ADVANCED APPLIED ADHESIVES NAMES NEW EUROPEAN SALES REP

Advanced Applied Adhesives has announced CAPLINQ Nederland as its sales representative for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Founded by Christopher Perabo, CAPLINQ replaces Norel, which has ceased operations. Perabo, a semiconductor industry specialist, previously worked for Henkel's Semiconductor Materials Division as a field applications and sales engineer. Strategically located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, CAPLINQ intends to supply a complete line of products to semiconductor manufacturers, thereby enabling them to reduce their time-to-market by providing rapid response solutions to their needs.

For more information, visit http://www.appliedadhesives.com .

DOW POLYURETHANES COMPLETES TESTING PHASE FOR NATURAL OIL POLYOLS

Dow Polyurethanes, Midland, MI, has successfully completed preliminary development of natural oil polyols (NOPs) for urethane formulations and will begin product sampling with a select group of customers immediately. Dow plans to begin market development scale production of the next-generation polyols in 2007. Since first announcing its intention to conduct small-scale product testing of NOPs with select customers in June of 2005, Dow has continued to invest in further advancing the technology and capabilities of these next-generation products. The company has now achieved the performance milestones necessary to support moving ahead to the market development scale production phase.

For more information, visit http://www.dowpolyurethanes.com .

OMNOVA TO SELL GENFLEX BUSINESS TO FIRESTONE

OMNOVA Solutions, Fairlawn, OH, has entered into an agreement to sell its GenFlex Building Products business to Firestone Building Products Co., a division of BFS Diversified Products LLC. Total cash to be realized approximates $40 million, which includes $29 million in cash from the sale of the business and retention by OMNOVA of $10.5 million of existing GenFlex trade accounts receivable. Cash from the sale is subject to a final working capital adjustment.

For more information, visit http://www.omnova.com .

SAIDEN TECHNOLOGIES EXPANDS NORTH CAROLINA FACILITY

Saiden Technologies, a manufacturer of specialty polymers, adhesives and coatings, has announced the expansion of its Sanford, NC, facility, which will provide a 20% increase in raw material handling capability and a 30% increase in finished product storage. The project is expected to be completed in December of 2006. Saiden Technologies is the U.S. arm of the Saiden Chemical family of companies, a leading Asian acrylic emulsion manufacturer.

For more information, visit http://www.saiden.com .

STAHL OPENS $18 MILLION PLANT IN SUZHOU, CHINA

Stahl Coatings and Fine Chemicals (Suzhou) Co. Ltd. celebrated the grand opening of its new $18 million manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China, on Sept. 8. Over 500 invited guests from China and Southeast Asia attended the event. All visitors were given extensive guided tours of the factory before departing for a reception lunch at the Shangrila Suzhou where they were able to view a mini exhibition showcasing the products and services that will be provided by the Suzhou plant. Stahl plans to produce some 17,000 tons of product per year from the new plant, including acrylics, pigments and lacquer emulsions for the leather and shoe industries, and surface coatings for the flexible substrate industry.