PCI® Welcomes Newest Staff Members
Say hello to Tamara Hancock, who
recently joined the PCI® staff as membership
and marketing coordinator. With
an extensive background in trade association
management, and formerly with
the Houston Chapter of the Associated
General Contractors of America (AGC
Houston), Tamara has 15 years of experience in everything
from administration and operations management to marketing/
communications and fundraising. Among her diverse
responsibilities at AGC Houston were the development and
oversight of a quarterly magazine, weekly newsletter and
a membership database that housed over 10,000 records.
Tamara is also proficient in establishing and implementing
marketing campaigns and maintaining positive public
relations. She proudly takes a hands-on, passionate approach
to all her work. A native Texan, she attended the University
of Houston where she studied English, technical writing and
mechanical engineering. She lives in Cypress, Texas, with her
husband and two daughters. She can be reached at 832-585-
0770 or via e-mail at thancock@powdercoating.org.
Next, say hi to Ashley Ware, the association’s
administrative assistant. Her expertise lies in the areas of
bookkeeping and file management. Prior to joining PCI®,
Ashley served as an administrative assistant for executives at
National Oilwell Varco. In addition to
supporting staff in a clerical capacity, at
PCI, Ashley is responsible for accounts
payable/receivable and inventory
management. Ashley is originally from
Shreveport, La., but now lives in Conroe,
Texas, with her daughter and fiancé. She
can be reached at 832-585-0770 or via
email at aware@powdercoating.org.
Finally, please welcome Lori Koning,
our national sales manager. Lori joins
the PCI® team with more than nine years
of experience in business-to-business
publishing in both inside and outside
sales with a focus on print, events and
e-media with BNP Media with more than
seven years of experience in the pollution
control industry. Lori has a successful track record in creating
and launching new custom media programs, e-media
products and conference sponsorship opportunities. She is
a graduate of University of California, San Diego. She can be
reached at 814-833-0681 or via email at
lkoning@powdercoating.org.
Chemetall Continues to Grow in Blackman Township, MI
Chemetall’s facility in Blackman
Township, Mich., produces
almost 1,000 chemical products for
applications in surface treatment,
metal fabrication, cleaning and
sanitizing.
In the fall of 2012, the company
celebrated the inauguration of this
facility, which sits on a 40-acre site.
Roughly $25 million was invested
in this manufacturing plant, which
covers 200,000 sq-ft to house administrative,
manufacturing, warehousing
operations, and a physical
testing laboratory.
The new cutting-edge facility
demonstrates our goal to further
expand our surface treatment business in the NAFTA region.
We are committed to set equally high standards around the
globe with regard to superior quality for our customer and
to low carbon footprint,” says Joris Merckx, president of
Chemetall. As a measure of its dedication to environmental
sustainability, Chemetall has installed a semi-automated
waste treatment system to reduce process waste water by 90
percent. Automation advancements, including bulk material
handling systems, mixing vessels, and
packaging lines, have been incorporated
into Chemetall’s Blackman Township
facility to increase productivity as well
as improve product yield and quality for
customers.
“High-tech additions to the new
Blackman Township site ensure
the efficiency of operations for the
manufacture of the finest quality
chemistries,” Dr. Ron Felber, CEO of
Chemetall NAFTA, says. “Customers
can be assured of Chemetall’s
commitment to their satisfaction
through our innovations and service
from all of our facilities. Our mission is
to integrate our decades of experience
in close cooperation with our customers, employees, and
communities to produce customized solutions that enhance
processes as well as the environment.”
Chemetall, which opened its state-of-the-art facility in the
township’s SmartZone, has been growing by 12 percent annually
for the past 10 years and is expected to continue that
trend, said Felber. Visit www.chemetall.com for
more information.
PCI® Annual Meeting a Huge
Success
A healthy mix of business, along with excellent presentations
from a wide range of experts, sprinkled with the right
amount of networking events made the annual meeting in
Sonoma, Calif., May 18-22 a huge success.
