OMNOVA Solutions Recognizes Employee Innovations with 2015 Technology Awards

BEACHWOOD, Ohio, Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- OMNOVA Solutions (NYSE: OMN) announced its 2015 Technology Award recipients. This annual award program recognizes exemplary technological contributions by associates in OMNOVA's research and development, sales and marketing, technical service, operations and LEAN SixSigma organizations.

These innovations in product development and process improvement will positively impact customers in many of OMNOVA's served markets including performance chemicals for specialty applications, as well as laminates for retail displays and coated fabrics for healthcare furniture. In addition, other innovations represent process improvements that support better service to customers and less impact on the environment. These technical innovations truly demonstrate how OMNOVA Solutions is "The Science in Better Brands."

Recipients hail from across OMNOVA's global operations, including facilities in Akron, Ohio; Beachwood, Ohio; Mogadore, Ohio; Calhoun, Georgia; Auburn, Pennsylvania; Monroe, North Carolina; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Chester, South Carolina; Columbus, Mississippi; Villejust, France; Le Havre, France; Ningbo, China and Minhang, China.

"As a global, customer-centric Company, we are continually taking actions that will enhance the value we deliver to our markets and customers and lead to profitable growth for OMNOVA," said Kevin McMullen, OMNOVA Solutions' Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

"The foundation of these efforts is the enhancement of our existing competencies, as well as the development of new, sustainable products and processes that position our customers and our Company for the future. These innovation teams have clearly demonstrated their commitment to our core values and have strengthened our diverse technology base.

"We are working hard to continually enhance our ability to identify new opportunities in our existing and adjacent markets to leverage OMNOVA technology to provide unique value added solutions for meeting unmet customer needs. These and other ongoing innovation efforts position us to further meet the needs of the markets we serve, profitably grow and become a more valuable supplier to our customers, while reaffirming our commitment as a responsible member of the communities in which we operate," McMullen said.

Innovation titles, summaries and recipients are as follows:

1.    Soft-Cast Upholstery with PreFixx® Finish for Contract Upholstery

Category: Product Innovation

• Lisa Li – Minhang, China
• Burt Bao – Minhang, China
• John Zhao – Minhang, China
• Jay Chen – Minhang, China
• Ronnie Bell – Columbus, MS
• Ryan Schwarb – Akron, OH (Global Technology Center)
• Stephanie Steere – Akron, OH (Global Technology Center)

The group developed a new range of soft-cast PVC coated fabrics with a very soft hand similar to polyurethane upholstery. It serves as a real leather alternative, with OMNOVA's industry leading PreFixx^® protective finish for long-lasting durability.

2.    50 VOC Coating Polymer Platform

Category: Product Innovation

• Terri John – Akron, OH (Global Technology Center)
• Ray Weinert – Akron, OH (Global Technology Center)
• Rich Flecksteiner – Akron, OH (Global Technology Center)
• Katie Lawhorn – Akron, OH (Global Technology Center)
• Sue Stetzik– Mogadore, OH (Pilot Plant)

The below 50 g/l (grams per liter) VOC coating polymer platform is a building block for environmentally preferred coatings with performance equal to or better than their higher VOC (volatile organic compounds) counterparts. Using knowledge gained during the development of this latex, OMNOVA has expanded the platform to include self-crosslinking latexes for low and zero VOC coatings for key markets including masonry, DTM (direct-to-metal), wood and garage floors.

3.      Aesthetic Enhancements for Rigid Laminates

Category: Product Innovation

• Mike Easterling – Auburn, PA
• Drew Schaeffer – Auburn, PA
• Jane Suchla – Monroe, NC
• Bill Hartman – Beachwood, OH

The aesthetic enhancements platform enables OMNOVA to serve the market with thermofoil laminates that feature more realistic textured looks, including matte finishes, woodgrains and stones that compete with solid surface offerings.

4.      Greener and Higher Productivity Binders for Nonwovens

Category: Product Innovation

• Joy Untch – Akron, OH (Global Technology Center)
• Pam Kendall – Akron, OH (Global Technology Center)
• Johnny Martin – Chester, SC
• Sue Stetzik – Mogadore, OH (Pilot Plant)
• Liz Starc – Mogadore, OH

A customer in Brazil needed a polymeric binder for a nonwoven application that would deliver the same performance but could be applied with improved industrial hygiene and reduced potential release of odors to a nearby residential neighborhood. The OMNOVA team developed a product containing lower VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that also allowed the customer's line speeds to increase. This innovation has broader applicability into other binder applications.

5.      Pliotec® HDT12 Latex for Direct-to-Metal Paints

Category: Product Innovation

• Catherine Agie – Villejust, France
• Christophe Baude - Villejust, France
• Bill Brown – Mogadore, OH (Pilot Plant)
• Sophie Drillieres, Ph.D.- Villejust, France
• Jean-Luc Garrigou – Le Havre, France
• Lydie Merlet - Villejust, France
• Anne-Gaelle Robert – Le Havre, France
• Jean-Marie Schmuck - Villejust, France
• Maurille Secher - Villejust, France

Pliotec® HDT12 is a unique polymer used in specialty coatings, providing excellent adhesion to ferrous and non-ferrous metals and best-in-class corrosion resistance. It is an environmentally preferred low VOC, water-based product, while having equivalent performance to solvent-based products.

6.      Latex Manufacturing Optimization in Caojing, China

Category: Business Impact

• Glen Pellett, P.E. (retired) – Chester, SC
• John Luo – Ningbo, China

OMNOVA's styrene butadiene latex process in China incorporated technology gained from the experience of U.S.-based OMNOVA facilities such as Mogadore, Ohio, Green Bay, Wisconsin and Chester, South Carolina. These advancements included optimization of the reactor design to allow for better energy management and process consistency, resulting in operational efficiencies and the ability to provide locally produced, low VOC products to the Chinese markets.  

7.      High Wet Strength Binders for Carpet

Category: Product Innovation

• Bill Verhasselt – Green Bay, WI
• Kristie Crocker – Green Bay, WI
• Pam Arndorfer – Green Bay, WI
• Chris Wilkey – Calhoun, GA
• Mike Stephenson – Calhoun, GA
• Jeff Baker – Calhoun, GA
• Diego Montoya – Mogadore, OH
• Mitch Shipman – Mogadore, OH (Pilot Plant)
• Yongsin Kim – Akron, OH (Global Technology Center)
• Jim Vaughn, Ph.D. – Beachwood, OH

The team developed and commercialized multiple variations of a new product technology with performance that meets a market need for improved wet strength in the backing of broadloom and print-base carpet. By challenging conventional thinking, the team designed these polymers to deliver strength that surpasses the performance of the competitors, yet is more flexible, which allows easier installation of the carpet. These new products also allow customers to reduce formulation ingredients and increase filler loads, delivering significant cost savings.

About OMNOVA Solutions

OMNOVA Solutions Inc. is a global innovator of performance-enhancing chemistries and surfaces used in products for a variety of commercial, industrial and residential applications. As a strategic business-to-business supplier, OMNOVA provides The Science in Better Brands, with emulsion polymers, specialty chemicals, and functional and decorative surfaces that deliver critical performance attributes to top brand-name, end-use products sold around the world. OMNOVA's sales for the last twelve months ended May 31, 2016 were $788 million. The Company has a global workforce of approximately 1,950. Visit OMNOVA Solutions on the internet at www.omnova.com.

PLIOTEC and PREFIXX are registered trademarks of OMNOVA Solutions.

SOURCE OMNOVA Solutions

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