BASF Honors Azelis Americas in Internal Customer Innovation Award

WESTPORT, CT – BASF awarded its internal Customer Innovation Award (CInA) to the BASF-EDN Traffic Paint Team. Along with the EDN Traffic Paint Team, BASF recognized Azelis for its technical and commercial collaboration that resulted in a new, superior resin for traffic paint in North America.

The BASF CInA was inspired by its “We Create Chemistry Strategies” campaign and emphasizes technical significance and depth of creativity demonstrated by one or more individuals or a team in support of EDN’s innovation activities. The award places particular emphasis on entrepreneurial drive, innovation and change orientation, customer and market focus, leadership, teamwork, and collaboration.

Following its nomination and peer review, the BASF N-EDN Leadership Team awarded the Traffic Paint team the CInA for 2020 for the development and launch of ACRONAL Xpress 4347^®. Azelis was recognized by BASF due to its cooperation and technical collaboration with the project. Azelis’ technical capabilities and market expertise helped to identify the product features, receive early performance feedback, and accelerate the product to market. The award recognizes the partnership with Azelis Americas CASE and Azelis Canada as critical to the success of the launch. The project created new business opportunities for BASF, Azelis Americas CASE and Azelis Canada, and demonstrated the value Azelis brings to strategic principals through technical collaboration in the development of innovative solutions.

Frank Bergonzi, CEO and President, Azelis Americas, said, “We are humbled with BASF’s recognition. This traffic paint project is a prime example of Azelis Americas collaborating with a key principal in creating innovative solutions. It exemplifies our tagline of: Innovation through formulation.”

Rocky Prior, Sr Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Azelis Americas CASE, commented, “Being recognized as part of the BASF CInA Award is a distinct honor for Azelis. We pride ourselves on going above and beyond in the service of our principals and customers. The recognition of our efforts on the Traffic Paint project highlights the results of this dedication. Congratulations to the team members of both BASF N-EDN and Azelis on their success.”

The traffic paint market in the United States is a substantial category within the coatings industry. BASF turned to Azelis to tap into its laboratory and testing expertise, as well as its market and customer intelligence. The traffic paint market in the United States is challenging, in part because a successful resin requires a unique combination of characteristics. The paint must be water-based, dry and cure rapidly, and pass numerous tests to meet federal, state and customer approvals for use. The tests measure durability, drying speed and stability, among others. A product is not salable without meeting these strict performance guidelines. BASF had the resin formulating team create potential products and turned to Azelis to tap into its expertise on the customer-focused testing and market requirements.

Azelis provided background analysis and competitive resin information, detailed understanding of customer testing requirements, and advised BASF on the application of proper testing protocols to ensure compliance. Azelis screened early BASF prototypes and worked directly with target customers for feedback to optimize the product characteristics and performance. The final result was ACRONAL Xpress 4347 for water-based pavement marking paints.

Following a beta test period with key customers to validate the product in the real world, the product has launched and gained a solid foothold in the market in its first year.

Nordmann to Distribute Solid Pigmented Preparations from Mifar

HAMBURG, Germany – The international chemical distributor Nordmann is now integrating Mifar’s solid pigmented preparations, or “chips,” into its product range and will market them throughout most European countries, excluding Spain, France and Portugal. Common applications for Mifar’s products include printing inks, paints and coatings. The pigment chips, which are based on various polymers, complement Nordmann’s existing portfolio.

“We are pleased to have gained a partner as Nordmann with such a broad reach to market our products in Europe, allowing us to guarantee an efficient commercial and logistics service to our customers. This is an important step forward for us, addressing the opportunities and challenges of the future development in our market,” said Andrea Meli, CEO of Mifar.

Mifar’s product range is very broad, offering the best possible levels of performance in terms of color fastness, transparency, gloss, rheology and dispersion. Another advantage is that the pre-dispersions require no grinding following the dispersion process. This ensures that both small and large ink and coatings manufacturers can produce batches of different sizes.

“Our aim is to grow steadily, to further expand our portfolio and to attract new customers. Having Mifar and its high-performance monopigmented solid dispersions will help us pursue these goals,” said Peter Kuchenbrod, Business Manager Coatings & Inks at Nordmann.

