Industry News (Week of 11/06/06)

ASHLAND TO ACQUIRE NORTHWEST COATINGS

Ashland Inc. has announced the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase the assets of Northwest Coatings of Oak Creek, WI, a formulator and manufacturer of adhesives and coatings employing ultraviolet and electron beam (UV/EB) polymerization technologies. Northwest Coatings is a holding of Calitus Equity Partners. The transaction, which includes production facilities in Milwaukee, WI, and Greensboro, NC, is valued at approximately $72 million. The closing of the acquisition, which is anticipated to take place before the end of 2006, is dependent upon a number of standard closing conditions, including regulatory review.

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

CHEMTECH SPECIALTIES INC. TO DISTRIBUTE DYNEON POLYMER ADDITIVES

Dyneon LLC has announced the appointment of Chemtech Specialties Inc. as an authorized distributor of the company's polymer additive products focusing on the northeastern U.S. Polymer additives from Dyneon's Specialty Additives business are used in engineered plastics applications to achieve critical performance characteristics, such as wear and mar resistance or anti-drip properties. A subsidiary of Brenntag North America, Chemtech Specialties is a major chemical distributor with headquarters and warehouse facilities in Philadelphia.

For more information, visit http://www.3M.com .

CLIFTON ADHESIVE FOUNDER DIES

Clifton Adhesive, Inc. has announced the death of its founder, Arthur Lefelar, at the age of 93. Clifton Adhesive opened for business in 1945 and is now in its third generation of family ownership. Lefelar was born in Clifton, NJ, and lived in northern New Jersey until retiring to Florida in 1979. He is preceded in death by his wife, Marguerite, and is survived by his daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren.

CRYOLIFE ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT WITH BIOFORM MEDICAL TO DEVELOP AND MARKET SURGICAL ADHESIVE

CryoLife Inc., a biomaterials and biosurgical device company, has announced the signing of a licensing and distribution agreement with BioForm Medical, Inc. for the development and commercialization of CryoLife's proprietary BioGlue® Surgical Adhesive for use in cosmetic and plastic surgery indications. BioGlue is currently approved in the U.S. as an adjunct to sutures and staples for use in adult patients in open surgical repair of large vessels. The product is CE-marked in the European Community and approved in Canada and Australia for use in cardiac, vascular, pulmonary, and other soft tissue repair. The agreement calls for San Mateo, CA-based CryoLife to fund the clinical development and regulatory approval process for commercializing BioGlue for use in cosmetic and plastic surgery indications in the U.S., Canada, and various countries in Europe. Under the terms of the agreement, CryoLife will receive an initial fee from BioForm, as well as a milestone payment upon the first FDA approval for use in cosmetic and plastic surgery indications.

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

DOW CORNING PRESENTS PAPER AT ASIACOAT 2006

Dow Corning coatings industry Technical Expert Gerald Witucki recently presented a paper entitled "Siloxane Technologies for High-Value, High-Performance Coatings" at the ASIACOAT 2006 International Coatings Exposition in Shanghai, China. Across the global coatings market, there is continuing pressure to reduce both prices and VOC emission. At the same time, performance expectations continue to rise. In this market environment, industrial maintenance and marine coatings based on silicone-organic hybrid technologies have enjoyed market-leading growth and profits. Increased interest in this technology has spurred development of new silicone intermediates to create silicone-organic copolymers and cold blends with performance-specified structures. In his presentation, Witucki reviewed silicon-based technologies and their potential utility for creating high-performance coatings.

For a copy of Witucki's paper, e-mail coatings@dowcorning.com .