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BCF calls for further changes to UK REACH after small step in the right direction

The British Coatings Federation has welcomed recent proposed changes to the forthcoming UK REACH regime as a small but welcome step in the right direction. However, it has also warned that these changes alone will not be enough to prevent the coatings sector – and wider chemicals industry – from being hit hard financially under the new post-Brexit regime. This is because it does still not resolve the underlying, inherent problems with the proposed UK REACH system namely duplication of the EU REACH system and re-registration of all substances in a new database. It is this wholesale re-registration – including full data dossiers duplicating registrations already held in the EU REACH system – which will prove so bureaucratic, burdensome, and costly to business.

The easiest and seemingly best way to avoid this wholesale duplication would be for the UK and EU to negotiate a data-sharing agreement as part of the ongoing Free Trade Agreement talks. This would potentially mean the UK regulator would maintain access to data already registered in the EU REACH database and avoid it having to be re-registered in the new UK REACH system. The BCF fully supports the UK Government’s attempts to achieve this result as part of the FTA talks.

However, if that data-sharing outcome is not achieved as part of an FTA, the Government needs to go further and initiate greater changes to the proposed UK REACH system. The time extension for substance registrations simply spreads the cost of the registration requirements over a longer period: it does not reduce the overall cost to business. Those additional costs will still make it uneconomic for some lower quantity substances to be registered in the UK REACH database, making them unavailable in the UK and leaving UK companies at a significant disadvantage to their EU counterparts. Alternatively, UK businesses will have to take on the registration costs themselves to maintain access to crucial substances, again putting them at a competitive disadvantage.

Tom Bowtell, CEO of the British Coatings Federation said:

“Along with others we have been actively and positively engaged in conversations with the UK Government for well over a year. It is good to see that the Government has listened to the genuine concerns industry has raised and amended their plans for UK REACH. However, while we welcome the changes as a step in the right direction, sadly we do not believe the scale of the amendments are enough to offset the large costs and inconveniences UK business will suffer at the hands of UK REACH system as it stands.

“We hope that a data-sharing agreement on chemicals can be negotiated between the UK and EU as part of an FTA, and fully support the Government as it continues to work for that outcome: it would seem to be the most practical solution to this problem. However, if such an agreement does not come to pass then we hope the Government will continue to engage with, and listen to, the continued concerns of industry. Ultimately, we hope they realise we are not crying wolf over the impact of UK REACH on companies using chemicals like the paint, coatings and printing ink industries, and agree to make further amendments to their plans that will mitigate the effect of the new UK regulatory system on business.”

BCF gives evidence on UK REACH to House of Lords Committee

British Coatings Federation Ltd
Westwood Way, Westwood Business Park Coventry
CV4 8HS
www.coatings.org.uk
info@bcf.co.uk
Registered in England 745398

On the 7th of October 2020 Tom Bowtell, CEO of the British Coatings Federation gave evidence to the House of Lords EU Environment Sub-Committee on the subject of Government plans for UK REACH.
In his comments to the Committee he explained to Peers how UK REACH, as currently configured, will significantly and negatively impact on the coatings and printing inks sector, as well as the chemicals industry more widely.

His evidence stressed that if the UK Government fails to negotiate data-sharing as part of a chemicals annexe to the EU Free Trade Agreement, the resulting need to register chemical substances into a separate UK REACH database will cost industry over £1 billion. This would put UK Coatings manufacturing – and sectors further downstream like automotive and aerospace that its members supply – at a significant competitive disadvantage to their EU competitors.

During the Committee evidence session Tom also:

