Digital Media Kit
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 15, 2024
Orion highlights gas blacks and sustainable products for coatings at
2024 American Coatings Show + Conference
HOUSTON – At the 2024 American Coatings Show + Conference, Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC), a global specialty chemicals company, will showcase its suite of high-performance gas black pigments and their benefits to coatings manufacturers. Orion (Booth 1466) also will highlight three new sustainable carbon blacks for coatings plus its PRINTEX® kappa 50 conductive black. The 2024 American Coatings Show + Conference will take place April 30 – May 2 in Indianapolis.
“The gas black process produces a deep black with properties that are ideal for coatings and printing systems,” said Carlos Hernandez, marketing manager, coatings & printing systems, Americas at Orion, which is the only company with gas black capabilities. “The high structure and high purity of gas blacks lead to exceptional dispersibility compared to other carbon blacks of the same particle size.”
As examples, COLOUR BLACK FW 200, COLOUR BLACK FW 2, SPECIAL BLACK 4 and SPECIAL BLACK 6 feature excellent degrees of dispersion plus high purity. Their UV absorption mitigates weathering and their low pH makes the grades ideal for UV coatings systems.
“In addition,” Hernandez noted, “the gas blacks’ narrow particle size distribution speeds pigment development, and thus coatings production, while improving color performance.”
Circular carbon blacks for high jetness and tinting
Orion’s sustainability strategy is key to its product development. In fact, the company has organized it business around sustainable development and helping coatings manufacturers participate in the circular economy by producing sustainable materials.
“Our new circular grades, based on pyrolysis oil and renewable sources, meet the same application requirements as conventional specialty carbon blacks,” said Jennifer Stroh, PhD, Orion director of sales and marketing – Specialties Americas. “As a result, formulators can create more sustainable coatings with comparable application properties to regular specialty carbon blacks.”
XPB 10045, Orion’s first circular gas black for coatings systems, is designed for high-jetness applications and is compatible with all suitable coatings systems. XPB 10042 and XPB 10049 powders, Orion’s first circular furnace blacks, are designed for tinting applications. They offer the same advantages and application properties as the high-jet and tinting grades currently used in the specialty carbon black market.
Conductive and clean
PRINTEX kappa 50 powder meets or exceeds performance requirements for conductivity, dispersibility and cleanliness at lower concentrations than conventional conductive carbon blacks. Introduced in 2013 and previously designated XPB 545, PRINTEX kappa 50 achieves the percolation threshold with low carbon black loading and good coloristic properties.
Orion also offers its “Carbon Black Guide.” Featuring 34 of Orion’s most popular carbon blacks used globally for coatings, the “Carbon Black Guide” gives paint formulators a visual sense of the shades they can achieve with different grades. Color chips in the guide show the shades each grade imparts in three coatings types – solid, white blend and metallic blend – and detail relevant coloristic properties.
For more information about Orion’s specialty carbon blacks for coatings, including the high-performance gas blacks, contact Carlos Hernandez, marketing manager, coatings & printing systems, Americas at carlos.hernandez@orioncarbons.com.
To read Orion’s 2022 Sustainability Report and learn more about its sustainability performance and initiatives, visit Sustainability | Orion (orioncarbons.com) .
About Orion S.A.
Orion S.A. (NYSE: OEC) is a leading global supplier of carbon black, a solid form of carbon produced as powder or pellets. The material is made to customers’ exacting specifications for tires, coatings, ink, batteries, plastics and numerous other specialty, high-performance applications. Carbon black is used to tint, colorize, provide reinforcement, conduct electricity, increase durability and add UV protection. Orion has innovation centers on three continents and 15 plants worldwide, offering the most diverse variety of production processes in the industry. The company’s corporate lineage goes back more than 160 years to Germany, where it operates the world’s longest-running carbon black plant. Orion is a leading innovator, applying a deep understanding of customers’ needs to deliver sustainable solutions. For more information, please visit orioncarbons.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This document contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. You should not place
Photos
If you would like to use any of these images, please contact Orion for the files.
Team
Read Bio
BIOGRAPHY
Jennifer S. Stroh, Ph.D.
Director of Sales and Marketing – Specialties Americas
Orion S.A.
Jennifer S. Stroh, Ph.D., is director of sales and marketing – Specialties Americas at Orion S.A. She leads all marketing and sales activities for specialty carbon black throughout the Americas. She is also responsible for the overall direction and profitability of the business line.
Prior to assuming her current role in September 2021, Stroh was strategic marketing manager – Specialties Americas. She focused on business strategy, development, innovation and building relationships with customers aligned with Orion’s emphasis on mobility, economic development, connected consumers and climate change. Previously, she was global key account manager and marketing manager Coatings Americas, responsible for addressing customer needs, product pricing and monitoring market trends for specialty carbon black applications in the Americas.
Before joining Orion, Stroh served as technical service manager for TPC Group and global technical service leader at Sekisui Specialty Chemicals.
Stroh is a member of the American Chemical Society, Materials Research Society, National Textile Center, Fiber Society and the Center for Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry and doctorate in materials science and engineering at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C.
Read Bio
BIOGRAPHY
Carlos Hernandez
Marketing Manager, Coatings & Printing Systems Americas
Orion S.A.
Carlos Hernandez is marketing manager, Coatings & Printing Systems Americas for Orion S.A. In this new role, he is responsible for addressing customer needs, monitoring market trends and determining market strategies and product pricing for specialty carbon black applications in the Americas for coatings and printing systems.
Prior to his promotion, Hernandez was senior technical market manager for coatings in the Americas. He retains management responsibility for Orion’s technical service applications lab in New Jersey. As technical market manager, he developed new products and applications for customers and collaborated with them to resolve technical issues about formulation or dispersion as required.
Hernandez is a veteran of more than 30 years in the coatings industry, with expertise in color pigment dispersions for architectural, automotive, and industrial paints and coatings. Prior to joining Orion in 2017, he served 10 years as technical manager for coatings and additives for Elementis Specialties Inc., where he produced additives and color dispersions for automotive, marine, adhesive and sealant, architectural, industrial, furniture and UV applications.
Hernandez earned his bachelor and master of science degrees in chemical engineering from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia in Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia.
# # # #
Read Bio
BIOGRAPHY
Markus Mahn
Director Global Marketing Coatings
Specialty Carbon Black
Orion S.A.
Markus Mahn is director global marketing coatings, Specialty Carbon Black at Orion S.A. He focuses on the global strategic orientation of the coatings segment and considering new industry trends, pain points, challenges and demands. A key element of his responsibility — complementing his role in new market development and addressing evolving trends — is to initiate the development of products that best fit the coatings industry’s needs.
Based in Frankfurt, Germany, Mahn joined Orion in 2017 from Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, where he was global marketing manager Coatings and project leader. Prior to joining Merck, he was at Clariant in Frankfurt, first as application manager for new business development of functional coatings, and later promoted to global technical marketing manager for organic pigments in automotive coatings.
Mahn earned his M.Sc. in chemical engineering with specialization in colors and coatings at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, Esslingen, Germany.
# # # #
Literature
Contact
William Foreman
Director of Corporate Communications
and Government Affairs
Orion S.A.
Direct: +1 832-445-3305 • Mobile: +1 281-889-7833