Sherwin-Williams Breaks Ground on New Global R&D Center

CLEVELAND – The Sherwin-Williams Co. recently held a groundbreaking ceremony to signal the official start of construction for the company's new global Research and Development Center. Part of the Building Our Future project, the 600,000-square-foot facility located in Brecksville, Ohio, will bring chemists, engineers, technicians and support teams together into a state-of-the-art hub for innovation and development of the company's future products and services. The new R&D Center will support product development, coatings research, color technology and process engineering.

"This is a monumental day for our organization," said John G. Morikis, Sherwin-Williams Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "This new R&D Center will be the global innovation epicenter for creating solutions that solve our customers' problems, as well as a key to us to retaining and attracting top talent. We're also celebrating the broad and diverse group of companies and individuals that will be working on this project, along with the ongoing impact the project will have on the community and region for years to come. And we're proud to be building it right here in Northeast Ohio, our home for more than 155 years."

The Building Our Future project includes both the new R&D Center in Brecksville and a new global headquarters in downtown Cleveland, which will be approximately 1,000,000 square-feet in size. Sherwin-Williams plans to invest a minimum of $600 million to build both the headquarters and R&D facility.

Together, the two facilities will house more than 3,500 employees with room to accommodate future growth. Sherwin-Williams estimates it will add a minimum of 400 jobs at these facilities over time, an increase of 11% to the company's current local workforce. Many of these jobs will include professional staff, engineers and chemists.

In addition to Governor Mike DeWine, County Executive Armond Budish and Mayor Jerry Hruby, other public dignitaries provided remarks at the ceremony. They included Senator Sherrod Brown, Senator Rob Portman, State Senator Matt Dolan and State Representative Phil Robinson.

The R&D Center is expected to open by the end of 2024.

PPG Inaugurates Expanded Packaging Coatings Innovation Centre, Europe

BODELSHAUSEN, Germany – PPG recently announced the official inauguration of its Packaging Coatings Innovation Centre, Europe, in Bodelshausen, Germany. The site’s newly expanded analytical, and research and development (R&D) capabilities will enhance and accelerate packaging coatings product development across a broad range of end markets. PPG reports that the facility will focus on strengthening the company’s global leadership position in non-bisphenol coatings for consumer packaging. Financial details of the investment were not disclosed.

“Bodelshausen now boasts a critical mass of development capabilities that will increase our new product speed to market at a time when our customers need us more than ever,” said Charles Turner, PPG Technical Director and Global Director, Regulatory Affairs, Packaging Coatings, Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Having our resources focused at a single site means we can maximize the synergies between our development teams, and increase our flexibility and efficiency.”

Acquired by PPG in 1999, the Bodelshausen site is also a key production location for the company’s packaging coatings business in Europe. A recently completed manufacturing investment project at the site added equipment that reduces energy consumption while doubling production capacity for white lacquers used on the external surface of personal care, food, and caps and closures packaging.

PPG also recently announced plans to expand its packaging coatings capacity at Tiel, the Netherlands, at Cieszyn, Poland, and at Delaware, Ohio. “These investments reflect the remarkable and growing global consumer demand for infinitely recyclable aluminum and steel cans, and the innovative PPG packaging coatings that make them viable,” Borzino said.

PPG’s Packaging Coatings Innovation Centre, Europe is a centralized location for product development and customer support in the company’s Europe, Middle East and Africa region. This expansion ensures that the lab remains at the forefront of research and development capabilities. It features a new research laboratory housing four global development centers – caps and closures, personal care, powder, and food development. Added predictive testing and analysis equipment further expedites product development capability.

Arxada and Troy Announce Merger  

BASEL, Switzerland/FLORHAM PARK, NJ – Specialty chemicals provider Arxada and Troy Corp., a leader in microbial control solutions and performance additives, have entered into an agreement to combine the two companies. Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.

The agreement represents the first strategic deal by Arxada, formerly known as Lonza Specialty Ingredients or LSI and owned by private equity funds Bain Capital and Cinven, since the purchase from Lonza Group AG in July 2021. As part of the deal structure, Troy’s owners will invest in the combined company.

The proposed transaction will enhance Arxada’s commercial presence across the globe and add several production sites in important locations including Newark, New Jersey; Horhausen, Germany; Moerdijk, the Netherlands; and Kabinburi, Thailand.

Commenting on the combination, Marc Doyle, Chief Executive Officer of Arxada, said, “The combination of Arxada and Troy will reinforce our position as a leading global provider of microbial control solutions. Our decision to merge with Troy just four months after our launch as an independent company highlights our ambition and commitment to creating the broadest and most innovative solutions for our customers in this sector.

“The combination also fits with our strategy of expanding our geographic footprint and the scale and depth of our capabilities by bolstering our manufacturing capacity in MCS beyond North America into Europe and Asia.

