Imports of phthalo green, a very popular ink in the packaging and printing business, have been halted because of trace levels of the banned chemical hexachlorobenzene (HCB), according to the Canadian Plastics Industry Association.

ALTANA Chemie AG, the Specialty Chemicals Division of ALTANA AG, is divesting its Austrian subsidiary, Rembrandtin Lack Ges.m.b.H., Vienna, to EK Mittelstandsfinanzierung AG, the private equity fund of Bank Austria Creditanstalt AG (HypoVereinsbank Group).

MD-Both Industries has announced the appointment of Superior Materials Inc., Garden City, N.Y., as its new sales agent in the Northeast region, representing MD-Both in the states of New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland and Eastern Pennsylvania.

Akzo Nobel reported that Coatings delivered autonomous sales growth of 5% in 2004 thanks to strong contributions from fast-growing Asia-Pacific markets and a robust U.S. economy.

Nanophase Technologies Corp., Romeoville, Ill., a technology leader in nanomaterials and nanoengineered products, has been named for the second consecutive year to the prestigious Technology Fast 50 Program for Chicagoland.

DURA Chemicals has announced the appointment of Gulf Coast Chemicals in the state of Florida and The Argus Company in the state of Kentucky and part of Indiana as its sales agents.

Honda Motor Europe and Glasurit GmbH, a BASF Coatings company, have committed themselves to five more years of intensive cooperation.

Ameron reported record sales from consolidated operations in the fiscal year ending November 30, 2004, of $605.9 million, compared to $600.5 million in 2003.

BASF Coatings has implemented a new distribution structure for the sale of its Glasurit and Salcomix products in Poland.

PPG Industries, Inc., has unveiled PPG IdeaScapes™, a unified architectural brand identity that encompasses the company's architectural products and services.