Silver has remained at the top of the charts as the most popular color for 2007 cars, but other colors are gaining on the perennial leader. According to the annual automotive color popularity data released by PPG Industries, silver is losing some steam as black closes in on the long-time favorite.

Following its recent purchase of a major producer of methyl ethyl ketone peroxides in North America, Syrgis Performance Products has renamed the Norac organic peroxides business units in the United States to Syrgis Performance Initiators Inc., and in Europe to Syrgis Performance Initiators AB.

Sean Taufer has joined Fristam Pumps USA as the southwest regional sales manager. In his new position, Sean will be responsible for Fristam’s distribution network in the southwestern United States.

ALMCO, Inc., a manufacturer of automated deburring and finishing equipment and parts cleaning machines and systems, has appointed Karen Zaccaro the new region manager responsible for sales and management of distributor activities in all New England states.

The National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF) is seeking papers for SUR/FIN 2008, June 16-18 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN.

Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. (KMS) is offering a new brochure detailing the company’s products and capabilities for electrocoat paint process applications and wastewater treatment. The brochure highlights the company’s filtration and separation products and services designed to help e-coat users lower their operating costs by increasing paint and water recovery, and minimizing wastewater.

The new Prodigy® Generation II spray gun from Nordson is designed to improve dense-phase powder coating performance and color-change speed, along with speed of application and ease-of-use.

The HH-LED+, a new hand-held LED curing system from DYMAX, uses LEDs (light emitting diodes) to generate both UV and visible light (375-415 nm) to provide cool, consistent, low-cost UV spot curing.

The SCS Precision IRT from Specialty Coating Systems, Inc. (SCS), is a new curing system designed to cure a wide variety of coatings quickly and safely using both convection and long-wave infrared (IR) heat sources.

PPG Industries’ coil and extrusion coatings business has introduced Durastar and Truform HP coatings, a line of roll-applied coil coatings, as a lower-cost alternative to its high-end Duranar and Coraflon coatings.