• Highlighted the risk of the UK losing Foreign Direct Investment if it is no longer an attractive place to manufacturer chemical-based products like coatings; • Expressed concern that the extra bureaucracy and cost of a mirrored UK REACH system will have a significant impact on business, especially smaller companies and downstream users who have not had to engage with EU REACH on registrations before now; • Welcomed plans to extend the registration period for substances into UK REACH from two to up to six years as a step in the right direction. However, while this measure is of some help it does not solve the underlying problems of a duplicate REACH regime. He therefore called on the Government to think again about the structure of UK REACH from 1st January 2021 if it cannot negotiate data-sharing as part of an FTA; • Reiterated a major worry of BCF members that, even with an extended registration period, many small volume substances might be deemed economically unviable to register in UK REACH due to the fact the UK is ten times smaller than the EU market. This could mean these small volume substances being lost to UK manufacturers entirely; • Drew attention to Chemical Watch’s recent survey on that subject which reported that 27% of EU companies and 7% of UK companies were considering not re-registering substances in UK REACH due to cost or complexity; • Pointed out that the proposed fee structure for UK REACH registration is the same as that for EU REACH, even though the UK market is 10 times smaller than that of the EU. If fees are to be levied for registrations into UK REACH they should be more proportionate to the size of the market; • Bought to the Peers’ attention that industry is still awaiting detailed guidance on UK REACH to be published by the Government, leaving businesses with little time to truly get to grips with new regulations;
British Coatings Federation Ltd Westwood Way, Westwood Business Park Coventry, CV4 8HS www.coatings.org.uk info@bcf.co.uk Registered in England 745398

• And asked whether the Government will publish its economic and environmental impact assessments for UK REACH to allow for more comprehensive debate on the subject.

Commenting on the evidence session, Tom Bowtell said:

“I was grateful to be able to give evidence to the House of Lords. It was an important opportunity to make sure the Committee Members understood how UK REACH is going to impact on downstream users of chemicals in the UK – like the coatings and printing inks sector – as well as on the chemicals industry more widely. Additional costs and reduced availability of substances from which to manufacture are going to be genuine consequences of the current plans for the UKs new chemicals regime. We therefore urged the Committee to prompt the Government to publish its economic impact assessment of its plans for UK REACH so that we can see what assumptions it is making its decisions upon.

“With the clock ticking down until the Brexit Transition Period ends the UK Government needs to recognise that – unless data-sharing with the EU can be agreed as part of an FTA – the way UK REACH is currently configured will hit industry hard. There is a real risk the extra regulatory burden will lead to a reduction in foreign direct investment to the UK: moreover, the extra costs and added bureaucracy will hit SMEs and downstream users like those in the coatings and printing inks sectors particularly heavily. We need to see more radical changes made to UK REACH – beyond the extension to registration periods already agreed – to mitigate the effects on business.”

British Coatings Federation announces new President at virtual Board meeting

Outgoing British Coatings Federation President David Beckford of Pronto Industrial Paints handed over the presidency to Guy Williams, Chief Executive of U-POL at BCF’s virtual board meeting on the 5^th of October 2020.

Commenting on his appointment, Guy Williams said that he was looking forward to serving the for the next two years and supporting the BCF team.

“I would like to personally thank David for his fantastic leadership throughout his presidency which must be one of the most turbulent periods in BCF’s history. Looking forward, the BCF, like many others, will face significant challenges ahead. However, the BCF is well placed to weather the impacts of Covid-19 and is continuing to lobby hard on other issues with the EU Free Trade Agreement and UK REACH top of the current priorities.”

Whilst Presidents typically serve two-year terms, outgoing President Beckford had been asked to stay on for an extended period due to Covid-19. Speaking of his time as President, David thanked the Board and said it had been an honour to serve the industry.

“BCF has developed considerably over the last 10 years, and I have no doubt it will continue to grow and thrive. Looking back, I take immense pride in the achievements of BCF in recent years. Starting with the new HQ in Coventry, we’ve seen the Federation strengthen significantly and has twice been named Trade Association of the Year. Financially we are on a very sound footing now and Corporate Governance is exemplary, with high engagement at Board Level and a clear strategy for the years ahead.”

Tom Bowtell, BCF’s Chief Executive commented:

“It was been a pleasure to work alongside David Beckford for the last two and a half years. During his tenure David has dealt with a number of major challenges facing both the industry and wider society. I am looking forward to working with Guy Williams as we continue to support our members and the industry into the future.”

Coatings Care Awards finalists announced by the BCF

British Coatings Federation (BCF) announces finalists for Coatings Care, a voluntary programme which provides an opportunity for members to benchmark their environmental performance against 45 KPIs. For additional details on the programme and why this initiative is important, click here.

The Coatings Care Overall Best Performer Award is presented to the company that has demonstrated best in class performance across a range of key performance indicators, including VOC emissions, energy consumption, waste and recycling, and accident and incident statistics.

