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.
Rohm and Haas Co. and OMNOVA Solutions Inc. announced plans to form a global joint-venture business to market latex binders, synthetic pigments and specialty additives for coatings applications in the paper and paperboard industry.
The Sherwin-Williams Co., Cleveland, and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., New York, announced an agreement to market a new line of paints sold under the Martha Stewart Signature brand name.
Hoover Color Corp., Hiwassee, VA, has appointed Kohl Marketing Inc., Roswell, GA, sales representative for Hoover Color's pigment product line in Florida.
Akzo Nobel N.V. formally opened a new production plant in Suzhou, China, near Shanghai, for the manufacture of automotive-refinish, powder and transportation coatings for the growing Chinese market.