Industry News & Announcements

>>U.S. Court Awards $7.4 Million Verdict to Cellchem Against Yoke Subsidiary Shekoy Chemicals US, Inc. and Former Agents
Source: gupta-verlag.com
A Cobb County Superior Court recently awarded just under $7.4 million, including $5.1 million in punitive damages, to Cellchem International, LLC in its lawsuit against Shekoy Chemicals US, Inc. (the US subsidiary of Jiangsu Yoke Technology Co., Ltd. of Yixing City, China), Tritec International, Inc., Dale Lyman, and Helen Lyman. 

The 12-member jury found in favour of Cellchem, a 50/50 joint venture between Cellular Technology International, Inc. of Kennesaw, GA, USA, and ChemFoam International, Inc. of Duluth, GA, USA, on four counts: breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference, computer trespass, and computer theft.

The award of punitive damages required that the jury find by "clear and convincing evidence" a specific intent to harm Cellchem by Shekoy, Tritec and the Lymans. The jury also included an award of attorney’s fees, having found that the defendants acted in bad faith. Read more here.

>>Polyurethane Sustainability/Innovation to Headline UTECH North America
Source: utech-north-america.com  
Sustainability and innovation in the use of polyurethanes are set to headline at the UTECH North America trade show and conference (http://www.utech-north-america.com/) taking place June 4-5 at Charlotte Convention Center, North Carolina.

Mark Bassett, Global Vice President, Polyurethanes at The Dow Chemical Company USA will deliver the conference’s opening keynote with a paper entitled: <i>A World of Change, A World of Opportunity,</i> looking at shifting markets, energy dynamics, technology innovation, chemicals regulation and sustainability trends.

Places at the conference have sold out, but visitors can still register for free admittance to the trade show.

>>Better Buildings Neighborhood Initiative Upgrades 100,000 Buildings, Saves $730 Million on Energy Bills
Source: energy.gov
The Energy Department announced that the Department's Better Buildings Neighborhood Program has helped more than 40 state and local governments upgrade more than 100,000 buildings and save families and businesses over $730 million on utility bills. Supported by the Recovery Act, the Energy Department's Better Buildings Neighborhood Program worked with 41 competitively selected state and local governments and their partners to upgrade the energy efficiency of homes and local buildings and leverage early federal funds to launch sustainable community-based programs. 

>>Novomer Announces Commercial Launch of Converge PPC Polyols
Source: gupta-verlag.com
Novomer Inc. in Waltham, Mass., has announced the commercial introduction of Converge polypropylene carbonate (PPC) polyols for use in polyurethane formulations targeted at adhesives, coatings, sealants, elastomers, as well as rigid and flexible foams. The company’s initial product offerings – 1000 and 2000 molecular weight grades – are manufactured at a multi-thousand-tonne commercial-scale toll facility in Houston, Texas. Read more here.

>>Shaheen-Portman Bill (S. 2262) Derailed
Source: ase.org
Energy efficiency policy experienced a set-back as the Shaheen-Portman bill (S. 2262) was derailed before reaching a final vote on the Senate floor. It has been seven years since Congress has passed a major energy bill, and non-energy efficiency related pent-up political issues were blamed for contention over the legislation. 

In other words, the disagreements over Shaheen-Portman had nothing to do with the bill itself; everyone agrees about the merits of energy efficiency. After all, the House of Representatives recently passed energy efficiency bill H.R 2126 with overwhelming bi-partisan support, and the President announced last week that the Administration would provide $2 billion in additional funding for energy efficiency performance contracts.
 
Read more here and here. 
 
>>Update from the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America
Source: energy.gov
Topics addressed in the current newsletter include: 
-A Top Innovation Spotlight on the Building America Solution and new checklist and mobile app features 
-Winners of the DOE "Race to Zero" Student Design Competition 
-Applications now being accepted for the 2014 Housing Innovation Awards 
-Residential building success stories from the Pacific Northwest 
-Upcoming DOE Challenge Home technical trainings on Building Energy Optimization Tool (BEopt), Housing Innovation Awards, and Low Load HVAC 
-The latest publications from Building America: measure guidelines, case studies for new and existing homes and technologies.
 