The largest number of attendees in the past few years had
the opportunity to participate in committee meetings and
report on the progress of PCI in a number of key areas. Here
is a snapshot of the sessions for the PCI Annual Meeting:
• An Overview of American Coating Association and
Powder Coating Related Advocacy Activities
• Value Pricing in the Powder Coating Market
• Navigating the Regulatory Environment
• Keynote from Dr. Charles Lowery on Leading and
Succeeding
One of the highlights was the induction of Dr. Phil
Phillips of Chemark and Phil Bechtold into the PCI® Hall of
Fame. We congratulate these two individuals who spent their
careers dedicated to the powder coating market.
The site of the 2014 Annual Meeting will be in May in the
Sandestin Hilton in Destin, Fla.
PCI® Job Board Is Now Live
The new PCI® Job Board is now live on the PCI® web
site, www.powdercoating.org/jobs. Employers will be able
to post positions available and job seekers will be able
to post their resumes and look for positions to advance
their careers. The Job Board is completely interactive and
geared exclusively for the powder coating market. For
more information, contact Executive Director Dave Lurie at
dlurie@powdercoating.org.
Axalta Coating Systems Launches
New Identity
Axalta Coating Systems, Wilmington,
Del., a global supplier of powder and
liquid coatings, has rolled out a new
corporate brand identity that captures the
scope of its business around the world.
The new logo highlights the Axalta name as well as its focus
on performance and will provide a consistent and clear
symbol of the company and the products and services Axalta
provides to over 120,000 customers in 130 countries. See
page 33 for an interview with Axalta’s Dave Lazzeri regarding
the recent acquisition.
Troy Wins Ringier Technology Innovation Award
Troy Corporation, Florham Park, N.J., won the
Ringier Technology Innovation Award for Additives
in China’s coatings industry. The award was created
to honor those companies that have introduced a new
product, technology, or process that advances the
coatings industry in China, such as improving efficiency,
cost performance, or environmental responsibility. A
panel of industry experts evaluated new technologies
which debuted and were made commercially available
between 2011 and 2013.
Troy was selected for an Additives award for its
introduction of Polyphase® 2167, an innovative, zero-
VOC broad-spectrum dry-film preservative that not only
is highly effective against fungi and yeast, but also creates
an antibacterial surface through a unique immobilization
technology.
Cytec Coating Resins Now
Operating as Allnex
The divestiture of the
Coating Resins business of Cytec
Industries to funds affiliated with
Advent International was first
announced in October 2012 and
completed on April 3, 2013. Becoming effective on June 1,
the adoption of the new name—Allnex—was the first step
toward establishing the company’s new identity.
PPG Now Offers E-billing, Uses
Social Media
PPG Industries’ industrial coatings
business has introduced a new electronic
billing service that enables customers to
pay bills online, view account balance
and payment information, and sign up to
receive email alerts about new invoices or account credits. To
sign up online, PPG customers can click on “eBilling” under
the “About Us” tab at www.ppgindustrialcoatings.com.
In other PPG News, PPG has expanded its social media
initiative so that it can share news and interact more
effectively with customers via Facebook, Twitter and
LinkedIn.
Sharon Bird, PPG marketing communications manager,
industrial coatings, says the goal is to enhance customer
engagement by providing real-time company and industry
news, and by giving customers access to valuable resources.
The PPG Industrial Coatings Facebook Page features
frequently asked questions, industry news and project
photos. The @PPGIC profile on Twitter provides updates
about the business’s products, trade show activities and other
topics, while a LinkedIn company page features company
news and product information.
Interpon D3000 Fluoromax Awarded Certificate of
Material Excellence
In June, AkzoNobel Powder Coatings announced that
its Interpon D3000 Fluoromax coatings for architecture have
been awarded a Certificate of Material Excellence by Material
ConneXion and accepted into Material ConneXion’s library of
innovative materials.
The Materials Library is the largest collection of advanced,
innovative and sustainable materials and processes in the
world. The archive features more than 7,000 cutting-edge
materials in eight distinct categories. Interpon D3000
Fluoromax features in the Polymers section.
