Though construction-related sales are generally down, demand for prepainted metal is taking hold in several key markets, including metal roofing, appliances and metal office furniture.
Engineers at Oregon State University have made a significant advance toward producing electricity from sewage, by the use of new coatings on the anodes of microbial electrochemical cells that increased the electricity production about 20 times.
Rhodia announced investments at its Halifax (UK) and University Park (United States) industrial sites, part of the group’s growth strategy in specialty surfactants.
Akzo Nobel N.V. (AkzoNobel) has announced a revenue increase of 13 percent (five percent positive currency translation effect) for the second quarter of 2010 and the early achievement of a 14 percent EBITDA margin target set for the end of 2011.
Huber Engineered Materials (HEM), a division of the J.M. Huber Corp., announced plans to expand silica production capacity at its manufacturing facility in Jhagadia, India.
PPG Industries has reported second-quarter sales of $3.5 billion, an increase of 11 percent versus the prior year’s second quarter. Second-quarter reported net income was $272 million, or $1.63 per share.
The Western Coatings Technology Center (WCTC) at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) is one step closer to reality, as ground was broken on a new $2.5 million facility.