Our shortlisted companies for this award are:

AkzoNobel Decorative Paints (Ashington)
AkzoNobel Industrial Coatings (Deeside)
Pronto Industrial Paints (Chesterfield)
Pulse Printing Products (Bristol)
Teal & Mackrill Ltd (Hull)

The Coatings Care Progress Award is presented to the company that has made the most significant year on year improvement in its performance on the same health, safety and environmental criteria.

Our shortlisted companies for this award are:

Crown (Darwen)
Dacrylate (Kirkby-in-Ashfield)
Rustins
Steyport (Blackburn)
Sun Chemical

Tom Bowtell, BCF Chief Executive commented “The programme is a great way for member companies to compare and understand their relative environmental performance and look for ways to continuously improve. Well done to the finalists of our awards and I look forward to announcing the winners on the 6^th of November.”

Creating a network of coatings industry ambassadors to engage with schools and universities

The British Coatings Federation has partnered with the Surface Coatings Group of the Royal Society of Chemistry (rsc.li/surfacecoatings) and PRA (https://www.pra-world.com/) to create a national network of ambassadors for the coatings industry, with the training delivered by Cogent Skills.

Our goal is to equip Coatings Ambassadors with the skills and materials to run sessions at schools and universities, to explain the contribution the industry makes to the economy and society, as well as the varied roles and opportunities within it.

Following two successful events at the end of 2019, July saw the first virtual Coatings Ambassador training, with a diverse group of attendees from AkzoNobel, BASF, Dacrylate, Imerys, Manchester University and Venator and had an international flavour with delegates joining from Brazil and the USA.

Through our ambassador programme and the Coatings Careers Hub, our online forum with vacancies and career resources, we are hopeful that we can encourage the next generation to see the world of opportunities in our industry.

We would like to thank both the companies and individuals who took part and who are now part of an important and growing network. Whilst there is currently a shortage of skilled staff and an ageing workforce, we hope that the Coatings Ambassador programme will help make a real difference.

For more information about the programme, and future training dates, visit https://coatingscareershub.com/ambassadors/

Frequently Asked Questions of the KKDIK Regulation (Turkey REACH)

With the pre-registration deadline for KKDIK quickly approaching on the 31st of December 2020, we at CIRS are busy monitoring the latest updates and preparing you to fulfil all the necessary obligations. Completion of the pre-registration obligation provides you with a grace period for registration until the end of 2023 after which all chemical substances manufactured/imported to Turkey in one ton/year must be fully registered.

To make this process easier for you, we have gathered all the most frequently asked questions from our practical experience to-date with the KKDIK regulation.

If pre-registration is completed within C&L notification, then why should a foreign enterprise do the pre-registration themselves and not through a TR-importer?

If a TR-importer does C&L notification, they select the role of ‘importer’. The pre-registration will also have been completed under an importer. This may result in the following scenarios (a) higher cost for registration (b) the TR-importer may not do the registration and choose a supplier which has registered their substance with an OR (c) If the TR-importer does the registration, then they can buy the substance from any supplier they want as they will have the registration number. The result is an overall loss of commercial power in Turkey

How is the pre-registration/registration of a polymer processed according to the KKDIK regulation?

Article 4 (hh) of KKDIK: Polymer means a substance consisting of molecules characterised by the sequence of one or more types of monomer units, distributed over a range of molecular weights wherein differences in the molecular weight are primarily attributable to differences in the number of monomer units and comprising of the following:

1) A simple weight majority of molecules containing at least three monomer units which are covalently bound to at least one other monomer unit or other reactant; and

2) Less than a simple weight majority of molecules of the same molecular weight

According to the KKDIK regulation, polymers are themselves exempt from registration. In the same way as EU REACH, it is the monomer unit and any other substances which are present in 1 ton/year or greater which require pre-registration/registration.

For C&L notification of chemicals delivered in mixtures, does each individual substance require notification?

The way a mixture is classified is if the mixture contains a substance which is classified as hazardous and it is above the appropriate concentration limit (varies depending on the substance in question), then the mixture is classified as hazardous. If a mixture meets hazardous criteria, then C&L notification is required. Classification is the same as EU REACH.

Is it possible to transfer completed pre-registrations?