With Latest Round of Fundraising Closed, Pyran Inc. Hires CEO and Begins Toll Manufacturing

MADISON, WI – Pyran Inc., a high-growth company that creates high-performing 5-carbon products made from renewable resources, recently announced that it has closed its latest round of fundraising, bringing its total of investments and grants to nearly $4 million. The investment comes from lead investor, Arosa Capital, with support from the venture arm of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF). Several new investors joined all previous investors in the oversubscribed fundraise. With the latest round of fundraising, Pyran is taking several important steps as it pursues full commercialization. The company hired an experienced CEO, is scaling capacity, and is applying for additional matching grants that will expand its product and technology portfolio.

“Pyran offers a product that is bio-based with a lower cost of production than the fossil fuel-based alternative without sacrificing performance,” said Till Bechtolsheimer, CEO of Arosa. “This investment fits our strategy of focusing on companies that seek a differentiated approach to solving current and future challenges in the energy and related sectors.”

Mike Partsch, Chief Venture Officer with WARF Ventures, said, “WARF Ventures is pleased to support Pyran. WARF has long supported this technology through our WARF Accelerator. The combination of a high-performing product and talented leadership makes the investment in this university-developed technology promising.”

Pyran has hired Dr. Mel Luetkens, an experienced CEO with more than 35 years in the chemical industry. In this new role with Pyran, Luetkens will help the company focus on accelerating commercialization activities and revenue growth. Previously, he was technology director for INEOS and most recently served as COO, CTO and CEO of multiple bio-material companies where he has helped lead company growth, new facility construction and more than $300 million in equity financing.

“We are pleased with the customer interest that Pyran has received to date, and we’re looking forward to meeting the demand with products that are environmentally friendly and cost efficient,” Luetkens said. “This latest round of fundraising allows us to do just that as we remain focused on commercialization activities and revenue growth by offering a differentiated product that offers a strong business case for customers.”

Pyran is actively moving to the next level of commercialization. Construction is slated for the end of July to enable a toll manufacturing campaign at RPD Technologies in Crosby, Texas. Through the toll campaign, the company will be able to produce ton quantities of product in the next 12 months to meet qualification requirements and increased customer demand.

Pyran’s technology has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. The latest round of fundraising makes it possible for Pyran to apply for additional matching grants that further fund the company’s growth and scale. These grants can help fund even larger volumes of PDO for Pyran’s customers, setting the stage for commercial production of PDO in the upcoming years.

Pyran uses renewable feedstocks from crop resources, such as corncobs, to make 1,5-pentanediol (PDO) — a key ingredient that enhances the performance of everyday materials, such as paints, coatings, adhesives and more. The company’s renewable 5-carbon products replace expensive, petroleum-based chemicals.

Customers of PDO have been restricted from using the performance-enhancing product because petroleum-based capacity is constrained by co-product limitations. Pyran’s renewable-based, on-purpose production will enable customers to expand their businesses with better performing and more sustainable products.

Sasol Chemicals Announces Extension of Agreement with Knowde

SAN JOSE, CA – Sasol Chemicals is enhancing the online experience for its customers on Knowde, a leading marketplace for ingredients, polymers and chemistry. Sasol Chemicals’ expanded storefront on Knowde offers R&D professionals and chemical buyers 24/7 access to the company’s entire brand catalog of high-performance products for key customer markets, including metal finishing and fabrication, advanced materials, inks, adhesives, and paints and coatings.

R&D and procurement professionals can search Sasol products by chemistry, application, function, technical properties and more in order to find the right product quickly and shorten time-to-market for new product development. All buyers receive around-the-clock access to expert advice and insight on all brand and product pages with KnowdeConcierge™, which also facilitates requests for information, documents, samples and quotes.

“Sasol Chemicals’ market focus requires us to make our solutions available where our customers want to buy them,” said Silke Hoppe, Vice President, Essential Care for Sasol Chemicals. “Knowde is uniquely positioned to improve Sasol’s digital customer experience, offering a single platform to share information, discuss product applications, order samples and even purchase online in the near future.”

