Inside the Industry

Red Spot Paint & Varnish Co., Inc.
Red Spot Paint & Varnish Co., Inc. and Fujichem, Inc., a U.S. Subsidiary of Fujikura Kasei (FKK), Tokyo, Japan have entered into a stock purchase agreement whereby Fujichem would purchase 100 percent of the shares of Red Spot. The transaction was expected to close on May 30, 2008 and is subject to customary closing conditions. Red Spot, under new ownership, will continue to operate as Red Spot Paint & Varnish Co., Inc., a consolidated subsidiary of Fujichem. According to Red Spot, with the globalization of the automotive business, the advantage of combining into one entity has become opportune; together the two companies provide a robust strategic global business model for customers with decorative and functional coatings for plastics of Red Spot.

Red Spot’s people, facilities and infrastructure in Evansville, Ind. and Westland, Mich. will continue to serve customers in North America and South America. Red Spot’s joint venture partners in Korea and the UK, as well as Red Spot’s licensees and customers in
South America, Australia, Europe, Singapore, and China further broaden FKK’s global footprint to serve the global coatings for plastics coatings market. Red Spot and FKK have a long and successful relationship beginning in 1972. The partners have successfully developed products and markets, and currently manufacture, sell, and service each others and their own technologies. Seamless market development and technical exchanges regarding coatings for plastics have allowed pioneering opportunities to be realized.

Spraylat Corporation
Eugene R. Schneider has been named vice president and general manager (GM) of Spraylat’s Electronic Materials Group (EMG).  Schneider’s professional career has included executive management roles in planning, sales and marketing, and general management at Emerson Corporation, Lilly Industries, and Cookson Electronics.  He most recently led his management consulting firm, International Strategic Business Consultants, Inc. (ISBC), prior to joining Spraylat. Schneider is a graduate of Washington University and is based in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

"This announcement underscores our commitment as a technology leader to the global consumer electronics, automotive, and medical electronics markets," Spraylat CEO Michael Borner stated.  "Eugene’s experience and knowledge will further drive significant growth in our Conductive Coating and PTF product lines."

Headquartered in Mt. Vernon, New York, Spraylat’s EMG group markets, sells, and produces conductive coatings made from Silver, Copper, or Hybrid (Silver + Copper) metals, as well as their PTF (Conductive Inks) product lines. These products are produced and sold globally through Spraylat facilities in the U.S., China, Korea, Mexico, and Germany. Typical applications for the Conductive Coating products include shielding and grounding for cell phones, laptop computers, and automotive navigation systems.  The PTF products are used in applications such as printed cell phone and RFID antennas, and membrane switches.

United Gilsonite Laboratories (UGL)
UGL recently named Tim Moser Western sales manager.  Moser joined UGL in 1993 after working for Honeywell as an alarm security consultant.  In 1999, he was presented the Executive Salesman Award.

In other company news, Scott Jones was recently appointed the Southern California sales representative.  Prior to joining UGL, Jones was a relocation consultant for Bekins Moving and Storage.

Spray Finishing Workshops
DeVilbiss, Binks and Owens Community College have collaborated to present a Spray Finishing Technology Workshop scheduled for Sept. 10-12 in Toledo, Ohio.  Classes meet from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily and will cover topics including equipment types and selection, equipment set-up, operation and maintenance, surface preparation and defect analysis, material selection and safety, and regulatory concerns. Two continuing education credits are awarded.  Attendees should be involved in industrial, contractor or maintenance spray finishing applications, or spray equipment sales and distribution.  To register, call 800-466-9367 ext.  7320, e-mail sprayworkshop@netscape.net, or visit www.owens.edu/workforce_cs/seminars for more information.

Source: June 2008 Coatings, posted 4/30/08