technologytransfer organization formed fiveyears ago to partner industry andacademia, is stepping up thecreation of industry-academiaalliances, including those involvingpharmaceuticals. METRC, whichrepresents a group of 11universities in northern England,offers grants to industry of $8000-40,000 on a cost-matching basis.Since 2011, METRC has formed18 research partnerships betweenindustry and its universitymembers. The group is on courseto achieve 50-60 alliances by end-2014. METRC has broadened itsscope to include pharmaceutical-related alliances. METRC is co-funding a project between drugcompany Aesica Pharmaceuticalsand Durham University and theUniversity of Leeds. Thecollaboration aims to developtechnologies to boost costefficiency and raise outputcapacity at Aesica’s plant inCramlington, UK.

Original Source: Chemical and EngineeringNews, 28 Jan 2013, 91 (4), 18-19 (Website:http://www.cen-online.org) © AmericanChemical Society 2013

Mixed earnings in 4Q 2012

Chemical majors managed to stayprofitable in 4Q 2012, despitesome weak market segments.Sales of Dow’s agriculturalsciences business jumped 17%year on year, but overall flat

volumes and weak prices led to a1.3% drop in sales in 4Q 2012.The firm mainly attributes the26.7% increase in its earnings to a$413 M reduction in the costs ofpurchased feedstock and energy.Volume growth in PPG Industries’performance and industrial coatingswas spurred by increaseddemand from the US architecturalcoatings, automotive, andpackaging markets. PPG reportedearnings of $238 M, up morethan 10% year on year. Meanwhile,DuPont saw its earnings plungemore than 55% to $110 M. Atable presents 4Q 2012 results ofeight chemical firms.

Original Source: Chemical and EngineeringNews, 4 Feb 2013, 91 (5), 7 (Website:http://www.cen-online.org) © AmericanChemical Society 2013

The North American powdercoatings market

A recent article describes theNorth American powder coatingsmarket as “mature yet hopeful” bypredicting only modest growth. Thetotal market size has beenestimated 410-420 M lbs, valued atUS$1.3 bn, with a growth forecastof approximately 3%/y. The largestend-use is in general metal, inboth volume and value. The basicproblems are the high temperaturecuring schedules and the fact thatpowder coatings have alreadyreached their saturation point of25-30% in the industrial metalfinishing market. Further growth willbe slow as investment in newproduct development diminishes.

The current market is dominatedby thermosetting powders basedmainly on epoxy polyester andpure epoxies, while otherrequirements are met bypolyesters, polyurethanes, acrylicsand a wide range of thermoplasticpowder coatings. The use of UVcurables is confined entirely to thepowder coating of MDF board, inspite of their capabiliity to removethe major objection of hightemperature curing schedules. ThePowder Coatings Institute hasdescribed a number of newapplications for powders on a

range of non-metal substrates,and it predicts a more promisinggrowth level when the economyrecovers.

Original Source: PPCJ, Polymers, Paint,Colour Journal, Feb 2013, 203 (4581), 10-11(Website:http://www.polymerspaintcolourjournal.com)© Quartz Business Media Ltd 2013

Valspar awarded contract tosupply coating for Hongkong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge

The Valspar Corp has beenselected as the major supplier ofconcrete reinforcing steel coatingsfor the Hongkong-Zhuhai-Macaobridge in China. When completedin 2016, the length of the bridgewill span nearly 50 km and isexpected to be the world’s longestsea-crossing structure. ValsparGreenbar fusion-bonded epoxy(FBE) coating meets the rigorousrequirements of bridge building.The coating provides optimumlong-term corrosion protection forthe bridge’s steel-reinforcing bar,dowel bar and related bridgecomponents; maximum flexibility forbending fabrication; and abrasionand impact resistance. The newbridge will serve as a critical hubconnecting southern Guangdongprovince, Hongkong and Macaoand be identified as a significantlandmark in the Hongkong andPearl Delta region of GuangdongProvince. The bridge width will be33.1 m, with a tunnel width of 2 mby 14.25 m and vertical clearanceof 5.1 m. The design live load forthe bridge complies with bothChina’s Highway Class I for BridgeDesign Vehicle Loads and the liveload provisions in the DesignManual for Roads and Railways ofHong Kong. The designed servicelife of the bridge is 120 years.