Clariant Supports Coatings Industry in North America with New Regional Innovation Center

CHARLOTTE, NC – Clariant recently announced a new collaborative innovation center to support North America’s paint and coatings industry. A new state-of-the-art laboratory will bring together Clariant’s research and technical experts in specialty formulation ingredients and additives to foster collaborative product development across all aspects of formulation. Customers in the region will benefit from a unique level of R&D and application testing support.

“Delivering industry-targeted, sustainable innovation to advance our customers’ evolution is at Clariant’s core. We are excited to expand our footprint in North America with an additional regional innovation center. It enhances our market proximity and ability to jointly develop solutions tailored to unmet needs, which will speed up our customers’ time to market in offering differentiated products,” said Gene Mueller, Head of Region North America at Clariant.

The investment will strengthen R&D support for customers across the industrial space of paints, coatings, inks, adhesives and elastomers. Existing capabilities at the location, which include research laboratories and a pilot plant currently used by the technical teams of Clariant Industrial and Consumer Specialties, will be upgraded and expanded with an additional 5,000 square feet of new laboratories and office space.

The emphasis will be on innovating new ingredients, formulating, applying and testing. This includes on-site application testing capabilities, with the ability to test a paint formulation on performance, such as scrub, sag, leveling and color acceptance, with industry draw down methods. Further research will be performed in the areas of examining solutions for dispersing and wetting, emulsification, open time, durability and formulation optimization. New equipment has been included that will promote faster throughput screening and improved rheological testing, as well as a spray booth and accelerated weathering chambers.

Construction of the new Mount Holly West Innovation Center will begin in August 2021 and is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2022.

“There is so much more to modern paints and coatings than just color, they’re incredibly complex,” said Andy Michael, Technical Manager of Industrial Applications, BU Industrial & Consumer Specialties. “With our Additives colleagues alongside us in this new innovation center, we’ll be able to take a more universal approach to solving these challenges, working on the best technology and multifunctional solutions to address customer needs.”

Nouryon Opens Innovation Center in Dubai

AMSTERDAM – Nouryon has opened a new, eco-friendly office and innovation center in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to better serve its local customers and support its growth plans for the Middle East and Africa. The office space is located within the LEED-certified Laboratory Complex at Dubai Science Park. The office accommodates Nouryon’s regional commercial teams, as well as an innovation center designed for the testing and development of locally focused products.

Nouryon undertakes research and development activities through 10 innovation centers strategically located around the globe, each focused on developing local or regional customer solutions. The Dubai innovation center will enable Nouryon to expand its technical capabilities and includes facilities for the company to engage its local customers in interactive sessions that offer a transparent, hands-on experience.

Charlie Shaver, Chairman and CEO of Nouryon, said, “The Middle East has a rich history of innovation and will continue to be an important growth engine for Nouryon as we expand in the region, fuel our culture of innovation and strengthen our leading positions in specialty chemicals.”

“These new facilities bring Nouryon closer to our key markets in the Middle East and Africa, enabling us to tailor our essential solutions to fit the specific needs of our local customers and provide them with the support they need,” said Sobers Sethi, Senior Vice President Emerging Markets and China at Nouryon.

WPC Technologies Grants Exclusive Rights to Peninsula Polymers

LEAWOOD, KS – Specialty chemicals distributor Peninsula Polymers announced exclusive distribution rights for WPC Technologies’ product line into Wisconsin and Minnesota, effective Aug. 1, 2021. Peninsula Polymers has steadily grown with WPC and strengthened their strategic alliance over the past eight years. This latest move in Wisconsin and Minnesota gives Peninsula exclusive rights to distribute WPC’s products in all geographies that the company serves.

“Peninsula hit the ground running in Wisconsin and Minnesota at the beginning of this year in the middle of unprecedented market times. It was an easy decision to consolidate our efforts and award them exclusive rights in the territory,” said Laura Klein, Vice President of Sales, WPC Technologies. “We feel confident that this focused approach is the best way to serve our valued customers and are excited about our continued expansion with Peninsula.”

“In 2012, WPC granted us the opportunity to represent them as a distributor in four states in the Central region. Getting to this point, where we are now their exclusive distributor in the Central, Midwest, East and Southeast Regions, is a testimonial to our team’s performance and speaks volumes about our success in the field and the progression of our partnership with WPC,” said Ken Menzel, Director of Supplier Relations.