NACE International presented Sherwin-Williams Industrial & Marine Coatings Group (Cleveland) with the society's Distinguished Organization Award for the company's continued commitment to product improvements in the field of coatings as an effective means of corrosion control. NACE, made up of more than 16,000 members worldwide, is dedicated to promoting public safety, protecting the environment and reducing the economic impact of corrosion by advancing the knowledge of corrosion engineering and science.

The ChemQuest Group Inc. (Cincinnati), an international strategic management firm specializing in coatings, adhesives and sealants, has announced plans to expand its consulting services into China and Asia Pacific, with the opening of an office in China by Jan. 1, 2004. ChemQuest also announced that Robert Taylor, former president and general manager of The Sherwin-Williams Co.'s Chemical Coatings Division, has joined the company. Shiv Singh, former marketing manager for DuPont Automotive Coatings' Australia and Pacific region, will join ChemQuest on Jan. 1 as the firm's regional representative in Asia Pacific.

Kolene Corp. (Detroit) announced that the company has realigned its sales and marketing responsibilities into three product groupings. Thomas Strickland will head the new Coatings Removal Group; Dennis McCardle will assume the new position of product group manager, Alloy Descaling and Cleaning Processes; and Brian Radford will become product group manager, Metallurgical Processes.

Malvern Instruments Ltd. (Malvern, UK), a manufacturer of laboratory-based and in-process systems for particle characterization, has acquired Bohlin Instruments Ltd. (Cirencester, UK), a manufacturer of rheology measurement systems. Bohlin's managing director, Richard Hall, has joined Malvern Instruments' board and will lead the rheology team.

Plasticolors Inc. (Ashtabula, OH) has completed an asset purchase of Spartan Color Corp.'s (Houston) product lines, including the Spartacryl PM universal color concentrates. Production of the acquired products will be moved from Spartan's location in Houston to Plasticolors' facility in Ashtabula. All formulas, raw materials, test methods, specifications and standards will remain the same.