Currently, the online platform for submitting pre-registration/registration dossiers is updating. This is the KKS tool (IUCLID and REACH-IT hybrid). This may take some time to complete. The OR transfer function will be available after the update is complete.

According to KKDIK, all substances manufactured/imported into Turkey in 1 ton/year should be pre-registered. If my substance is less than 1 ton/year can it still be pre-registered?

Yes, it is still possible to pre-register substances which are less than 1 ton/year. This will also cover future business if annual tonnages rise to the 1 ton/year mark or above in the period of three years. If pre-registration is not completed before Dec. 31^st 2020 and tonnages rise above the 1 ton/year threshold, then full registration will be required which will be far costlier.

Is there a system of reporting dispatches into Turkey after pre-registration is completed?

Currently, there is not such a system in place for reporting dispatches

When dealing with a mixture, if a raw material is pre-registered under the supplier, can the pre-registration be used by the formulator of the mixture?

This is the decision of the supplier who obtained the pre-registration number and whether he grants access to the formulator to use the pre-registration number.

Who may register in the case of a multinational company/group companies?

This depends on whether each company within the same parent company are defined as ‘registrant’ according to Article 4(ü) of the KKDIK regulation. If multiple companies are under the same legal entity, then just one company needs to act as the registrant. In the case of a separate legal entity, such as a sister company, they should also register.

How are alloys registered?

According to the KKDIK regulation, alloys are treated in the same way as mixtures. Therefore, each individual substance i.e. each metallic substance must be registered individually.

If the tonnage band is expected to increase in the future, can the higher tonnage band be registered under instead?

Companies may register under higher tonnage bands if they expect their annual tonnage to increase. The higher registration fee must also be paid. Furthermore, the registration dossier must include all the required information for the higher tonnage band as data requirements differ between tonnage bands.

If a company is importing a mixture to Turkey, how can they find out if the individual components have already been registered in Turkey by the supplier, if the supplier is refuses to share the information?

The options are to (a) Contact the formulator where the supplier is not the same entity as the formulator. The formulator may be more willing to share the composition information. (b) Take analytical measurements to determine the composition of the mixture or (c) Find an alternative supplier of the same substance who is willing to share the information

Our substance only has a CAS No. and no EC No. is available, can we process pre-registration only with CAS No.?

Yes, there is no problem to process pre-registration without EC No.

We are a distributor located outside Turkey, can we appoint an OR and process pre-registration?

No. It’s same as EU REACH. Only foreign manufacturers can appoint an OR and process pre-registration.

Is there a definition of “new chemical” in the KKDIK regulation?

No. The regulation is only about the substance. There is no specific definition of Existing Chemical and New Chemical. CIRS suggests companies to process pre-registration of all their substances.

If the manufacturer completes the pre-registration, can the local importer take C&L notification with this pre-registration No.?

No, if the importer processes C&L Notification, they have to firstly complete pre-registration by themselves.

Our product contains a raw material which has not been reacted. The tonnage of this raw material is more than 1 ton/year. Are we still required to process pre-registration of this raw material?

It’s similar as EU REACH. If the raw material is not residual on purpose, it can be regarded as an impurity and pre-registration will not be required.

We are a Turkish legal entity which owns several factories in different sites, how shall we process the pre-registration?

According to KKDIK regulation, registrant shall be the natural or legal person in Turkey. If the company has one individual legal entity which own different factories, and the factories have no individual legal entity, only one pre-registration is enough, and all factories will be covered.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Julie Harrington, Regulatory Affairs Consultant

julie@cirs-reach.com

+353 0 87 197 2618

https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-harrington-14270a160/

Metal Recycles Forever

80% of all metal ever produced is still in circulation today.

Recycling and sustainability

The UK metal packaging industry, along with its European counterparts, spearheads the continual drive to not only produce the most material efficient metal packaging possible, but also to provide packaging that offers other significant benefits such as significantly reducing food waste and producing paint cans that are still fully recyclable despite contamination from paint.

The industry’s recycling infrastructure, developed over many decades, has resulted in a UK recycling rate for steel packaging of 71 per cent and aluminium (primarily beverage cans) of 76 per cent.

