The Chemours Company Announces Carrier of the Year Award Winners

The Chemours Company, a global chemistry company with market positions in titanium technologies, thermal and specialized solutions, and advanced performance materials, announced the winners of its second annual Carrier of the Year Award: Marten Transport (Platinum award) and Hirschbach Transportation Services (Gold award).

The Carrier of the Year Award recognizes excellence in transportation of Ti-Pure™ titanium dioxide (TiO₂) to Chemours customers. The titanium technologies supply chain, procurement, and logistics teams, with support from CLX Logistics, developed a consistent set of criteria to evaluate top North American carriers by load counts. Carriers were evaluated based on the 2021 rate of on-time pickup and delivery, customer service, and ease of doing business, among other metrics.

PPG and Chemspec Awarded EcoVadis 2022 Gold Sustainability Rating 

PPG has maintained a Gold Rating in corporate social responsibility from EcoVadis, which is a trusted business sustainability ratings platform. PPG ranked higher than 92% of evaluated companies. The company earned high scores for its environmental, ethics, and sustainable procurement practices. PPG recently expanded assessment of its global supply base utilizing EcoVadis’ four sustainability categories. By the end of 2021, more than 67% of invited PPG suppliers had responded to the assessment, many of which performed above the EcoVadis average.

ChemSpec President, Dave Moreland, said, “Continuous improvement in implementing sustainable business practices and becoming more socially conscious are part of our core values. We believe that focus on ethical behavior and protecting our environment are critical responsibilities. Working with EcoVadis and other organizations, such as the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD), illustrates our dedication to sustainable operations. ChemSpec, Ltd. is honored to display this Gold medal as it signifies our adherence and commitment to these standards.”

Diane Kappas, PPG vice president, Global Sustainability, stated, “At PPG, we take great pride in the sustainability of our operations as well as the sustainability of our strategic supplier base. We are honored that EcoVadis recognizes our efforts, and we look forward to sharing continued progress against our near-term and longer-term sustainability goals.”

In addition, ChemSpec, Ltd. announced that EcoVadis has awarded it a Gold Sustainability Rating. This accomplishment includes scoring in the 97^th percentile overall and in the top 1% within the industry (the industry category includes, among others, wholesalers of chemicals, fertilizers, and agrochemical products).

EcoVadis is the world’s largest provider of business sustainability ratings, creating a global network of more than 85,000 rated companies. Participants are assessed against Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement.

AkzoNobel Gives Jodhpur a Transformational Dose of the Blues

India’s world famous Blue City, Jodhpur, has been repainted and refreshed by AkzoNobel as part of a major “Let’s Colour” project involving 250 homes.

More than 5,600 liters of Dulux paint has been used to revitalize the iconic area of Rajasthan, which is known the world over as a leading tourist destination. As well as painting exterior walls in a distinctive shade of vibrant blue, the roofs of more than 100 houses have been coated with Dulux Weathershield Protect, which can help to reduce temperatures by up to 5 ˚C.

“We’re extremely proud to bring our "Let’s Colour" program to Jodhpur and show how the transformative power of paint can inspire people and uplift communities,” says Rajiv Rajgopal, managing director of AkzoNobel India. “This project also goes beyond preserving the remarkable heritage of the Blue City. We’re creating new livelihood opportunities for the local community, supporting local artists, and want to make a sustainable difference by protecting homes and making them cooler.”

AkzoNobel’s global “Let's Colour” initiative was launched in 2009. To date, more than 2,300 projects have taken place, with over 1.3 million liters of paint being donated all over the world.

Stahl and Univar Solutions Expand Distribution Agreement to Brazil and Colombia

Stahl has confirmed a new distribution agreement with Univar Solutions, a global solutions provider to users of specialty ingredients and chemicals for coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers. Univar Solutions Brazil and Univar Solutions Colombia will deliver Stahl products to customers in Brazil and Colombia, respectively.

“With our values and priorities so closely aligned, Univar Solutions was the natural choice to help Stahl expand in South America. By working more closely together, we will deliver greater value for customers, investors, and wider society,” said Raymond Bakker, global business director Stahl Polymers.

Under the new agreement, Univar Solutions will distribute Stahl’s extensive range of products and polymers for coatings material customers. The products are mainly acrylic resins, polyurethanes, and the special polymers from Stahl’s European and Brazilian production, and are used in various industrial and wood coating applications.  

