AkzoNobel has agreed to acquire the Swedish-based company Lindgens Metal Decorating Coatings and Inks, including its majority stake in the Server Boya joint venture in Turkey.

The deal will add technology and expertise to AkzoNobel's own packaging coatings activities, particularly in the market for inks printed on the outside of two-piece metal packaging.

"This is an excellent acquisition which boosts our capability and is perfectly in line with our growth strategy," said Leif Darner, the AkzoNobel board member responsible for performance coatings. "It will strengthen our position in metal packaging decoration and enhance our presence in important markets such as Russia, Turkey and Australia."

"As well as reinforcing our position in metal packaging, this transaction will also enable us to offer a number of unique technologies and support our customers with a comprehensive inks and coatings portfolio," said Conrad Keijzer, managing director of AkzoNobel's industrial coatings business."

Closing is expected to take place in the third quarter of this year.

Established in 2005, Lindgens, which achieved 2009 sales of approximately €25 million, manufactures and markets complete system solutions of coatings and inks for the metal packaging industry.

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NACE International, the Corrosion Society, named Robert Chalker as its new executive director. Chalker has served as managing director and CEO of ASQ Global, a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Society for Quality, for the past year and half.

"On behalf of the entire board, we are pleased to welcome Bob to NACE," said Chris Fowler, president of NACE International. "Bob is a proven leader and brings over 15 years of executive leadership experience to NACE. He has the ideal skill set to lead NACE into the future."

Prior to being named managing director at ASQ Global in 2009, Chalker served as director, global development and strategic planning at SAE International for five years where he was responsible for the society's $57 million in revenues, and setting the sales and marketing direction for the global, 115,000 member organization. Additionally, he led the organization's customer service team, membership and section activities, pre-professional educational initiatives and the SAE Foundation.

From 1981 to 2003, Chalker worked for Delphi Corporation where his most recent assignment was as sales director and global customer manager. During his twenty two-year career with Delphi he held positions in sales, engineering and manufacturing.

"I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead NACE International at such an important moment in the history of our association," Chalker said. "I am looking forward to working with NACE members, volunteer leaders, and staff in fulfilling our mission to protect people, assets, and the environment from the impact of corrosion."

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Evonik Industries has reorganized its carbon black activities. On July 1, Evonik Carbon Black GmbH was founded as a legally independent management company under the umbrella of Evonik Industries. Chairman of the board and CEO is Jack Clem and Rainer Wobbe will take over the position of the chief financial officer. The operational headquarters of the company, currently in Frankfurt, will move to Hanau-Wolfgang on October 1. The product portfolio and the relationship to the customer will not be affected by the spin-off. Evonik, the second largest manufacturer of carbon black worldwide, produces carbon black at 17 sites in 12 countries on four continents and generated sales of about €1 billion last year.

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Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas) will host special guest Advanced Polymer Coatings (APC) (Avon, Ohio) as part of this week's "Industry Today" webcast

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BASF Coatings GmbH and Henkel AG & Co KGaA have signed a joint venture agreement to develop corrosion protection solutions for the automotive industry. The 50/50 venture, pending approval of the German anti-trust authorities, will be headquartered in Düsseldorf. The joint venture is anticipated to launch in early 2011. The primary focus of the joint venture will be research and development. It is intended to bring together the competences of both companies in the areas of metal pretreatment and dip coating to develop products and processes that offer greater benefits in terms of cost, performance and environmental compatibility than the standard corrosion protection processes currently used within the automotive industry. Following a successful development of these products and processes Henkel and BASF Coatings intend to jointly market them in the automotive industry.

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AkzoNobel Car Refinishes Americas has been chosen by Aptera, a developer of futuristic concept cars, as the paint provider for their concept vehicles. All vehicles being produced today are painted with the AkzoNobel waterborne system, Sikkens Autowave. The Aptera concept car is currently participating in the Progressive Insurance Automotive Xprize competition. Progressive Insurance sponsors the competition as a method of inspiring the development of a new generation of viable, safe and super fuel efficient vehicles. This competition involves production teams from around the world that have designed and built production capable, super fuel efficient and clean vehicles. Following a rigorous series of long distance exercises, winners of the competition will share in a $10 million cash prize to assist them in bringing their innovations to the consumer market.

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AkzoNobel's Specialty Plastics Coatings and Soliant have teamed up to provide the automotive industry with the most comprehensive selection of decorative finishing products for automotive interiors

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Seacoat Technology, LLC, Houston, Texas, has been awarded the contract to supply the underwater hull coating system for the JHSV (Joint High Speed Vessel). According to Austal USA, Seacoat’s novel Sea-Speed V5 hard film Siloxane Foul Release coating technology was chosen over soft silicone coatings “due to it’s superior durability, reduced weight, and foul release properties that were well matched with the intended use of the Joint High Speed Vessel Mission Parameters." JHSV is a joint use platform to be operated by both the United States Army and Navy for transporting troops and equipment at high speeds in excess of 35 knots. 

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Wacker, the Munich-based chemical group, began supplying vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) copolymer dispersions from its plant in Nanjing, China, on July 1. The site offers VAE copolymer dispersions and dispersible polymer powders for the construction, coatings, adhesives and other industries. Wacker’s Nanjing site serves the entire product line from vinyl acetate ethylene copolymer dispersions to dispersible polymer powders. Located in the Nanjing Chemical Industrial Park, the site produces Vinnapas VAE copolymer dispersions with a current capacity of about 50,000 metric tons per year, depending on product mix. In addition, the Nanjing site offers an annual capacity of 30,000 metric tons of dispersible powder. It is the largest plant of its kind in China, according to the company, and has a staff of roughly 100 employees.

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Ecolab Inc. has entered into a marketing agreement with DuPont to commercialize new antimicrobial coating technologies for the food and beverage processing industry that will reduce the risk of environmental contamination by enhancing food facility hygiene. The control of mold, and pathogenic bacteria, especially Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, is a significant challenge for the food processing industry.

"This new technology provides an industry-leading antimicrobial coating solution that is easily applied and removed from surfaces in the food processing environment," said Thomas Handley, Ecolab's president, Global Food and Beverage. "This partnership combines the foundational knowledge of DuPont in coatings and polymer science, and its expertise in engineering solutions and market-driven innovation, with Ecolab's strength in application development, regulatory and customer expertise in the food and beverage processing industry."

Limited-scale market trials are under way in Europe and North America. The parties are currently working with regulatory agencies to obtain additional necessary approvals in the U.S., Canada and the European Union.

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