The sector’s target of a 100 per cent recycling rate for metal is a real possibility thanks to metal’s easy separation from the waste stream, either by consumers at home or by magnetic extraction and eddy currents further down the line. And it’s a fact that all metal collected for recycling, is recycled and is reused.

Metal is officially recognised as a permanently available material (British Standard 8905) – a material whose inherent properties are not changed by repeatedly being recycling into new products. Metal can be recycled an infinite number of times with no loss of quality, and it’s estimated that 80 per cent of all metal ever produced is still in circulation today.

Metal’s sustainability credentials are captured in just three words: Metal Recycles Forever.

“Metal can be recycled again and again with no loss of quality, and when it is recycled it saves significant amounts of primary raw materials, energy and CO₂. Once primary ore is converted into metal, as long as we look after it, we will have it forever. This infinite recyclability is key to reducing the pressure on the world’s natural resources and why recycling metal is so important. Our vision is for a 100 percent metal packaging recycling rate,” said Robert Fell, Director and CEO, MPMA.

New Datacolor® Paint and Coatings Industry Guide

Many industries need to accurately measure, communicate and consistently reproduce colours. Effective colour management is important to business success for a number of reasons:

Colour consistency is associated with high quality
Colour can improve the safety and usability of products and environments
Colour problems can create unnecessary production expenses and delays
Colour management can help reduce environmental impact

In the new Datacolor® industry guide, the reader will find all they need to know about colour management and challenges in getting colour right. This free guide can be useful for anyone who works with colour. Get your guide now at https://bit.ly/34bpZwE

OCCA Weekly Webinars

Launch of Autumn Series

Following on from the success of our hugely popular Summer Series, we are thrilled to have launched our ‘Autumn Series’ of 10 more Weekly Webinars, which will run from 7th October – 9th December. The launch was designed to coincide with the UK’s official Learning at Work Week, organised by Campaign for Learning. This is a unique annual event to build learning cultures at work. It aims to put a spotlight on the importance and benefits of continual learning and development.

Learning at Work Week 2020 was scheduled to take place at its normal time 18th to 24th May. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Campaign for Learning ran ‘On Air – Online’ Learning at Work Week during these dates, which coincided with the launch of our Summer Series. The main Learning at Work Week dates subsequently changed to 5th – 11th October 2020, and hence our Autumn Series Webinar 1 will be broadcast during the new official “Learning at Work Week’. Webinar 3 in this second series will be broadcast as part of the “Virtual Surfex” week.

We continue to use the OCCA Weekly Webinars platform as a catalyst for change, to provide an opportunity for OCCA to engage more directly with members and industry associates; to enable our industry partners & Corporate Sponsors to share their business and product developments; and to encourage participation from a broader audience. Our Summer Series attracted over 940 registrations from participants around the world, many of whom attended several of the weekly sessions. Other members chose to access the webinars via the Members’ Area of our OCCA website, either downloading pdf copies of presentations or watching the video recordings at a time to suit themselves.

Our autumn line up will not disappoint. It is offered free of charge for members, Corporate Sponsors and students from our recognised Educational partners. Non-members have the unique chance to participate in any of the Autumn Series sessions, in the hope that they might be encouraged to sign up for membership of the Association in the longer term. Notedly, non-members are not restricted in the number of sessions they can attend. Indeed, presenting companies are encouraged to invite their own customers and industry contacts to participate, in order to provide the best possible platform for their subject matter and a wider audience for OCCA.

Broadcast live every Wednesday afternoon at 2.30pm BST, using Zoom as the hosting platform, each weekly session comprises a brief introduction to OCCA, a 30-40 minute presentation by the host company and a live Q&A session with panellists at the end of each presentation. If you wish to find out more about getting involved in one of the future sessions, please contact Ann-Marie Etherington – admin@occa.org.uk, for more details.

Webinar 1, Wednesday 7th October 2020
Joanne Mitchell
Global Product Manager for Metallics

The COMPAL range of aluminium pigments for water-based coatings and powder coatings

“COMPAL aluminium is a highly concentrated pigment in a pellet form. This alternative delivery form allows safer shipping, storage and handling compared with typical aluminium pigments in powder and paste forms.

