Akzo Nobel N.V., the world's biggest coatings manufacturer, announced the establishment of a $1 million charitable fund to support families of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Akzo Nobel was joined by a growing array of companies launching employee and corporate donation programs to assist those affected by the terrorist attacks.
Rohm and Haas Co. has acquired the Megum rubber-to-metal bonding business of Chemetall Co. of Frankfurt, Germany, including Chemetall's subsidiaries in Italy and Brazil.
Coatings consumption in key Latin America markets is forecast to grow at annual rates of more than 4% over the next several years, with revenues in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru potentially reaching a combined total of $4.65 billion by 2007.
BASF Corp. announced plans to close the company's Industrial Coatings Regional Business Unit's research laboratory in Columbus, OH, as part of a restructuring program.
Lyondell Chemical Co., Houston, announced a restructuring of its toluene diisocyanate (TDI) business and the planned shutdown of its U.S. aliphatic diisocyanate (ADI) manufacturing units as the company moves toward an exit from the ADI business next year.
The ChemQuest Group Inc., Cincinnati, and Indigo B2B announced an e-commerce strategy and implementation alliance involving marketing, sales and business development for companies in the specialty chemicals industry.
The National Paint & Coatings Association announced the publication of a major industry market study, "U.S. Paint & Coatings Market Analysis (2000-2005)," described by the NPCA as "the definitive coatings-industry information resource."
Benjamin M. Belcher Jr., retired executive vice president of Benjamin Moore & Co. and the great-grandson of company founder Benjamin Moore, died Oct. 3, 2001, in Southwest Harbor, ME. He was 66.