In today's competitive marketplace, it is crucial to maintain the highest quality standards possible. The cost of an imperfect finishing system cannot be tolerated. Regardless of the finishing system in place, you must constantly strive to maximize the performance levels of all components. This is achieved by actively taking control over the entire process, including substrates, pretreatments and coatings. Any reduction in the performance of these variables will hurt production costs and profits, while jeopardizing your credibility with your customers.

Huron Capital Partners LLC, a Detroit-based private equity firm, announced the acquisition of Raabe Corp. by Quest Specialty Chemicals, Seabrook, N.H. Raabe, based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., is a major manufacturer of custom-matched touch-up paint and a supplier of private-label aerosol paint-filling services. The company's touch-up products consist of ready-to-apply paints that match original equipment coatings and are used to repair the surfaces of industrial and commercial products.

Coating 2005 will begin one day early this year. Now scheduled for Sept. 19 to 22, 2005, in Indianapolis, Coating 2005 will implement several important changes that promise to benefit everyone involved. In response to attendees who have asked for more time on the show floor that does not conflict with conference sessions, Coating 2005 will devote an entire afternoon - six hours - when the show floor will be unopposed.

Reichhold Inc. announced the creation of a team of business development representatives focusing on new product introductions in the coatings industry. The team is organized by product type and includes four longtime coatings-technology veterans: Jeff Danneman and Carol Williams - alkyds and oils; Rick Caldwell - urethanes and acrylics; and Tim Takas - powders and specialties. Reichhold is a major supplier of coatings resins.

With some variations in the specifics, a group of six Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia have finalized stringent new VOC regulations on architectural and industrial maintenance coatings, with a set of VOC limits that went into effect Jan. 1. The region, one of the most densely populated and developed parts of the country, represents a significant market for the coatings industry.

Edwin Bigelow passed away on Dec. 1, 2004, at the age of 68. In 1955, he launched a lifetime career when he began working in resin synthesis at Freeman Chemical

During the last 10 years, the foremost driver of technological change in paints and coatings has been reducing traditional solvent use. Regulations designed to reduce air pollution have forced paint makers and their raw materials suppliers to develop high-solids, waterborne, powder and other technologies that have revolutionized the industry. Most of the regulations exist to reduce the use of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that produce ozone.

For the past four years, many sectors of the economy and business were soft or worse. We have had to tighten our budgets, reduce company workforces, and perform more tasks with less people and less capital. We have been in the classic recession situation with too much manufacturing capacity and not enough demand. Some business sectors have done well throughout this period, and others have gradually improved during the past year.

Savisol is a new range of solvent-based liquid dyes primarily developed for wood coloration, but also can be used for other applications such as leather finishes and paints as well

Automatic self-adjusting system requires no program selection by an operator. OTC automatically self-adjusts the cycle times to the weight of the combustible and non-combustible load, eliminating over and under processing.