“The products fit perfectly into our portfolio and enable us to provide our customers with even more comprehensive solutions by combining the industry’s best-in-class producers with the in-depth market knowledge from Univar Solutions" said Chris Fitzgerald, global vice president, CASE, Rubber and Plastic Additives for Univar Solutions.

Arkema Finalizes Polimeros Especiales Acquisition

Arkema finalized the acquisition of Polimeros Especiales, strengthening the group’s offering in solvent-free solutions and its position in this fast-growing region. Polimeros Especiales is a Mexican company producing high-performance waterborne resins for a broad range of applications in markets such as architectural and decorative paints, textiles, pressure sensitive adhesives, and construction. It is a key manufacturer of emulsions in the region, achieving sales of around $40 million in 2021 and employing 230 people.

“This company offers leading and complementary solutions in many diverse markets, which will bring scale to Arkema’s solvent-free offering and advanced technologies,” said Richard Jenkins, senior vice president, Arkema Coating Solutions.

As part of Arkema’s Coating Solutions segment, Polimeros Especiales will strengthen the Group’s position in high-growth markets, drive the development of further sustainable innovations together with Arkema’s other key solvent-free technologies, and reinforce its presence in the Americas market.

“Arkema’s vision and strategy embrace sustainability as a central aspect, and Polimeros Especiales shares this commitment to help our customers achieve their sustainable development goals,” said the director of Polimeros Especiales.

PurEpoxy and Ice Epoxy Sell to A.P. Nonweiler 

Vortex Coatings Inc. (PurEpoxy), a North American concrete coatings manufacturer, and Groupe Distribution Inc. (Ice Epoxy), a casting resins provider, have both been acquired by A.P. Nonweiler, Co. (APN), a manufacturer of specialty coatings and a portfolio company of Renovo Capital, LLC (Renovo). Grace Matthews advised PurEpoxy and Ice Epoxy on the transaction.

PurEpoxy formulates and manufactures a focused product line of protective and decorative concrete coatings systems for the residential and commercial markets, selling primarily through a network of distribution partners globally. Ice Epoxy produces a suite of DIY resins for hobby and craft projects.

Erik Gravel, CEO of PurEpoxy, commented, “APN is the perfect partner to enhance our mission to provide the best coatings systems at competitive prices to our customers — we can now leverage a complementary product portfolio, additional manufacturing capacity across two sites to meet the growing needs of our customers, and a more robust supply chain.”

RPM International Inc. Announces MAP 2025 Operational Improvement Initiative

RPM’s 2025 Margin Achievement Plan is being launched following the successful completion of the company’s 2020 MAP to Growth initiative. Through MAP 2025, RPM expects to accelerate growth, maximize operational efficiencies, and build a better world to generate superior value creation for the company’s customers, associates, and shareholders.

Goals of the initiative to be achieved by May 31, 2025, include:

• $8.5 billion in annual revenue
• 42% gross margin
• 16% adjusted EBIT margin

“These new initiatives are designed to amplify the strengths of RPM’s entrepreneurial culture and accelerate our transformation into a more connected and efficient company, stated Frank C. Sullivan, RPM chairman and CEO.

Eastman’s New Technology Center Provides Regional Service and Support in India

Eastman recently opened its new India technology center in Thane, Mumbai, Maharashtra state, to provide technology support and faster regional service for its coatings, inks, specialty fluids, and energy businesses. The center will deliver local technical support and service to customers in the South Asia Pacific region, where Eastman has a large customer base.

Located in Thane, Mumbai, the center has more than 1,500 square meters of laboratory space with the personnel and advanced tools to provide direct technical support to downstream manufacturers and customers. It houses experienced chemists, engineers, and technical service scientists and is equipped with analytical, formulation, application, and physical testing equipment. By closely partnering with customers, the development cycle for new innovations will be significantly shortened from initial concept to final commercialization.

Eastman’s New Technology Center Provides Regional Service and Support in India  

Eastman recently opened its new India technology center in Thane, Mumbai, Maharashtra state, to provide technology support and faster regional service for its coatings, inks, specialty fluids, and energy businesses. The center will deliver local technical support and service to customers in the South Asia Pacific region, where Eastman has a large customer base.

Located in Thane, Mumbai, the center has more than 1,500 square meters of laboratory space with the personnel and advanced tools to provide direct technical support to downstream manufacturers and customers. It houses experienced chemists, engineers, and technical service scientists and is equipped with analytical, formulation, application, and physical testing equipment. By closely partnering with customers, the development cycle for new innovations will be significantly shortened from initial concept to final commercialization.