AkzoNobel's revamped Glidden paint brand has won a top U.S. marketing accolade for its Glidden Gets You Going campaign. Relaunched and revitalized last year, the brand recently received a prestigious Effie Award in the Household Furnishings and Accessories category at a ceremony held in New York City.

It's the first time Glidden has won an Effie, which recognizes the most effective advertising efforts in the U.S. each year. Launched in 1968, the scheme honors excellence in marketing strategy, creative execution and sales performance, as judged by an independent panel of executives from advertising agencies and Fortune 500 marketers.

"This award in many ways validates the notion that simplifying the paint and color selection process absolutely resonates with do-it-yourself consumers," said Akzo Nobel Paints LLC vice president of marketing, Rob Horton.

"The response has been overwhelming and we continue to see the campaign, now in its second year, positively motivate and inspire consumers to purchase. Our agency partners were instrumental in delivering a compelling body of work which disrupted traditional paint industry conventions."

The nationwide relaunch campaign, which included giving away free quarts of paint and staging a spectacular dance event in Manhattan's Union Square Park, focused on how Glidden makes it easier for consumers to add color to their lives while instilling a sense of confidence that they'll love the results.

[Read the rest of this article...]

Henkel Corporation received a 2010 Automotive News PACE Environmental Award for its Aquence® Co-Cure coating process, at an awards ceremony on June 16 in Novi, Mich. As a 2010 PACE Award winner for innovation, Henkel was also selected for this prestigious environmental award which recognizes automotive suppliers for their innovations that contribute to environmental sustainability

[Read the rest of this article...]

PPG has launched the first use of its next generation B1:B2 waterborne paint technology in the U.S. The next generation B1:B2 (wet-on-wet) compact process technology is currently in production at the BMW assembly plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. This marks the first use of a waterborne compact process in a U.S. automotive manufacturing plant.

“We are proud to have launched this process as a first in the U.S.,” said Bob White, director, global accounts, BMW. “Our waterborne B1:B2 technology highlights our dedication to helping our customers reduce the overall paint shop footprint and environmental impact, while achieving superior appearance and maintaining color flexibility.”

In the traditional automotive paint process, the application of pretreatment and electrocoat is followed by a primer layer. After the primer layer is cured, a topcoat layer of basecoat and clearcoat is applied and cured. This process has become a focus of technical brainstorming, due to it being both costly and time consuming.

The next generation B1:B2 technology works within BMW’s Integrated Paint Process and allows the customer to reduce the number of steps necessary to paint a vehicle by moving the traditional primer application into the topcoat booth. This movement eliminates the dedicated primer booth and all related processing.

The B1 layer provides primer, filling, chip and durability benefits. The B2 layer provides color and additional durability. Both the B1 and B2 layers are applied wet-on-wet and do not require a baking or a heated dehydration process in between. The fewer processing steps results in reducing the overall energy usage and paint shop footprint.

Compact paint processes like the B1:B2 process from PPG generate savings in capital and operating costs for OEMs by reducing the manufacturing footprint of a paint shop, lowering energy consumption and increasing overall process efficiency.

[Read the rest of this article...]

Rhodia has announced plans to acquire Feixiang Chemicals, China’s leading producer of amines and surfactants. The acquisition will enable Rhodia to integrate specialty amine technologies into its Novecare business portfolio. The combination of Rhodia’s formulation expertise and end-market applications with Feixiang Chemicals specialty amines capabilities will reinforce Rhodia’s position in specialty surfactants for the home and personal care, agrochemicals, oilfield and industrial markets.

“This acquisition is a key step in the implementation of Rhodia’s profitable growth strategy. Through the integration of Feixiang Chemicals, Rhodia significantly strengthens its leadership positions in the surfactant business, while enhancing its footprint in the world’s fastest growing region,” said Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, chairman and CEO, Rhodia. “We aim to double the size of the acquired business within the next five years. Following the completion of this acquisition, Rhodia will generate around one third of its net sales in Asia.”

Headquartered in Zhangjiagang near Shanghai, Feixiang Chemicals Feixiang Chemicals is one of the leading companies in the Asia-Pacific area, producing, developing and selling the full range of fatty amines and specialty amines. It employs approximately 650 people. The company has demonstrated its ability to drive top line growth—average of 20% per year—while enhancing its profitability over the past five years.

The acquisition price is based on an enterprise value of $489 million for
100% of the company. The current majority owner will retain 12.5% of the capital over the next two years. The deal is expected to be finalized in the second half 2010.

Rhodia Novecare, with net sales of €827 million in 2009, provides high-performance products and solutions to a wide range of industries including cosmetics, detergents, agrochemicals and oil, as well as coating and industrial applications. Rhodia Novecare holds leading positions in the surfactants, phosphorus derivatives, natural polymers, synthetic polymers and monomers technologies, and eco-friendly oxygenated solvents markets.

Structured around six enterprises, Rhodia is the partner of major players in the automotive, electronics, flavors and fragrances, health, personal and home care markets, consumer goods and industrial markets. The group employs around 13,600 people worldwide and generated sales of €4.03 billion in 2009.

[Read the rest of this article...]

J. J. Moloney, W. Y. Mok, and C. M. Menendez et al.
Pitting corrosion of pipelines remains a serious concern to operators in the oil and gas industry. Pitting is a particularly insidious and extremely rapid form of attack of a metal structure that can lead to unexpected system failures. The pipe wall can be perforated within a relatively short space ... [Corrosion 66 065003 (2010)] published Tue Jun 01, 2010.

[Read the rest of this article...]

K. Lau, A. A. Sagüés, and R. G. Powers et al.
The extent of corrosion of epoxy-coated rebar (ECR) in marine bridges was found to be generally correlated with concrete chloride dijfusivity, DApp, with significant corrosion observed for bridges with DApp values reaching up to ∼10−7 cm2/s but not for sound concrete locations in bridges with DApp ... [Corrosion 66 065002 (2010)] published Tue Jun 01, 2010.

[Read the rest of this article...]

A. A. Sagüés, K. Lau, and R. G. Powers et al.
The corrosion performance over a nearly 30-year service period of epoxy-coated rebar (ECR) in Florida marine bridges is presented. Severe ECR corrosion was noted earlier in several of those bridges, built with relatively high permeability concrete. Corrosion development took place later in some oth ... [Corrosion 66 065001 (2010)] published Tue Jun 01, 2010.

[Read the rest of this article...]

Q. Su, K. N. Allahar, and G. P. Bierwagen et al.
Two-layered United States Air Force organic coatings are designed with the topcoat functioning as a barrier against the environment and the primer providing adhesion between the topcoat and the substrate, as well as promoting chromate passivation. In standard testing methods such as salt spray and ... [Corrosion 66 066001 (2010)] published Tue Jun 01, 2010.

[Read the rest of this article...]

S. B. Axelsen, R. Johnsen, and O. Ø. Knudsen et al.
Results from laboratory and field investigations of the mechanical characteristics of protective coatings are summarized. Lack of paint film flexibility and strength, together with internal stress and low adhesion, are expected to be the main reasons for the cracking and flaking of protective coati ... [Corrosion 66 065006 (2010)] published Tue Jun 01, 2010.

[Read the rest of this article...]

S. B. Axelsen, R. Johnsen, and O. Ø. Knudsen et al.
This paper summarizes the results from laboratory investigations on internal stress in protective coatings. Internal stress, together with a lack of paint film flexibility and adhesion, are expected to be the main reasons for cracking and flaking of protective coatings. Mechanical properties and ad ... [Corrosion 66 065005 (2010)] published Tue Jun 01, 2010.

[Read the rest of this article...]