With developments in technology, COMPAL can now be utilised in a wider range of applications such as waterborne coatings and powder coatings. The presentation will cover the COMPAL product range, suitable applications and guidelines for incorporating COMPAL.”

Webinar 2, Wednesday 14th October 2020
Peter Collins
Director

Anti-viral coatings

“In this presentation I will briefly look at the nature of the SARS-COV-2 (Covid-19) virus and consider modes of transmission, before looking at how we might counter its effects and considering what role surface coatings and treatments might play in this. The presentation will consider the potential effectiveness of existing coating products and the obstacles facing new antiviral coating development and application, including testing efficacy, assessment of product safety and toxicology, and the need for registration under the Biocidal Products Regulations (BPR). Mention will also be made of application-related issues such as the ease of application of antiviral coatings, turnaround times for the location to be returned to operation and cost effectiveness of any coating solution.”

Webinar 3, Wednesday 21st October 2020
Ron van der Leeuw
Industry Manager Thermosets – EMEA

Where Art Meets Technology

“Chromaflo is the market leader for tinting systems for the decorative and industrial coatings industry. Tinting systems are nowadays state of the art in almost every DIY shop. There is a growing interest for implementing tinting systems in adjacent markets such as flooring. Based on a case study, this paper describes and explains the approach of a fully integrated tinting system. What is a tinting system, how can it help reducing the colorant inventory and how can blended color on demand be created?”
Questions on how to select the right pigments, colorant technologies and required specifications will be answered.

Webinar 4, Wednesday 28th October 2020
Dr Trevor S B Sayer
Senior Managing Consultant

Acrobatics with Achromatic colours

“This presentation will highlight the continued importance and popularity of the achromatic colour space, especially white. What is the consumer demanding from this colour space, both in technical function as well as colour for the future? How does this reflect on pigment choices and formulation demands going forward?

“Stylists and designers are dreaming up new ways to capitalise and inspire consumers using the emotions and dynamics of colour preference. Results of a scientific approach to understanding the complex link between object and colour association will be demonstrated using applied ecological valence theory, with the goal of creating tools which will help to truncate and optimise prediction of colour choices, reducing cycle time and cost across a range of markets.”

Webinar 5, Wednesday 4th November 2020
Dr Anita Barni
Global Business Development Manager

Solutions for textile finishing in a sustainable and circular economy

“The vision of a sustainable economy is rapidly advancing. Companies are proactively searching for alternative raw materials and production processes for the development of new materials that can have a lower toxicological and environmental impact. Textile finishing will probably remain an industrial prerogative and, in the future, process safety will be granted in all stages: raw material selection, chemical synthesis and reuse/ recycle of all the article at the end of life. Virtuous examples of new sustainable technologies are already available in the field of polymer production for textile finishing in order to eliminate organic solvents, avoid/ limit the use of toxic substances in all steps of production, produce biodegradable articles & reduce carbon footprint. This webinar will pay particular attention to new bi-component polyurethane systems for in situ, water-based biodegradable polymer dispersions for coating, laminating and padding, and high performance low eco-toxicological impact polymer dispersions.”

Webinar 6, Wednesday 11th November 2020
Colin Wakeford
Team Leader Applications Engineering North Europe

Cost effective quality control for effect colours

“The MA5QC multi-angle spectrophotometer, launched in October 2019, is a compact, cost-effective,
production-oriented, easy-to-use instrument. “Based on the advanced LED technology, which was introduced with the X-Rite MA T6 and T12 devices in 2017, this five-angle instrument (15°, 25°, 45°, 75° and 110° angles that comply with international automotive standards) has a 12mm measurement spot and provides reflectance data at 10nm intervals. The LED lamp technology provides long life, stability and up to 2,000 measurements per charge. Internal calibration negates the need for daily calibration to an external standard. It can either be used stand-alone to give precise fast colorimetric pass/fail results via its easy-to-use touch screen menus or used in combination with X-Rite’s EFXQC software to provide custom workflows and more detailed Pass/Fail information.

“The EFX-QC software is a cloud-based software solution with a clear, easy-to-follow workflow, allowing for simple measurement, communication, and testing of colour across supply chains.”

