Tentative agreements with the International UAW reached on May 16, 2008, covering approximately 3,650 American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, Inc. (AAM) associates at five facilities in Michigan and New York, have been ratified.

Galaxy Associates, a Cincinnati, OH-based global specialty chemical, equipment and service company, is moving to larger facilities in June. The new headquarters building will include a full-service laboratory and will be located in Blue Ash, OH.

PPG Industries is planning to build its first manufacturing plant in Russia. The company has signed an "investment agreement" with the administration of the Kaluga Region, Russia, to build an automotive coatings and industrial coatings plant about 70 kilometers southwest of Moscow.

Professional Plating Inc., a Brillion, WI-based powder coating, e-coating and zinc plating firm, plans to make new investments totaling up to $7.0 million over a five-year period.

Kuruvila Varughese, global engineering manager for DuPont CoatingSolutions, recently was elected as chairman of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers International (NACE) Task Group to revise and rewrite NACE RP0395-99 Specification “Fusion Bonded Epoxy Coating of Steel Reinforcing Bars.”

Gregory C. Wagner has been appointed to the position of general manager, industrial coatings, Americas, at PPG Industries. He reports to William A. Wulfsohn, senior vice president, coatings.

The Indianapolis Branch of AESF will host a reception on Monday, June 16, 2008, to welcome everyone to Indianapolis during SUR/FIN 2008. The event will be at Jillian’s on South Meridian Street and will include food, drinks and electronic video games.

The Technical Conference at SUR/FIN 2008, which will take place at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, will begin on Monday, June 16, from 2 to 5 p.m., with a program dedicated to innovations in electroless nickel. Track I of the program will launch with “Corrosion Resistance of ELV-Compliant Mid- and Low/Mid-Phosphorous Electroless Nickel,” authored by Nicole Micyus, MacDermid, Inc.

The MIXPAC DXBG bench dispenser from MIXPAC Equipment Inc. is a benchtop unit that reportedly offers fast, simple and accurate dispensing of two-component reactive resins in a variety of ratios.

The new DB22 models in the DB Series magnetic drive pump line from Finish Thompson Inc. reportedly operate with high efficiency and have broad hydraulic coverage. High working pressure capabilities up to 90 psi (6.2 bar) allow high-specific-gravity fluids to be pumped safely.