IHEA Presents Leadership Award to William Bernard II
Surface Combustion
President, William Bernard II,
was honored with the inaugural
IHEA Leadership Award at the
IHEA 2013 Annual Meeting
in Indian Wells, Calif., for
his continued dedication
and valuable guidance to the
association. He was chosen as the
deserving recipient as a result of
his inspiring challenge issued at
the IHEA 2012 Annual Meeting.
Last year, the IHEA Board
of Directors outlined a targeted
capital campaign to fund important initiatives needed to
allow IHEA to move forward with their Strategic Plan.
To support the board’s goal and vision, Bernard offered
a challenge to the IHEA membership to support the
association so these member-focused initiatives could begin.
“I would like to challenge all IHEA members to support our
industry and the initiatives our board has put forth,” stated
Bernard. “Together, we can move the initiatives forward
quickly.”
Bernard’s challenge has also allowed the association to
implement new software that is building the infrastructure
needed to accomplish many of the initiatives in IHEA’s
strategic plan. IHEA says it was proud to present its first
Leadership Award to William Bernard II.
CCAI Awards 2013 Scholarships
The Chemical Coaters Association International
announced the contribution of $3,000 in scholarship money
to the North Dakota State University’s (NDSU) Coatings &
Polymeric Materials Department. For the past four years,
CCAI has awarded scholarships to students at NDSU who are
majoring in Coatings & Polymeric Materials. The successful
recipients are full-time students enrolled in a coatings
program, in good standing and with a cumulative grade point
average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
The CCAI National Board established a scholarship fund
to provide awards to worthy colleges, universities and other
training institutions that have programs that are related to the
coatings and finishing industry.
This year, $1,000 will be awarded to an NDSU student
majoring in Coatings & Polymeric Materials for the Fall
Semester and an additional $1,000 will be awarded to a
student for the Spring 2014 Semester.
Additionally, $1,000 is awarded to underwrite the
expenses for the Department of Coatings & Polymeric
Materials Summer Undergraduate Research Experience,
which attracts undergraduates from around the country.
Furthermore, by the end of 2013, CCAI will award an
additional $2,000 to NDSU for their 2014 Summer and Fall
programs, bringing the total of CCAI’s 2013 Matt Heuertz
scholarship donation to $5,000.
News Bits
Parker Ionics has hired Michael Nugent as its new
southeastern region manager. With more than 36 years of
experience in the powder coating market, including stints
with other major powder coating equipment suppliers,
Nugent brings a great deal of knowledge to the industry and
Parker Ionics existing and future customers. In addition to
his application and recovery equipment background, he
also spent considerable time selling powder for a variety of
powder manufacturers.
EPSI has hired Greg Gormley as the newest addition to
its sales team. He will control and prospect sales business
throughout the Northwest. EPSI welcomes Gormley as he
ventures out into the Western United States, supporting and
expanding the company name.
B.L. Downey Company LLC has announced that Ron
Greene, Jim Cleary, and Tommy Oviedo have succeeded
in passing the Class K Wastewater Examination of Technical
Competency exam. Utilizing B.L. Downey Company’s Waste
Water Treatment System schematics, which treat waste
streams from five e-coat lines, Greene, Cleary, and Oviedo
attended a Waste Water Treatment
System Operation course held by
the State of Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency (IEPA), studied for
and passed a three-hour exam, which
officially makes them
Certified Class K License holders.
For more information, please visit
the Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency website at www.epa.state.il.us
and B.L. Downey’s website at www.
bldowney.com.
The Chemark Consulting Group
Inc. of Southern Pines, N.C., appointed
James Lloyd as senior sales and market
strategist, coatings and packaging.
The consulting company focusing
narrowly on all aspects of the coatings,
paints, adhesives, sealants and specialty
chemicals value chain, reports they
will be improved further with Lloyd’s
knowledge, experience and contacts in
these segments.