CoatingsPro Magazine Plus • January 2022 • Industry Briefs

Protective coatings and linings manufacturer Tnemec acquired Epoxytec International, Inc., an innovative manufacturer of protective and structural-grade coatings and linings. The deal brings together two family-owned companies to offer structural-grade epoxy solutions on a larger scale.

Over the years, Epoxytec has become a respected manufacturer in the trenchless rehabilitation market. The company focuses on epoxy repair as well as coating and lining technologies for construction and industrial maintenance. Its products offer protection of steel and concrete in industries such as water and wastewater, mining, energy, petroleum and gas, marine, and more. Given that success, Epoxytec recently expanded to launch separate brands. These brands include CLADLINER for manhole rehabilitation and lining systems and MCOR Products, described as a line of specialty repair materials formulated to rehabilitate and protect against the effects of heat, abrasion, and chemical attack in heavy industries. For more information, contact: Tnemec, (816) 483-3400, www.tnemec.com.

ASSP Issues New, Revised Safety Standards

As a global leader in workplace safety and health standards, the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) published several new and revised voluntary national consensus standards. With regulatory requirements being slow to change and often out of date, compliance is not sufficient to protect workers, according to ASSP. As such, voluntary national consensus standards provide the latest expert guidance and fill gaps where federal regulations don’t exist.

New standards include ANSI/ASSP/ISO 45003-2021, “Occupational Health and Safety Management — Psychological Health and Safety at Work — Guidelines for Managing Psychosocial Risks”; ANSI/ASSP Z359.9-2021, “Personal Equipment for Protection Against Falls — Descent Controllers”; and ANSI/ASSP Z459.1- 2021, “Safety Requirements for Rope Access Systems.” Revised standards are ANSI/ASSP A10.38-2021, “Basic Elements of an Employer’s Program to Provide a Safe and Healthful Work Environment”; ANSI/ASSP A10.47-2021, “Work Zone Safety for Roadway Construction”; ANSI/ASSP Z359.11-2021, “Safety Requirements for Full Body Harnesses”; ANSI/ASSP Z359.14-2021, “Safety Requirements for Self-Retracting Devices for Personal Fall Arrest and Rescue Systems”; and ANSI/ASSP Z590.3-2021, “Prevention Through Design Guidelines for Addressing Occupational Hazards and Risks in Design and Redesign Processes.” For more information, contact: ASSP, www.assp.org.

AkzoNobel Earns Royal Seal in Sustainability Leadership

AkzoNobel recently received the Terra Carta Seal, which was launched by the Prince of Wales. The Terra Carta Seal is a major new award, which recognizes global companies that are driving innovation and demonstrating a commitment to the creation of genuinely sustainable markets. Thierry Vanlancker, CEO of AkzoNobel, accepted the honor.

As the only paints and coatings manufacturer to receive the prestigious honor, AkzoNobel is among an elite group of companies who have been acknowledged for holding a leadership position. In addition to a goal of reducing carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2030, the company is also targeting 100 percent renewable electricity and zero non-reusable waste, also by 2030. In addition, AkzoNobel recently became the first paints and coatings company to have science-based sustainability targets officially validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). For more information, contact: AkzoNobel, (629) 802-3999, www.akzonobel.com.

Polyglass Joins the Metal Roofing Alliance

Polyglass U.S.A., Inc., a leading manufacturer of roofing and waterproofing systems, has announced its new membership with the Metal Roofing Alliance (MRA). As a material supplier, Polyglass is joining as an accessory member to the association. This level of membership allows for a partnership between Polyglass and the MRA, with a mutual benefit of sharing expertise within the industry.

“The MRA is the leading voice for companies and professionals involved in the residential metal roofing industry, which has experienced double-digit growth over the past several years,” said Marco Sieber, Polyglass’ national product manager. “Polyglass manufactures several premium metal roofing underlayments, including Polystick MTS Plus, Polystick XFR, and Polystick P, which provides the homeowners with quality and durable secondary water protection for their home.” For more information, contact: Polyglass, (888) 410-1375, www.polyglass.us.

Chemours Releases Coatings Sustainability Poll Results

Global chemistry company Chemours released its coatings sustainability poll results, showing that 63 percent of coatings professionals identify balancing sustainability and cost as their greatest challenge to advancing sustainability in coatings design. More than 220 coatings professionals completed the poll during the recent 2021 European Coatings Show (ECS) Conference and European Coatings Journal (ECJ) webinar. Other professionals cited coatings quality or performance tradeoffs, regulatory requirements and uncertainty, common goals from supply chain producers, and requirements for data and analytics — in descending order of popularity — as their greatest challenge.

“Too often, our conversations around sustainability focus solely on what’s inside the can — and while that’s critically important — we know environmental impact expands beyond the can,” said Angela Sauvage, global coatings product development manager at Chemours. “We believe a holistic view to product sustainability is the key to unlocking value — and potential cost savings — for our customers and end consumers.” For more information, contact: Chemours, (800) 441-9484, www.chemours.com.

Jones-Blair Brand Returns to North America

Hempel announced the return of its iconic Jones-Blair brand with a refreshed brand identity, logo, and website. Jones-Blair is broadly specified across oil and gas and industrial markets and is recognized for high-performance, high-gloss, anticorrosion coatings. With more than 90 years of proven performance in the field, Jones-Blair has been a trusted partner for owners and applicators. “We’ve been listening to our customers, heard they wanted the Jones-Blair brand to return, and today, Jones-Blair is back,” said Todd Cottrell, Hempel’s vice president for the Americas region. National Coatings & Supplies (NCS) will be the exclusive national distributor of the Jones-Blair product range.

