Fischer Technology Inc. , Windsor, Conn., celebrates 25 years as an innovator of hand-held, bench top, and X-ray fluorescence coating thickness, material analysis and material testing instrumentation. In addition to coating thickness, Fischer Technology manufactures porosity, ferrite content, conductivity meters and a range of certified foils.

Dow Chemical Co. , Midland, Mich., raised list and off-list prices on a number of products in its Oxygenated Solvents portfolio in North America on April 1. "The combination of unrelenting high raw material costs and lower than required price increases for our solvents has prevented margins from improving to sustainable levels," says Martin Sutcliffe, global business director, Glycol Ethers.

BASF Corp. , headquartered in Southfield, Mich., signed a contract with NOF Corp. , Tokyo, for BASF to fully acquire the shares in BASF NOF Coatings Co. Ltd. (BNC), a 50-50 joint venture between the two companies. Effective April 1, BASF began operating the company under the name of BASF Coatings Japan Ltd. Financial details were not disclosed.