Surface news

The GDCh Conference on Paints and Coatings, held in Bremen from September 16 to 18, 2026, addressed current developments in the paint and coatings industry. The conference focused on technical presentations on coatings for various substrates, as well as new approaches to raw materials, additives,…

The Niedax Group is building a new electroplating facility at its largest production site in St. Katharinen. With this new facility, the company is relocating its previous site in Bonn and, at the same time, expanding its manufacturing capacity.

As of August 1, 2026, Bastian Siglreithmaier has taken over as head of the DOMOTEX, didacta, parts2clean, and SurfaceTechnology GERMANY division at Deutsche Messe. The project managers for the individual trade shows will remain in their current roles.

Andrew Chew of Edwards has been appointed visiting professor of physics at King’s College London. This appointment reflects the close collaboration between industry and academia in the field of vacuum research.

Noah Seiler was awarded a Medal for Excellence at WorldSkills 2026. As a German competitor in the automotive painting trade, he was among the top performers in his field.

The Sonnenwagen Aachen team finished the 2026 iLumen European Solar Challenge in Zolder in fifth and sixth place. Covestro supports the university team as its main sponsor and technology partner and supplies materials for the current Æthon solar car.

The SKZ is consolidating its expertise in safety-critical applications into a new business unit. Since July 1, 2026, Eugenie Schlesies has been coordinating the development of this unit and fostering collaboration with industry, research, and public institutions.

Eight months before the trade show begins, Ligna 2027 has attracted approximately 1,100 exhibitors across 100,000 square meters of occupied space. The main drivers of growth are the Ligna.Builds and Ligna.TruckStop formats, while the hall layout is being organized in a more compact manner.

BASF has confirmed that it is in exploratory talks with the RAG Foundation and Evonik Industries AG regarding a possible acquisition of Evonik. According to the company, the future course and outcome of the talks are currently uncertain.

The Central Association for Surface Technology held talks with the U.S. industry association NASF in Washington, D.C. The discussions focused on the current state of the electroplating and surface technology industries, as well as common challenges on both sides of the Atlantic.

On November 20, 2026, QUALICOAT will host its international conference in Munich. The focus will be on architectural projects featuring coated aluminum, technical and regulatory developments, sustainability, and quality assurance. The event also marks two anniversaries: 40 years of QUALICOAT and 30…

As of August 1, 2026, Bastian Siglreithmaier has taken over as head of the DOMOTEX, didacta, parts2clean, and SurfaceTechnology GERMANY division at Deutsche Messe. According to the company, the project management teams for the individual trade shows will remain unchanged.

Abdallah Dabaghi is taking on additional operational responsibilities at Bodo Möller Chemie for Egypt, the Middle East, and Nigeria. The company is thereby consolidating responsibilities in the MEA region and aims to expand its distribution business in specialty chemicals, adhesives and sealants,…

DECHEMA has named Dr. Klaus Schäfer an honorary member. The professional association is thereby recognizing his many years of dedication and his work to foster collaboration between science and industry. The award was presented during the celebrations marking DECHEMA’s 100th anniversary.

The SKZ continues to expand its international network and is receiving support from Japan. This expansion is intended to strengthen collaboration in research, development, and continuing education related to plastics.

Abstracts for the European Coatings Show Conference 2027 may be submitted until September 18, 2026. We are seeking unpublished research findings and technological developments in areas such as coating and paint technology, as well as digitalization.

The shutdown of Leuna Polyamid could cost an additional 30 million euros. Following the failed search for investors, the chemical plant in Leuna is being phased out. The closure will also affect the chemical site’s materials and energy network. Co-partner Leuna-Harze produces, among other things,…

Evonik plans to close two smaller sites in Hamburg and Bitterfeld in 2027 and consolidate operations there at larger German sites. The moves will affect the cosmetics and personal care products and chlorosilanes divisions. Customer supply will continue through the Essen and Rheinfelden sites.

Traxit Wire Lubrication will be integrated into Surtec's organizational structure effective January 1, 2027. With this move, the company is expanding its portfolio from metal pretreatment and parts cleaning to include lubricants and coatings for wire drawing and cold forming.

Covestro has opened a pilot plant in Leverkusen that chemically breaks down waste elastomers and recovers their building blocks for reuse. Technical elastomers are used in numerous high-wear and high-stress applications, including surface engineering.