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Rohm and Haas acquires Finndisp

Rohm and Haas Co. has completed the acquisition of Finndisp, the polymer dispersions division of OY Focit AB for €60 million. Finndisp, based in Hanko, Finland, makes water-based emulsions used in the manufacture of paint, coatings, lacquers and adhesives. The company’s portfolio includes low temperature, high performance products specifically designed for use in Northern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The acquisition also includes two plants–one in Hanko, and another under construction in Ramenskoye, Russia. These will become part of a network of more than 30 plants worldwide.

DSM Neoresins opens R&D facility/completes expansion

DSM NeoResins has opened its R&D facilities for powder coating resins in Shanghai, China. The facilities will feature chemical synthesis as well as application testing. The company has also completed NeoResins+ expansion in Meppen, Germany. The new manufacturing unit will manufacture specialty polyurethane dispersions that are used in high-end decorative professional and DIY paints, metal and plastic coatings and parquet lacquers.

Celanese opens technology center in Houston

Celanese has recently opened its Houston Technology Center for its emulsion polymers and polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) businesses. The 31,200 square-foot facility, which will house both the R&D and technical services groups, includes both analytical and application testing laboratories for a wide range of industrial and consumer end-use products. The Houston Technology Center is the newest addition to the businesses’ technology network, with additional locations in Frankfurt, Germany and Shanghai, China.

Dow introduces Coatings Solutions business unit

The Dow Chemical Company has introduced a new global market-facing business unit, Dow Coating Solutions, to customers involved in all aspects of the industry. Dow Coating Solutions focuses exclusively on the needs of coatings formulators and leverages many resources within Dow, including more than a dozen product chemistries, R&D staff and global commercial and supply infrastructure.

Sun Chemical and Nantong Shanjing form joint venture

Sun Chemical and its parent company, Dainippon Ink and Chemicals (DIC) have formed a joint venture with Nantong DIC Metallic Pigments Co., Ltd., an aluminum pigment manufacturer. The joint venture expands on a distribution agreement announced in Oct. 2007 that allows Sun Chemical and DIC to market Nantong Shanjing products for the coatings, plastics and graphic arts industries worldwide under the new SunMetallics brand.

In brief

Eliokem has launched a new web site, www.stainblockingprimers.com, to promote the benefits and features of odorless primers…Cytec Industries has announced plans to establish a sulfosuccinate surfactants manufacturing and technical center in South Korea…Cytec has also launched new web pages about liquid coating resins, UV/EB coating resins and powder coating resins on its web site www.cytec.com…DSM Desotech has acquired U.S.-based Polymeric Processes Inc. (PPI), a producer of UV-curable coatings for tube and pipe applications.

Pricing Changes

BASF:

May 1—6-8% increase on resins in North America; $0.10/lb. increase for polyetheramine D230 and polyetheramine D2000 and $0.15/lb. increase for polyetheramine T403 and polyetheramine T5000.

Cytec:

April 15—5-10% increase on UV/EB curable monomers, oligomers and photoinitators and Vancryl acrylic resins in the Americas.

Dow Coating Solutions:

April 1—$0.04/wet lb. increase for all Ucar acrylic, Ucar styrene acrylic and Newcar acrylic latexes in North America.

Tronox:

April 1—increases of €100/ton in Europe, $120/ton in the Asia-Pacific region, 33 Yen/kg in Japan and $150/ton in the Middle East and Africa for all grades of titanium dioxide.

Wacker Polymers:

April 15—up to 5%/wet lb. increase for vinyl acetate ethylene co-polymer and vinyl acetate vinyl chloride copolymer dispersions sold in the Americas.

Distributor Agreement

BASF Corp.

has appointed Dempsey Corp. as a distributor in Canada for its full line of resins.

Micro Powders

has appointed Archway Sales (formerly Deeks & Co.) as their exclusive agent in the Ohio territory, including OH, MI, western PA, KY, western NY, southern IN and WV, to represent their line of high performance wax additives.

Troy Corp.

has appointed The Chidley and Peto Company as its manufacturer’s representative for its specialty biocides and metal carboxylates in the Midwest regions of the U.S.