Original Source: Valspar, website:http://www.valsparglobal.com (14 Jan 2013)© The Valspar Corporation 2013

Indian paint industry estimated todouble by 2016

In 2011-2012, the value of Indianpaint industry amounted to Rup26,000 crore, of which 71% was

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contributed by the decorativepaints and the remainder by theindustrial sector. In terms ofvolume, the industry stands at 3.1M tonnes, of which 2.4 M tonnesis of decorative paints while theremaining 0.7 M tonnes by theindustrial sector. The per capitaconsumption of paints in India is2.57 kg. However, the industry isanticipated to grow by two-fold toRup 49,545 crore by 2016 andthe per capita consumption tomore than 4 kg. The increase inhousing and repaint of houseswill maintain the 70:30 ratio ofthe decorative and industrialpaints segments. Asian Paintsleads the domestic decorativepaints market followed by Bergerand Kansai Nerolac. It has beenforecast that exterior emulsion,interior emulsion, wood coatingswill grow, and also that water-based paints have a promisingfuture. The latest trends includepaints with low VOC, no addedlead, mercury, chromium,odourless paints. The industrialpaint accounts for 35-40% of theglobal overall paints market.However, the Indian industrialpaints market has been affectedby the retarded growth in theauto sector. (1 crore=10 M, 1lakh=100,000).

Original Source: Chemical Weekly, 29 Jan2013, 144 (Website:http://www.chemicalweekly.com) © SevakPublications & Chemical Weekly Database P Ltd 2013

Economic slowdown in Europeresults in raw material pricessoftening

Softening prices of chemicals arepartly attributed to the slowingeconomy of Western Europe. Theeconomic situation is negativelyimpacting sales of coatings,notably decorative coatings,resulting in reduced consumptionof chemicals by coatingsmanufacturers and other keycustomers of the chemicalsindustry. In 3Q 2012, AkzoNobel’ssales of decorative paints inEurope, its main market, slid by1%. The firm also reported a

drop in demand for wood finishesand adhesives and powdercoatings in the region. Chemicalsuppliers predict that the squeezeon chemical sales will continue in2013 with a possible recovery in2H 2013. In 2012, chemicaloutput decreased by 2%. TheEuropean Chemical IndustryCouncil (Cefic) predicts thatchemicals production will go up in2013 by 0.5%, mainly driven by arecovery later in the year.

Original Source: Coatings World, Feb 2013,18 (2), 20-21 (Website:http://www.coatingsworld.com/) © RodmanPublishing 2013

DSM annual 2012: Review ofbusiness in 2012: PerformanceMaterials: DSM Coating Resins

DSM Coating Resins continued tosupport the coating industry withresins that allow the manufactureand application of sustainablecoating technologies such aswater based, powder and UV-curing coatings. These resins arebeing used in coatings for, forexample, architectural, industrialwood, flooring, graphic arts, can,coil and powder coatingapplications. Weakness in thebuilding and construction industrycreated challenging marketconditions in 2012. The businesshas continued its success bystaying focused on continuing toinnovate jointly with customersand other major players in thevalue chain. Growth is targetedthrough a continuous drive toinnovate in core segments andtechnologies, and throughinnovation that allows sustainabletechnologies to grow at theexpense of less sustainablecoating solutions. Marketpenetration of sustainablecoatings currently is the highestin Europe and the US. Coatingresins market growth stems frominnovation as well as increasedawareness in the value chain ofthe detrimental effect of non-sustainable coatings. DSMCoating Resins seeks to grow themarket for sustainable coatingsolutions with resins for three

types of coatings: powdercoatings, water-based coatingsand UV-curing coatings. DSM’ssolvent borne coating resinsbusiness, based in Hoek vanHolland (Netherlands), wasreorganized and positioned as aseparate unit, and was brandedas DSM Synres. To confirm thevalue of its innovation productsDSM Coating Resins conductsnumerous carbon footprintmeasurements. This data drivenapproach fosters cooperationthroughout the value chain. DSMis making a significant contributionto the transformation of the entirecoating industry, helping it movetowards more sustainable coatingsolutions. In water-based paint fordecorative applications, productdevelopments have been focusedon bio-based water-basedcoatings. With new productdevelopment in urethane-basedtechnologies the need in theindustry for odorless indoor airquality compliant coatings hasbeen met. In powder coatingsDSM is investing in technologiesthat expand the potentialapplication of this sustainabletechnology to a wider range ofsubstrates, including wood andplastic. In graphic arts, DSM’sflexible packaging coatinganticipates the industry’s need todifferentiate and become morecompetitive.

Original Source: DSM, PO Box 6500, 6401JH Heerlen, The Netherlands, tel: +31 45578 2422, fax: +31 45 574 0680, website:http://www.dsm.com (20 Feb 2013) © Koninklijke DSM NV 2013

AkzoNobel announces newerstrategy and financial targets tobuild on its leading marketpositions

AkzoNobel has announced a newstrategy that will build on itsleading market positions inmature and high-growth marketsto achieve new financial targets.The strategy focuses on end-usersegments, operational excellenceand sustainability and issummarized by the company’snew vision: Leading market