Bayer AG announced plans for a major expansion program in China involving the construction of an integrated chemicals and health-care manufacturing complex at Caojing, near Shanghai.

Urecoats Industries Inc., Deerfield Beach, FL, announced the opening of a new corporate headquarters facility in Deerfield Beach.

Third-Quarter Results Reflect Continuing Economic Weakness

BASF Corp.'s Automotive Coatings Regional Business Unit, Southfield, MI, has received Saturn Corp.'s Outstanding Supplier Achievement Award in recognition of the business unit's record of supplying coatings systems with no defects or rejections over the course of a production year.

The Rhode Island Supreme Court denied a request by the defendants in a lead-paint lawsuit to review a lower-court ruling allowing the suit to proceed.

Seegott of Canada Inc., the Canadian unit of the chemical distributor Seegott Inc. of Streetsboro, OH, recently opened distribution centers in Montreal, Calgary and Richmond, British Columbia, as part of an expansion program.

Reichhold Inc. said it is negotiating to sell its Swift Adhesives business to Forbo Holding AG, a manufacturer of adhesives, belting and floor coverings based in Zurich, Switzerland.

The Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology reported that its recent International Coatings Expo (ICE) in Atlanta attracted a total of 5,544 registered visitors, a 30% decline from the 2000 ICE in Chicago and a 13% drop from the 1999 show in Dallas.

Sico Inc., a major Canadian coatings manufacturer, announced a definitive agreement to acquire Betonel Ltd., a Quebec-based manufacturer and retailer of architectural coatings, in a cash and stock transaction valued at $13.5 million.

Akzo Nobel Coatings has acquired Qu¿ca Borden Ecuatoriana S.A., reported to be the top producer of adhesives and resins for the woodworking industry in Ecuador, from Borden Chemical Holding Inc. of the United States.