Revista Paint & Pintura - Edição 252

CLIPPING PAINT&PINTURA | Março 2020 | 9 first launched froma plant with capacity for 10 tons per year. Currently, OCSiAl has 40 managers and 22 scientists holding PhDs who make up one of themost experience teams in the nanotechnology industry, currently boasting capacity for 60 tons per year of single-wall carbon (graphene) nano- tubes in Novosibirski, Russia, while buil- ding a second plant in Luxembourgwith capacity in excess of 200 tons per year, which is going to supply products to the biocide, paint and coatings, composite and elastomer industries, according to Skintech Tecnologia project manager Marjorie Gracino. “Through a business partnership, Skintech and OCSiAl have secured a license to locally produce single-wall graphene nanotubes from sites that are already spread over Bra- zil. The partnership was struck in 2017 and started with sales of imports, and in early 2019 it kicked of the process of setting up production sites in Brazil.” MONOMERS - UNIGEL STARTS PRODUCING METHACRYLIC ACID IN BRAZIL Unigel, one of the largest petrochemi- cal companies in Brazil, has announced the start-up of their glacial methacrylic acid (GMAA) plant in the country, com- plementing the company’s monomer portfolio for the paint and coatings industry. Creating approximately 100 direct and indirect jobs and commanding invest- ments to the tune US$10 million, GMAA is produced in Unigel’s acrylic complex in the city of Candeias, Bahia, boasting capacity of 5,000 tons per year, to re- place imports. The new product was 100% developed by Unigel’s team, with proprietary technology, at the Unigel Innovation and Technology Center (CITU), located in Bahia, according to CEO Roberto Noronha Santos. “This achievement is the result of the intensive and conti- nuous innovation process that Unigel has demonstrated over its 53 years of existence,” Santos adds. GMAA finds its main application in the polymerization of binders in formula- tions of thickeners, dispersants and emulsions for paints and coatings, because it optimizes properties such as adhesiveness, hardness and chemical strength, according to Santos. “Our technical and sales teams are available for quotations and detailed product spe- cifications, consistent with leading inter- national suppliers,” Santos concludes. ACQUISITION - INKMAKER ACQUIRES TECHNOPAILS BUSINESS Inkmaker srl has started off the new year with another acquisition. The latest deal sees Tecnopails S.n.c of Piacenza, northern Italy, join the ever-expanding Italian global technology business in yet another important step to achieving Inkmaker Group’s global objective of offering total process-engineering to its customers. Inkmaker srl made headlines earlier inOctober 2019, when they acqui- red the businesses of Rexson Systems Ltd. and Vale-Tech Ltd. Tecnopails - a global leader with over one thousand plant-systems installed worldwide - boasts a widespread loyal international customer base dating back to the early 1970s. Its esteemed expertise lies in the planning, projec- tion and production of plant systems and equipment to dose, label, seal and palletize pails, buckets and cans for va- rious chemical or alimentary products. Additionally, these have the ability to be manufactured specifically for high- -risk explosions areas (ATEX certified). Of increased advantage to Inkmaker is Technopails legendary ‘modular’ characteristic, enabling machines to be packed with several levels of automa- tion, ensuring full customization to any requirement. “[This] announcement is amajor advan- cement for Inkmaker. Technopails is a successful filling, sealing and labelling corporation with major clients, its contribution to the Inkmaker group of companies will prove indispensable in achieving our mission of being a total process engineering consultant and provider. On behalf of the board, we are pleased to welcome Tecnopails to our growing family of brands,” says Christophe Rizzo, CEO of the Inkmaker Group, EMEA and Americas. SUSTAINABILITY - PROLATA RECYCLES MORE THAN 8,000 TONS OF STEEL IN 2019 Prolata, a non-profit association created in 2012 by members of steel can supply chain in Brazil, recycled 8,059 tons of steel in 2019 through 51 cooperatives and 37 voluntary redemption stations spread over the country. For the environment, the results are also relevant: year to date, iron ore extraction was reduced by 9,188 tons, and that of coal by 1,241,240 tons. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 29,822 cubic meters. These figures represent 164,247,000 trees that are no longer cut and a 70% water saving in the manufacture of new steel. Since its inception in 2012, Prolata has totaled almost 33,000 tons of recycled steel. Another initiative taken by Prolata in 2019 was the implementation of the first redemption stations in the Baixada Santista area. Redemption stations are part of the strategy of the paint and coatings supply chain to fulfill all stages of what is known as reverse logistics, ensuring that empty paint containers can be appropriately collected and recycled, without being disposed of into the environment, and creating value for the entire recycling chain, especially for waste pickers. The setting up of Prolata’s nine stations in Baixada Santista is part of the action plan outlined in the Environmental Cooperation Agreement concluded in November 2018 among the SpecialWork Group for the Environment (GAEMA), of the São Paulo State Public Prosecutors’ Office, the Brazilian Steel Packaging As- sociation (known for short as Abeaço), the creator and coordinator of Prolata, the Brazilian Coatings Manufacturers Association (Abrafati for short), and the São Paulo State Paint Retailers Associa- tion (ARTESP).