PPG, Satys announce aerospace e-coat system partnership in France

PPG announced that it has partnered with Satys, a French industrial group active in aircraft sealing, painting and surface treatment, to provide electrocoating (e-coat) of original equipment manufacture (OEM) aircraft parts, said the company.

Under the agreement, Satys will install a PPG AEROCRON™ e-coat primer system at its facility in Dugny, France.

“PPG is proud to partner with Satys to provide our innovative e-coat technology in close proximity to key aerospace OEMs,” said Sam Millikin, PPG global director, coatings and sealants, Aerospace. “Our customers in France will benefit from the PPG Aerocron system, which produces a more uniform finish on the aircraft parts, using less paint than traditional spray-applied methods.”

With the PPG Aerocron technology, metal aircraft parts are dipped into a bath of chrome-free electrocoat primer and charged with electrical current to apply the coating, resulting in an even surface finish, a consistent coating thickness and no drips, runs or sags in the cured paint film. E-coat is a sustainable, waterborne system that produces minimal waste, has low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and helps reduce aircraft fuel consumption due to weight savings provided by the lower paint usage.

“We are always looking for innovative and efficient ways to improve our aircraft painting capabilities for our customers, as well as contributing to the decarbonization of the aerospace industry,” said Christophe Cador, president and CEO, Satys.

The 2,100-gallon (eight cubic meters) e-coat tank at Dugny will be the largest in Europe, allowing a single operator to coat several parts at once, further increasing the efficiency of the process. The coated parts are corrosion and chemical resistant and compatible with industry standard pretreatments and topcoats.

We remind, PPG announced the opening of a Color Creation Lab in collaboration with automaker Chery Automobile Co., Ltd. At the facility, located in Wuhu, China, PPG color stylists and Chery designers will create new colors tailored to specific vehicle designs, from initial color recommendations to final materials for application in Chery’s manufacturing plants.

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Shell plc will update investors on its strategy to create more value with less emissions, and deliver increased shareholder returns through a balanced energy transition, said the company.

“We are investing to provide the secure energy customers need today and for a long time to come, while transforming Shell to win in a low-carbon future. Performance, discipline, and simplification will be our guiding principles as we allocate capital to enhance shareholder distributions, while enabling the energy transition,” said Shell Chief Executive Officer, Wael Sawan.

Today’s update reflects Shell’s balanced approach as it operationalises its Powering Progress strategy.

An enhanced focus on performance and stronger capital and cost discipline will underpin higher shareholder distributions of 30-40% of CFFO through the cycle, compared with 20-30% previously, through a combination of dividends and share buybacks. Shell will raise the dividend per share by an expected 15%, effective from the second quarter 2023 interim dividend, payable in September, and commence share buybacks of at least $5 billion for the second half of 2023, subject to Board approval.

We remind, Shell (London) has agreed to pay nearly USD 10 mn (EUR 9.3 mn) for breaking emissions rules at its Monaca polyethylene complex in the US state of Pennsylvania, according to the office of governor Josh Shapiro, which said the resin maker had formally acknowledged the violations.

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This morning of June 14, 2023, the opening ceremony signified the official opening of the Technology Competence Center at the facilities of BASF Espanola in Marchamalo (Guadalajara), said the company.

The official opening ceremony was attended by the regional minister of Sustainable Development of Castilla - La Mancha, Jose Luis Escudero, as well as the mayor president of the city of Marchamalo, Rafael Esteban Santamaria, among other institutional representatives. The representation of the company was headed by Uta Holzenkamp, president of the global Coatings division of the BASF group, Carles Navarro Vigo, general manager of BASF Espanola, and Lars Kuellenberg, site manager of BASF Espanola S.L. in Marchamalo.

This technology center is dedicated to researching and replicating the painting process of any vehicle manufacturer, taking into account the various individual factors in each production line, such as temperature, humidity, or coating technology, and which have a definitive influence on the paint application process at the end customer. The facilities are digitally connected (Industry 4.0) with internal process management and control systems, and share digital networking with other BASF Group sites worldwide.

This Technology Competence Center provides services to more than 100 automotive factories in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, including manufacturers of plastic parts for the same industry.

