WAALWIJK, The Netherlands — Stahl opened its first Center of Excellence for Powder Coatings in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain. With this new Center of Excellence, Stahl strengthens its position as a technology leader for UV and ULB powder coatings for heat-sensitive substrates for interior and architectural applications. The strategic location of this knowledge and testing center enables Stahl to accelerate its services for the main European markets.

The Center of Excellence for Powder Coatings is the result of the takeover of the research and development facilities of OEM NuTech, an Australian-based expert in the development of powder coating products and processes specific for heat-sensitive materials, in May of this year . Stahl and OEM NuTech have been working together in a joint venture since July 2015. During this cooperation, they created a unique system for the development of high-quality and eco-friendly powder coatings.

“Our new Center of Excellence for Powder Coatings enables us to contribute even more substantially to meeting the increasing demand from the market by offering an innovative, sustainable and efficient solution without using VOCs,” said Uwe Siebgens, Stahl’s Group Director for Performance Coatings & Polymers. “The facility allows us to work side-by-side with our partners to continuously optimize existing solutions and develop new possibilities. Together with the know-how of OEM NuTech and real-scale production facilities in the Stahl Application Center for Powder Coatings in Australia, we can run trials and show our solutions to our clients.”

With the new facility in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Stahl has eight Centers of Excellence worldwide where its experts work with partners to develop and test new applications for specific areas and industries. The Center of Excellence for Powder Coatings is located at one of Stahl’s two manufacturing sites in Barcelona.