Consumables
Major Coatings Industry Merger is Highlight of European Coatings Show
Thursday 14. May 2009 - Attendees to the recent European Coatings Show (ECS) and Congress in Nürnberg, Germany, witnessed a major industry event taking place right in the midst of this global gathering when The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) announced the completion of the acquisition of specialty materials and global coatings producer, Rohm and Haas.
Customers of the two companies had been eagerly expecting the alliance, which now brings together the coatings portfolio of Rohm and Haas Paint Coatings Materials Division and Dow Coating Solutions, to form Dow Coating Materials.
The new Dow Coating Materials is now the largest global coatings supplier of raw materials to formulators of architectural and industrial coatings around the world. The new Dow Coating Materials strengthens the Companys technology offering for paint and coating customers, which will enable greater growth and innovation in the future for the industry.
“We have joined together two excellent R&D, commercial, manufacturing, supply chain and technical service organizations – and created a broadened technology portfolio that will enable our coatings customers to bring new and differentiated products to market anywhere in the world,” said Luis Fernandez, vice president of Dow Coating Materials.
A number of new and innovative technologies were launched by Dow Coating Materials at the European Coatings Show, supporting an on-going commitment to offering regional solutions while driving forward the commitment to sustainable and environmentally enhanced products and customer service.
At the European Coating Conference, Dow Coating Materials demonstrated its strengths in technology innovation and sustainability. Employees of the combined business chaired several sessions and presented more than 19 important technical papers – including one by Dr. Zhenwen Fu, who received the award for “Best Paper.” Dr Fus award-winning paper, entitled Design Diffusion: A Paradigm Shift in Film Formulation, highlighted a new diffusion technology that significantly improves the early property development of waterborne latex coatings, while addressing the challenges of the low VOC formulation landscape.
“The European Coating Show was the first opportunity to talk with our customers and the industry after bringing together the coatings products and technologies of the two legacy organisations,” said Martin Sutcliffe, general manager of Dow Coating Materials, Europe. “Starting today, and in the days that follow, our customers will get broader, smarter, higher-value solutions for any market they serve, anywhere in the world,”