Powder Coatings experienced a good quarter with revenue up 6 percent over last year, supported by pricing actions and negatively affected by currency and volume. Sales growth was most evident in the US and high growth markets such as Turkey and Russia. Raw material developments remained challenging despite price and margin management activities. Powder Coatings’ cost base benefited from the further consolidation of Rohm and Haas activities, both in Europe and North America. Powder Coatings announced a partnership with BioCote and launched Interpon AM — a powder coating product that incorporates BioCote antimicrobial technology, which provides benefits in areas with high levels of human contact, especially in hygiene sensitive areas such as the medical and catering industries. In addition, a new primer that can be cured at low temperatures was launched in the automotive wheel market, enabling customers to reduce curing temperatures by at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius), thus increasing productivity by up to 10 percent.
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