On the R&D Front with Eastman Chemical Co.

As today's OEMs expect more from their paint in terms of performance, coverage and appearance, raw material suppliers to the paint and coatings industry face a lot of pressure from their customers. Paint products cover a wide spectrum of price points, performance levels and regulatory compliance limits, which place great demands on raw material suppliers to meet the needs of coatings formulators.

With its new multi-million dollar paint spray facility, Eastman Chemical Company, a Kingsport, TN-based supplier of additives and other raw materials for coatings is sending a clear message to the coatings industry-when it comes to addressing the myriad needs of its current and future customers, the company means business.

"The motivation behind this project was to put Eastman in a position to be a better supplier to the coatings industry," said Dirk DiSantis, Eastman's global marketing manager for coatings. "This facility allows us to better understand our customers' needs. Already we are receiving excellent feedback about Eastman's commitment to the coatings industry."

Rooted in R&D

From conception to completion, the pa