“We look forward to welcoming our new colleagues at Troy so that, together, we can build on our combined expertise in microbial control to deliver innovative, sustainable solutions for all of our customers. We remain committed to working closely with our customers to make sure we continue to meet their needs and ensure a smooth transition once the deal is complete.”

The partnership is a logical next step in Arxada’s strategy to strengthen its offering and enhance the capabilities of its Microbial Control Solutions (MCS) business. Troy is a global leader in the field of industrial preservation with broad expertise in paints and coatings, wood protection and preservation, home and personal care, plastics and textiles, energy, and metal working fluids. The combination will create a comprehensive and innovative offering in microbial control, enabling the delivery of new solutions and value-added services to customers.

Covestro and University of Pittsburgh Establish Circular Economy Program

PITTSBURGH – The rise of circular economy principles, where materials are kept in continuous use by design, has led to a new collaboration between Covestro LLC and the University of Pittsburgh. Pitt’s Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI) and Swanson School of Engineering will house the new Covestro Circular Economy Program at the University of Pittsburgh.

The Covestro Circular Economy Program reportedly represents the first graduate-level circular design academic program in the United States to specifically address the challenge of global waste and material use. It aims to create opportunities for the research, education and innovative advancement of circular economy principles that begin with academia and fuel real-world solutions designed to save the planet.

“The current linear consumption economy of ‘Take, Make, Waste’ is wholly unsuited for exponential global growth, especially as third-world economies evolve,” said Eric Beckman, Distinguished Service Professor and MCSI Director Emeritus and Chief of Innovation and Translation. “Principles of the circular economy, however, improve efficiency and eliminate waste by designing sustainability into a product, from its base materials and construction to packaging, delivery, and life expectancy.”

“Circular design involves a paradigm shift in thinking for everyone, from individuals to corporations to societies,” said Richard Skorpenske, ead of Sustainability and Public Affairs at Covestro LLC. “As a leader in driving toward a circular economy, we see the Covestro Circular Economy Program as an important multiplier to build a robust foundation of circularity-focused thinkers, and we are proud to launch it alongside Pitt as founding partner.”

“I am very excited to apply the fundamental research we’ve developed in circular economy and expand it to create a holistic program with potential global impact,” said Melissa Bilec, William Kepler Whiteford Professor and MCSI co-director. “I believe that, like Covestro, other organizations will see the benefit of engaging in such a program that trains scholar-workers in the many possibilities that circular economy presents. Most especially, the transdisciplinary nature of our program will be its most distinct attribute. As the benefits of the circular economy grow across the globe, the necessity for it to transcend traditional STEM fields will become apparent. This opens our program to anyone with a true passion for sustainability and global impact.”  

The Covestro Circular Economy Program is solving a gap that currently exists within the academic arena. Professional training in the relevant sciences has not included holistic training in circular approaches. While the private sector embeds circular design principles into its innovation approach, academia has yet to integrate design principles in advanced degree programs. By establishing the program, Covestro and the University of Pittsburgh are providing a dedicated academic setting for passionate students and professionals to innovate new approaches to materials, design and planning.

Through the Covestro Circular Economy Program, Covestro and Pitt plan to create new fundamental science that supports the assembly of new tools to aid circular design. The program will allow graduate students at Pitt to become experts in circular economy principles, informed by Covestro’s advances in this area, and ultimately create circular, sustainable products and service solutions. The first cohort of graduate students will be recruited for fall 2022.

The initial funding will help to establish a transdisciplinary academic, research, innovation and cooperative employment initiative to prepare students with circular economy training and expertise to carry into academia, industry, government and NGOs. Pitt and Covestro are also seeking to collaborate with corporations, foundations and governments to expand the program’s reach and potential.

ICP Industrial Solutions Group Expands Manufacturing Footprint in India

ITASCA, IL – ICP Industrial Solutions Group recently announced the start of its manufacturing expansion in Bhiwadi, India, a continuation of ICP’s global strategic growth plan. The company signed an agreement in October regarding the manufacturing site in the RIICO Industrial Area.

ICP reports that it has started site preparation for the manufacturing and distribution facility, which will provide locally made ICP products. It is anticipated that the new manufacturing plant will be producing high-performance packaging coatings by March 2022.

“Building a manufacturing facility in India is part of ICP’s strategic global growth plan to better serve our customers with innovative solutions worldwide,” said Paul Grzebielucha, Division President of ICP. The new facility affords the Industrial Solutions Group additional production capacity, manufacturing efficiencies, improved raw material sourcing and a further diversified portfolio of products. India and surrounding international customers will benefit with shortened delivery times, expanded inventory, expertise in technical service, and industry-leading customer service.

In 2018, ICP launched its global growth plan, which included employing a local team. The objective of this new team, supported by ICP’s global resources, was to better serve the emerging packaging market in India. In 2019, the company established an Indian entity and entered strategic partnerships with select customers and distributors in New Delhi and Mumbai. This further facilitated local supply of product to the expanding business. The continued growth and demand for ICP’s products strengthened the decision to manufacture ICP coatings locally in India.