Ashland has been marketing Maxguard premium gel-coats to Brazil since mid-2010. According to Rodrigo Oliveira, marketing and sales manager of Ashland, the decision to invest in local production was motivated by growth in the marine market, one of the main consumers of gel-coat.
“The demand from domestic boat builders has grown steadily," he says. "In parallel, some of the international boat builders we serve globally have opened manufacturing in Brazil.” (See Brunswick to build boats in Brazil.)
Available in around 900 colours, Maxguard gel-coat combines colour repeatability and low emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) (See Ashland introduces marine gel-coats). For example, Ashland says the Maxguard LE ('low emission') series emits 50% less VOC than conventional products. The gel-coats also exhibit resistance to weathering, hydrolysis, corrosion and abrasion.
Ashland says it is also having success in Brazil with its Pliogrip™ structural adhesives, used by boat builders and in other transportation applications, and its Envirez™ resin, which contains renewable resources and is being used in the automotive sector.
- Ashland will exhibit at the Feiplar composites trade show in São Paulo, Brazil, on 6-8 November.
