Testimony began last week in a $1.4 billion asbestos trial in Angleton, TX, in which Kelly-Moore Paint Co. is seeking a verdict against Union Carbide Corp., now a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Co. Kelly-Moore is the target of thousands of asbestos claims filed by individuals who say they were harmed by asbestos-containing products formerly made by the San Carlos, CA, coatings manufacturer and retailer.

The fortunes of major coatings manufacturers continued to improve in the second quarter, building on the momentum of late 2003 and the first quarter of 2004.

DSM Desotech Inc. announced the construction of a manufacturing facility in China to produce UV-cure materials for the fiber-optic cable market. The manufacturing operation, DSM Desotech Specialty Chemicals (Shanghai) Ltd., is scheduled to begin operation late this year, the company said.

Akzo Nobel announced the acquisition of ALTANA Chemie AG's Rhenacoat S.A. coil-coatings business in France. Terms were not disclosed.

Services International, New Delhi, and the India Paint Association announced plans for the India International Coatings Show 2005 exhibition and conference, scheduled for Jan. 14-16, 2005, in Mumbai.

The Sherwin-Williams Co. announced a definitive agreement for the purchase of 100% of the stock of privately held Paint Sundry Brands Corp., a manufacturer of paint brushes and rollers for professional contractors and do-it-yourself (DIY) users.

The Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology announced that Ray A. Dickie, editor of JCT Research and JCT CoatingsTech and a noted authority on automotive-coatings technology, will receive the organization's highest honor - the George Baugh Heckel Award - at the FSCT's 82nd Annual Meeting, scheduled for Oct. 26-29 in Chicago.

The Detroit Society for Coatings Technology's recent 29th annual FOCUS Conference drew a record attendance of 239 to the conference's one-day technical program, the society announced.

PPG Industries Inc.'s Coil and Extrusion Coatings Group launched an automated "dispense cell" at Mojave, CA, for the manufacture and delivery of the company's Duranar brand of coil and extrusion coatings on the West Coast.

RadTech International North America announced program plans for uv.eb WEST 2005, a new, two-day conference and table-top exhibition scheduled for Feb. 10-11, 2005, in Los Angeles.