LONGUEUIL, Quebec - The Industrial Coatings Division of SICO, the largest manufacturer of architectural paint and industrial coatings in Canada, has won the 2004 Innovation Grand Prize from the Association of Manufacturers of Transport Equipment and Special Vehicles (AMETVS) at the Association's Excellence Gala, held in Montreal on November 18.

The prize recognizes developers of innovative products, methodologies or processes. SICO won the award for the development of its "wet-on-wet" epoxy-polyurethane process, a coating system that omits the drying process and the time it usually takes between spraying primer and topcoat. This efficient process doubles productivity and provides greater flexibility for equipment manufacturers.