Click here to access the newsletter. 
 
>>Spray Foam Coalition Comments on California "Priority Products List" Workshop
Source: americanchemistry.com
The California Department of Toxic Substances Control’s (DTSC) Safer Consumer Products Program held a public workshop May 28 in Oakland to gather input on the initial Priority Products list before the official rulemaking process began.The Spray Foam Coalition, a self-funded group of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), released the following statement after the workshop.
  

>>SPFA Sponsors U.S. DoE Student Competition --  Apply by June 30 for Next Year
Source: energy.gov
As part of its Building America Program, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invited college students across the United States to participate in the DOE Challenge Home Student Design Competition and become part of a leadership movement to achieve truly sustainable homes. There were 28 teams from across North America and more than 300 students participating. 

Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA) was a sponsor of this event.

From April 26-28 at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., the teams presented their designs and competition awards were announced in these categories: Grand Winners, Best Design Solution Integration, Best Technical Integration, Best Presentation and Best Production Home Integration.

The Grand Winners were:
>Montage Builders Northern Forest: State University of New York – Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse University, and Onondaga Community College - Best Single-Family Detached Design (project profile | presentation)
>Ryerson University’s Urban Harvest Team - Best Single-Family Attached Design (project profile | presentation)
 
For a complete list of winners, click here.
 
To be part of the next competition, be sure to fill out your applications! Applications for the second annual Housing Innovation Awards have just been posted. This distinction allows builders to transform their core message from ‘what you build’ to ‘why you build.’ And in the case of award-winning, zero energy ready homes, it’s all about delivering a superior living experience. But, you have to apply. And of course you must have at least one DOE Zero Energy Ready Home (formerly known as the DOE Challenge Home) certified by June 30, 2014. Which means it’s also time to make sure your HERS rater is submitting all certified homes to DOE.  
 
The 2014 Housing Innovation Awards ceremony will be held on September 23, 2014, at EEBA’s Excellence in Building Conference in St. Louis, MO.  

>>Free Monthly Webinars with U.S. Dept. of Energy Building America Program
Source: energy.org
U.S. Department of Energy Building America program to present monthly webinars that will offer information about the latest advances in residential building technologies and practices. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. 

June 5, noon--1:30 p.m. EDT
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) studies the impact of natural disasters on buildings at its research facility and uses the lessons learned as the basis of its voluntary FORTIFIED building programs. Learn how buildings and wind interact, and how FORTIFIED uses a holistic systems-based approach to improve the durability of residential properties.

This session will present resources from DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes to help builders more effectively communicate how their homes live better, work better, and last better. 

Part 1 of this series introduced the basic concepts of building and wind interactions and how the FORTIFIED building programs can reduce property damage and loss. In Part 2, IBHS will discuss the building systems that are most vulnerable and how getting the roof right can reduce as much as 50% of the $20 billion of insured property losses that homeowners experience each year in the United States.
 
>>Invista’s Latest Terrin Polyol Offering Completes TSCA Registration
Source: gupta-verlag.com
After introducing the Terrin polyols brand to the market in 2013, Invista recently manufactured the first commercial batch of Terrin 170 polyol at its facility in Wilmington, NC, USA, completing TSCA registration for the entire Terrin polyol family and placing it on the U.S. Chemical Inventory.Invista employee, Richard Beatty, poses with the first commercial shipment of Terrin 170 polyols in Wilmington, NC, USA. Beatty helped drive the development of the chemistry for Terrin polyols.

Invista says it continues its commitment to sustainability and the polyurethane industry by developing products with recycled and renewable content. According to the company, the Terrin product portfolio contains 100 % aliphatic polyester polyols that contain a minimum of 50 % recycled content – with some containing renewable content, as well. They can be used in lieu of or in combination with conventional polyether or polyester polyols to formulate a variety of polyurethane products. Terrin polyols are versatile materials that can be used in applications ranging from viscoelastic foam to spray coatings and adhesives to elastomeric resins. Read more here.