LANXESS Corporation’s Inorganic Pigments (IPG) business unit hosted its annual BAYFERROX Color Workshop in Pittsburgh, for the 27th consecutive year. Nearly two dozen professionals from concrete products manufacturers in North America participated in this intensive educational and laboratory training program.
The BAYFERROX Color Workshop is designed to help industry professionals learn how to better use iron oxide pigments to produce colored concrete products with greater efficiency and consistency. In just two-and-a-half-days, participants receive comprehensive classroom education led by LANXESS’ color experts, in conjunction with hands-on laboratory exercises at the IPG Technical Competence Center in Burgettstown, Pa. The exercises outline step-by-step procedures designed to explore safety, color theory, pigments and pigment loadings, techniques for matching existing colors and creating new ones, variables that can affect the final color of a concrete product, and the various types of pigment metering systems available in the marketplace. Participants also learn proper laboratory techniques to apply at their own manufacturing sites and receive recommendations for laboratory equipment. The workshop is open to all levels of experience from beginners to seasoned professionals. Many participants have found this training so useful that they will return year after year to continue developing the skills that they have learned through the workshop.
Edison Ordonez, Senior Manager Manufacturing Quality Control, said, “About six months ago, I began recruiting participants from our various sites to attend this workshop to gain a better understanding of the color spectrum of pigments.”
“I first attended LANXESS’ BAYFERROX Color Workshop in 2015. This workshop serves as a useful refresher, although I have found deeper insights on many of the concepts covered here the second time through,” said returning attendee, David Chadderton, Process Chemist.
“The BAYFERROX Color Workshop is a long-standing tradition that is evidence of our commitment to providing quality solutions for our customers and the industry we serve,” said Peter Baldus, Head of IPG Americas.
LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 9.7 billion in 2017 and about 19,200 employees in 25 countries. The company is currently represented at 74 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. Through ARLANXEO, the joint venture with Saudi Aramco, LANXESS is also a leading supplier of synthetic rubber. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe) and FTSE4Good.