Hempel acquired U.S. firm Jones-Blair in 2015 and integrated it into Hempel’s more extensive brand portfolio in 2017. Hempel also acquired Jones-Blair’s Neogard brand, a U.S. manufacturer of high-performance coatings to protect the building envelope through vehicular and pedestrian traffic coatings, protective roof coatings, seamless flooring, and elastomeric wall coatings. For more information, contact: Jones-Blair, (833) 433-6735, www.jones-blair.com.

Guardair Corp. Appoints New Director of Sales

Guardair Corp., known as the largest U.S. manufacturer of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)-compliant safety air guns and pneumatic vacuums, announced the addition of Gerald (Jerry) Bruening as director of sales. Bruening spent the past 25 years of his career in manufacturing. Most recently, he held the position of Eastern regional sales manager at Tractel Corp., a leading supplier of fall protection and safety equipment. In his new role, Bruening is responsible for developing sales strategies and operations for industrial distribution partners and customers to grow both revenue and market share. “Jerry’s background implementing and managing sales activities, identifying new market opportunities, and outlining actions to bring new business is a tremendous asset as we continue to grow,” said Tom Tremblay, president of Guardair. For more information, contact: Guardair, (800) 482-7324, www.guardair.com.

Elizabeth F. Whited Named to RPM Board of Directors

Specialty coatings, sealants, and building materials company RPM International Inc. announced that it elected Elizabeth F. Whited to its board of directors effective Oct. 22, 2021. She will serve on RPM’s compensation committee and will stand for election by the stockholders at the 2022 annual meeting.

Whited is executive vice president and chief human resource officer at Union Pacific Corp. Ranked at 153 on the Fortune 500 list, Union Pacific is one of America’s leading transportation companies. Its principal operating company, Union Pacific Railroad, is North America’s premier railroad franchise, covering 23 states across the western two-thirds of the United States. With revenues of $19 billion, Union Pacific is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. For more information, contact: RPM, (330) 273-5090, www.rpminc.com.

Makinex Appoints New President for Americas

With current and future partnerships in mind, and after a detailed extensive search, Makinex has appointed Steve Chamberlin as president of the Americas region. In that role, Chamberlin will assume day-to-day leadership of the company’s growth strategy. His role will be instrumental in driving operational alignment as the group’s global footprint continues to expand.

According to the company, Chamberlin has broad experience having led high-growth, small-to-medium businesses as well as much larger businesses. Most notably, he was recently president of Husqvarna Construction Products Americas for eight years. “I’m looking forward to working with the entire Makinex team to continue and accelerate our growth in the Americas,” Chamberlin said. “In addition, I am very excited to be back in the construction products industry and working with our fantastic customers.” For more information, contact: Makinex, (855) 625-4639, www.makinex.com.

Diamond Vogel Celebrates Groundbreaking for New Innovation Center

Diamond Vogel celebrated the ground-breaking for a new, $15 million innovation center with a ceremony on Oct. 13, 2021. The facility in Orange City, Iowa, will add 36,000 square feet (3,344.5 m²) of state-of-the-art laboratory and office space, allowing up to 60 research and development scientists to collaborate on improvements and advancements to Diamond Vogel’s extensive line of paints and coatings. Diamond Vogel partnered with the architectural firm CMBA Architects based in Sioux City, Iowa, to design the project and selected Hoogendoorn Construction from Canton, South Dakota, to manage the project’s construction. Construction is now underway, with project completion anticipated by the end of 2022. For more information, contact: Diamond Vogel, (800) 728-6435, www.diamondvogel.com.

ACI to Develop Concrete Pool and Watershape Code

The American Concrete Institute (ACI) announced the formation of a new committee whose mission is to develop and maintain code requirements for concrete pools, spas, and other recreational watershapes. The ACI Committee 322, Concrete Pool and Watershape Code, hosted its inaugural meeting on Oct. 18, 2021.

Under the leadership of chair Charles Hanskat, executive director of the American Shotcrete Association, the committee will work in direct response to an expressed industry need for code requirements that specifically address crack control, watertightness, and continuous exposure to water with wetting and drying that are essential to long-term durability and serviceability of pools. “Existing industry codes cover a massive scope of all liquid-containing structures in water, wastewater, and industrial process applications, and this new code requirement will directly address the structural design of concrete pools,” Hanskat said. For more information, contact: ACI, (248) 848-3800, www.concrete.org.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Waterborne, High-Solids, and Powder Coatings Symposium

From its inception, the Waterborne Symposium has been organized and executed by faculty, staff, and students from the School of Polymers and Engineering at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM). Proceeds from the symposium are used for various elements of academic program development, including graduate student stipends, junior faculty development, equipment acquisition and maintenance, and scholarships for undergraduate students majoring in Polymer Science and Engineering, most of whom enter the coatings or related polymer industries upon graduation.

The 49th Annual International Waterborne, High-Solids, and Powder Coatings Symposium will be held at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, La., from Saturday, February 20 to Friday, February 25, 2022. The event’s mission is to administer the preeminent educational and technical forum in the United States directed to the science and technology of surface coatings and to provide revenue to support and advance students attending the School of Polymers and Engineering at USM. Attendance to the symposium is $950 for regular guests and $600 for students.

The symposium will present a Fundamentals of Coatings short course designed to provide attendees an elementary introduction to coatings. The course material will discuss fundamentals of the key ingredients used in coatings (i.e., polymers, pigments, additives, and solvents). The course, taught by Dr. James W. Rawlins, Professor of Polymer Science at USM, will also be available virtually for a limited time. This one-day add-on course can be added to any two-day short course packages, along with a 10 percent discount.