Webinar 7, Wednesday 18th November 2020
Professor Long Lin
Professor of Colour Chemistry

Leeds University Showcase

“Established in 1879, the Colour Chemistry department is the world-leading institute for applied research and teaching of colour, colourants and surface-coating sciences, substantiated by having hosted Prof Arthur Perkin FRS (son of Sir William Perkin FRS – the inventor of man-made dye) and Prof Ian Rattee OBE (the inventor of reactive dye), an outstanding track record of successful industrial R&D collaborations, created many ground-breaking technologies and the very successful, unique MSc Polymers, Colourants and Fine Chemicals programme.”

“The session will showcase all aspects of Advanced Colour and Polymer Science at Leeds, the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships scheme and opportunities for external facing student educations.”

Webinar 8, Wednesday 25th November 2020
Javier Morcillo-Ruiz
Technical Director: Sr Pigment Expert for Automotives

eXpand range of Pigments for Automotives

“With improved colour depth and stabilised up to the level of primary particle size the stir-in slurries eXpand!® Red EH 3427 and eXpand!® Blue EH 6001 have revolutionised the production of waterborne coatings. The pioneering eXpand!® technology enables enhanced colour depth, flop and sparkle. Fully compatible with modern automotive coating systems, these advanced pigments combine high transparency with a high tinting strength for unique, more intensive shades with lower scattering. Marketed under the Colors & Effects brand the pioneering stir-in technology results from a strategic partnership between BASF and Landa Labs.”

“With the latest development of the powder pigment eXpand! ® Red EH 3530, the first universal grade is now available, enabling the intense shades in various coating systems. Developed for modern automotive coating systems in order to fulfill the high requirements of these market. The eXpand!® technology makes the small stabilised particles easy to incorporate, which significantly reduces cost and time spent in production processing.”

Webinar 9, Wednesday 2nd December 2020
Tom Beyersdorff
Technical Marketing Manager

Thiocure® – Polythiol curing agents for Coatings

“Thiocure® products are a class of specialised curing agents that improve adhesion, chemical and UV
resistance as well as shine in a coating. Thiocure® products can be widely combined with commercially available resins such as epoxies, isocyanates, acrylics or polysulfides.”

“In this webinar, we will provide an introduction to our Thiocure® technology with a focus on epoxy- and
isocyanate-based formulations. We will discuss the benefits of Thiocure® curing agents and their influence on the properties of the cured products.”

“This webinar is intended for those who are seeking novel solutions for their formulations!”

Webinar 10, Wednesday 9th December 2020
André Bendo
Technical Industry Manager

Paliocrom® Effect Pigments – Exceptional Color & Performance

“In the pigment world, breakthrough developments trigger a market-wise shift in formulation strategy and unlock a next generation of colours and stylings. There is no better example for this than with BASF Colors & Effects’ Paliocrom® effect pigments. For over twenty-five years, the Paliocrom® series has driven novel styling development by leveraging chroma, brilliance and hiding – all in one pigment. Spanning across the gold to red colour space, the iron oxide-coated aluminiums portfolio has expanded to provide solutions for designer’s and end customer’s styling needs. While originally developed for Automotive, usage has accelerated into Liquid Industrial and Coil Coating applications. Colour positioning and technical performance will be covered in this session as well as a discussion on target applications and guidance on product selection.”

Preparing for Brexit: How Irish and UK Companies Remain Compliant with EU Chemical Regulations

An Introduction to Brexit and EU REACH

On the 1^st of January 2021 the Brexit transition period will come to an end and the UK will no longer be a member of the EU. This will directly impact many UK companies and indirectly affect many Irish companies that depend on their UK supplier in terms of the EU REACH regulations. According to REACH any substance on its own, in a mixture or article being placed on the market in greater than one tonne per year must be registered with the ECHA. The regulations also state that one registration for a substance covers that substance for the entire supply chain, meaning that any business who purchases a substance from a supplier and that supplier has already carried out the registration for that substance, would not be required to register that substance again, within the same supply chain. So, what will this change in status for the UK mean in terms of EU REACH?

Remaining Compliant: Registration

As previously mentioned, many UK companies hold an EU REACH registration for their substances. At the end of the Brexit transition period on January 1^st, 2021, all EU REACH registrations held by UK companies will become invalid as the UK will no longer be a member of the EU. In this webinar we will explore the options available to UK base companies to maintain their access to the EU market. We will also look at the options available to Irish companies to ensure they remain compliant without directly depending on the decisions of their UK supplier.

