The silver facade design of the newly reopened voestalpine Steel Innovation Center in Linz, Austria uses a new four-layer paint system jointly developed by voestalpine and BASF Coatings. The laboratory complex offers optimal working conditions for about 70 researchers and testing engineers and cost around €13 million. At the opening ceremony, BASF Coatings was represented by Uwe Pelchen, head of coil coatings sales Europe, and Dr. Lothar Jandel, head of technology management industrial coatings. "We are very pleased that the successful and long-term cooperation between our two companies is truly publically visible in the new metal façade of this important representative building," said Jandel.

The new voestalpine laboratory center also attests to the current development of the market. Wolfgang Eder, CEO of voestalpine AG, said that every aspect of steel has become "more diverse and more colorful." In addition to the sharp rise in possible combinations within the groups for materials and coatings from six combinations back in the 1970s to over 100 today, the challenge is now primarily in nanotechnology, which makes it possible to move into new, almost atomic, dimensions.