The construction of these facilities has contributed as a catalyst for the production transfer project of solvent-borne basecoats to the Marchamalo center, supported by the decision of the BASF group to officially designate the Marchamalo headquarters as a European strategic center for this technology. In addition, its construction has been a challenge having to carry out the construction and installation of the new application booths while maintaining the productive flow in the old ones, without affecting the quality or capacity of the process in continuous service to the end customer.

BASF has invested around 14 million euros in this facility. The equipment installed in this Technology Center includes state-of-the-art installations which place this center at the world technological summit for coating application processes for the automobile.

Innovation and commitment to the customer have been the fundamental basis for the construction of this center. Always with a clear focus on sustainability and environmental protection, BASF has installed equipment with the highest energy efficiency, and with the optimum degree of emission reduction.

The Marchamalo production center is a strategic site for the Coatings division in Spain. It has been a production site of BASF since 1982, although the origins of the former company date back to 1867.

With an area of 310,000 m2 and approximately 550 employees, the center has three modern production plants, two of which are paint plants, and one is for the production of intermediate resins. The facilities also include a Refinish paint training center for customer workshops, as well as control and development laboratories for all its main segments of high-tech products for the automotive industry.

We remind, BASF SE (Ludwigshafen, Germany) will expand its global alkyl polyglucosides (APG) production capacity with two expansions at its sites in Bangpakong, Thailand, and Cincinnati, Ohio. By expanding in two regions in parallel, BASF, the global market leader for APGs, can strengthen its position and serve customers even faster and more flexible from the regional supply points, while at the same time reducing cross-regional volume flows. The additional capacities are expected to come on stream in 2025.

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MRC) -- Phillips 66 announced Thursday it had completed majority acquisition of the common units of DCP Midstream, said the company.

The value of the cash acquisition is approximately USD3.8bn. Phillips' economic interest in DCP Midstream is now at 86.8%.

DCP Midstream’s common units will no longer be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

We remind, Phillips 66 beat Wall Street's estimate for first-quarter profit due to elevated margins on sustained fuel demand amid tight crude supplies. The company's shares rose 1.3% to USD95.98 in morning trade. Profits from turning crude oil into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel surged as supplies remained tight due to pandemic-era closure of facilities and a recovery in demand. Margins were also supported by Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year that further tightened supplies. Realized margins soared 91% to USD20.72 per barrel in the first quarter from a year earlier, Phillips 66 said.

Phillips 66 manufactures, transports and markets products that drive the global economy. The diversified energy company’s portfolio includes Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, and Marketing and Specialties businesses. Headquartered in Houston, Phillips 66 has employees around the globe who are committed to safely and reliably providing energy and improving lives while pursuing a lower-carbon future.

DCP Midstream, LP is a master limited partnership with a diversified portfolio of gathering, processing, logistics and marketing assets.

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MRC) -- ArcelorMittal and Sekisui Chemical have been partnering on a project to capture and reuse CO2 emitted during steelmaking, said Chemicaldigest.

As part of this partnership, the two companies have been supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Japan’s national research and development agency, and have launched an “International collaboration on CCU for circular carbon in Steelmaking” (hereafter, the NEDO project), scheduled for three years from 2021.

One of the research topics is to develop a fundamental technology for Synthesis Gas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen) production using Sekisui Chemical unique chemical looping technology. Through tests using actual blast furnace gas at ArcelorMittal’s plant in Asturias, Spain, a CO2 conversion rate of 90% and a hydrogen conversion rate of 75% has been achieved, higher than the project target of a CO2 conversion rate of 85% or higher and a hydrogen conversion rate of 60% or higher using this technology. To obtain these results, it was important to carry out a CO2 capture process reaching 90% of CO2 purity.

The press release stated that as a next step, the two companies will further optimise the conditions, replace the catalyst with a high-performance one, and conduct a long-term test with a higher reaction yield by December 2023. At the same time, they will consider new projects to demonstrate the ability to scale up the new technology.

We remind, Sekisui Chemical decided to establish a new plant in the United States to produce thermal gap filler materials for EVs (electric vehicles) and other environmental friendly vehicles of its consolidated subsidiary, Sekisui Polymatech, said the company. Construction of the plant is scheduled to begin in January 2023, and the plant will start operation in August 2023.

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