Remaining Compliant: CLP Obligations

Not only will Brexit affect the registrations held by UK companies but there will also be changes to the CLP obligations of many companies. Any Irish company buying from the UK will become the importer of that substance and as such acquiesce the CLP responsibilities. Therefore, the Irish company as the importer will be required to carry out the duties in relation to CLP, in this webinar we will discuss these obligations and how UK and Irish companies may work together to remain compliant with CLP.

Join Us

CIRS are happy to announce our webinar “Preparing for Brexit: How Irish and UK Companies can Remain Compliant with EU REACH” which will aim to provide you with the most up to date information and strategies so that UK and Irish companies can remain compliant with EU REACH after Brexit. We will cover the topics mentioned above as well as answering some of the most pressing questions you have. Please join us for this free webinar by registering here, we look forward to seeing you there.

Webinar Details

Date 1^st of December 2020

Time: 14:00 (GMT)

Webinar Content

How things will Change after Brexit.
What UK companies can do to maintain compliance
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Q&A

Dean Winder

Regulatory Consultant in CIRS Europe

Mr. Dean Winder is a member of our European office based in Dublin, Ireland. He received his BSc. in Pharmaceutical Science and is currently finishing his MSc. in Organic Chemistry in the Technological University of Dublin. He combines his knowledge of the chemical industry and his research experience to provide regulatory consultancy services, specialising in the industrial chemical sector.

Rise of the Autonomous Flying Robot

Robotic inspection and measurement systems have great potential for performing tasks safely, better, and faster than humans. Of specific interest in drydocks are aerial robotic systems for contact-based measurements and inspections as they are, quick, agile, versatile, and safer than putting workers at risk due to the height of installations.

The robotic measurement technologies with the highest potential for use in drydocks are the ones that fly and physically make contact with a surface, such as the hull of a ship, to gather data. Maritime assets are not box-shaped structures. Ships for example, are complex geometries that are optimised to reduce drag co efficiencies. These ‘flowing lines’ make robotic maintenance, inspection and measurement, challenging. However, one of the great advantages of aerial robotics is that they can adapt – they can easily conform to non-linear surfaces, while other robotic, or other techniques, have a long adaptation curve.

Why it’s time to embrace digital colour masters

A combination of digital standards and industry-leading instruments enables businesses to reduce costs and wastage across the entire supply chain by getting the colour of every component right first time.

Investment in R&D excellence from quality control instrument specialist BYK-Gardner enables companies across the globe to achieve consistent measurement and control of important characteristics such as colour. And not just colour. BYK-Gardner instruments measure many other characteristics such as gloss, orange peel, multi-angled colour, sparkle, graininess, colour fastness, cloudiness, transparency, clarity and haziness.

This is achieved through industry-leading LED illuminated instruments with optimal inter-instrument agreement and enables true full digital masters to be introduced for all these characteristics. The digital masters can easily be distributed through the supply chain making a digital approval process possible at every stage, in every location from beginning to end.

Guarantee repeatable product quality across time and space
Digital masters include spectral data and client requirements, while also allowing automatic colour identification where appropriate. Measurement tolerances and an instant pass/fail can be included on both hand-held and robotic installations. The result is self-approval throughout the supply chain and improved harmony between products to guarantee a high right-first-time rate.

Working with major manufacturers across many industries, the benefits from reductions in waste and delay as well as improvements in communication of measurement data, to productivity, quality and sustainability deliver a complete return on investment – the instruments can pay for themselves!
Digital masters can be sent by e-mail as an xml file to locations anywhere in the world. They have applications within industries including automotive, coatings, plastics, printing inks leather and even wine.

Blagden distributes BYK-Gardner instruments to companies across the United Kingdom. To find out how your business can benefit from the use of these instruments in combination with digital masters, call Simon Moss at Blagden on 01959 560818 or email.

Please note: Information provided here is given in good faith and without liability. It is intended for guidance only. Users are advised to conduct their own independent examination of the product to ascertain its suitability for incorporation into processes or products. Users should ensure that the use of the product complies with all pertinent current legislation. We guarantee to supply to specification, not performance.