Major suppliers of titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments are taking actions to raise prices in an effort to reverse what one industry source called "catastrophic" price erosion over the past year due to economic downturns worldwide and the impact on TiO2 demand.

The National Paint & Coatings Association has appealed a court decision upholding coatings-VOC limits imposed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SC AQMD).

In a decision hailed by an advocacy group as a victory for the plaintiffs, Rhode Island Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein ruled that the state's attorney general can proceed with a lawsuit against former suppliers of lead-based paint and lead pigments.

The Valspar Corp. named John Ballbach president and chief operating officer and announced the appointment of Steve Erdahl and Bill Mansfield to top executive positions.

ASTM announced a name change to ASTM International, a move the organization said reflects the increasingly global application and use of ASTM standards.

The Valspar Corp.'s Pittsburgh plant has been accepted into the U.S. EPA's National Environmental Performance Track program, becoming only the second paint and coatings manufacturing facility to earn the designation, the company said.

Klaus Peter Lobbe will assume responsibility for BASF AG's newly created Ressort IX, based in Mount Olive, NJ, on March 1, the company announced. BASF's Coatings and North America divisions will become part of Ressort IX.

Vincentz Verlag, Hannover, Germany, announced program plans for the European Coatings Conference, "Polyurethanes for High-Performance Coatings II," scheduled for March 14-15 in Berlin.

In a decision favorable to the National Paint & Coatings Association and the coatings industry, a Maryland judge granted a defendants' motion to dismiss a Maryland lead property class-action suit filed on behalf of "one million Maryland homeowners" seeking billions of dollars in damages and abatement relief.

International Specialty Products Inc. (ISP) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary ISP (Canada) Inc. has acquired the Industrial Biocides business of Creanova Inc., a subsidiary of Degussa Corp.