Axalta announced that it has sold its 60,000th spectrophotometer, with 10,000 sold in the past 15 months. The rapid increase in recent sales is attributed mainly to a strong global digitisation trend.
These increasingly popular handheld digital tools are an accurate and fast way of colour matching that boosts the efficiency of bodyshops. Using the latestgeneration spectrophotometer and cloud-based colour software is easy.
Refinishers simply take the colour readings from a vehicle’s paintwork using the spectrophotometer, which then wirelessly sends the readings to Axalta’s online global colour database.
The colour matching software searches more than 200,000 constantly-updated formulas, and where necessary, automatically adjusts the closest formula to provide refinishers the best possible match, which can then be selected on a smartphone or a tablet and sent via Wi-Fi to an IP scale for mixing the colour formula.
The whole process is more accurate, more efficient and more profitable.
BASF Acquires Majority Share of Belgian Internet Platform UBench
BASF acquired a majority share of the internet platform UBench with offices in Turnhout and Geel, Belgium. Both companies have agreed not to disclose financial details of the transaction. The transaction includes UBench International NV, CarRoll BVBA and DLight BVBA.
Regulatory approvals are not required. UBench and its more than 30 employees continuously advance the inhouse developed internet platform and manage the service portfolio for various customers in the automotive aftermarket, such as leasing companies, insurance companies, car manufacturers and companies with large fleets.
“The transaction reflects BASF’s strategic and longterm commitment to grow in the refinish business beyond premium paint and to enhance customer experience,” said Dirk Bremm, President of BASF’s Coatings division.
“UBench is a collaborative digital platform business that increases our portfolio by providing service solutions,” said Katja Scharpwinkel, Senior Vice President BASF Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions Europe.
“By connecting all players in the automotive aftermarket industry, we strengthen our position in the fast growing automotive service segment.
” UBench will continue its current activities as a standalone business under the umbrella of the newly established UBench BV. Peter Verbraeken, Founder and CEO of UBench, will hold a minority share supporting consistency and future strategic development of the business.
Engineered Polymer Solutions Launches EPS 2580
Engineered Polymer Solutions launched EPS 2580, a waterborne acrylic that offers high-performance features and can be formulated to meet stringent VOC regulations.
This polymer provides the capability to formulate direct-to-metal coatings at <50g/L VOC. EPS developed the 2580 resin to fill a gap in the industrial marketplace, which needed a low VOC (<50g/L) waterborne solution that delivers excellent performance for metal adhesion, corrosion resistance, and high-temperature block resistance.
“Waterborne acrylic coatings typically struggle in achieving all three of those properties, but EPS 2580 offers an excellent balance of those performance attributes,” said Robert Sandoval, Ph.D., R&D technical manager for EPS. EPS 2580 is a self-crosslinking, acrylic emulsion – with exceptional gloss and rapid hardness development – that can be used in both primers and topcoats.
This allows end-users the possibility of only using one coating system, thus decreasing the level of complexity for contractors and projects. “Coatings formulated using EPS 2580 exhibit excellent corrosion resistance even at thin films (<1.5mil dry film thickness)” said Christopher Farrell, sales manager for EPS.
“This can enable an end-user to potentially save on material and labor cost.”
U-C Coatings Acquires Eco Chemical
High Road Capital Partners has announced that its portfolio company, U-C Coatings, has completed the acquisition of the assets of the stains and industrial coatings business of Eco Chemical,
Inc. This marks the company’s second acquisition under High Road’s ownership. “
The acquisition of Eco Chemical deepens U-C Coatings’ position in the softwood market, adds the pressure treating channel, and broadens U-C Coatings’ product offerings by introducing stains and coatings that capitalize on trends such as vintage wood,” said Jeff Goodrich, partner, High Road Capital Partners.
