A recently enacted VOC rule on architectural and industrial maintenance (AIM) coatings in Delaware will "effectively ban" numerous coatings products manufactured for sale in the state.

DuPont Titanium Technologies announced several key management and marketing appointments following the restructuring of the business into two distinct focus areas - the "core" TiO2 business and "business extensions." DuPont Titanium Technologies is the world's largest TiO2 producer.

Intertech announced plans for its ninth international colorants conference, "High Performance & Functional Pigments 2003," scheduled for April 28-30, at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Buckhead Hotel, Atlanta.

California Polytechnic University-San Luis Obispo recently appointed Raymond Fernando, a former research chemist with Air Products and Chemicals Inc., as the first holder of the Arthur C. Edwards Endowed Chair for Coatings Technology and Ecology.

The industry's newsmakers

The 5th International Advances in Coatings Technology Conference clearly showed the direction in which coatings are headed in Eastern Europe: environmental aspects are becoming more important.

PPG Industries Inc. announced the induction of three individuals into the PPG Collegium, the company's highest honor for advances in research and development.

The California Supreme Court recently upheld an appeals-court decision that voided stringent new VOC limits on architectural and industrial maintenance coatings imposed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).

Akzo Nobel announced plans to build a new non-stick coatings production facility in southern China, adjacent to a wood-coatings plant that began operation last year in Dongguan City.

Rohm and Haas Co. announced several key management appointments, including James Swanson as head of the company's North American Architectural and Functional Coatings business and M. Reginald Horne as Global Business director for Powder Coatings.