2000s
If you want to be successful worldwide, you have to know and comply with the laws and guidelines in a wide variety of regions and countries. When the EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation came into force on 1 June 2007 as the central European chemicals regulation, the topic had long been on BYK's agenda. Long before the new regulation was adopted, BYK employees took part in simulation games and congresses on REACH. As experts, they pass on their specialist knowledge to customers in seminars.
As numerous other countries enact regulations based on the REACH model in the coming years, regulatory issues will become increasingly important. The Chemicals Law Department, with a handful of employees, will become the Regulatory Affairs department, which currently has 35 employees – a diverse team with many nationalities and languages.
In the Regulatory Affairs department, you need chemical expertise in the products, a high affinity for IT and a willingness to read up on laws and regulations. BYK answers up to 800 inquiries per month. With its local specialists, BYK supports customers worldwide with extensive regulatory compliance expertise and thus ensures product safety and a competitive edge internationally for its customers.
The BYK portfolio is growing: Among the innovations is DISPERBYK-2000. Based on the group transfer polymerization technology, first applied in additive production, BYK developed the wetting and dispersing additive DISPERBYK-2000 in 1999. It stabilizes organic pigments and carbon blacks in solvent-based basecoats significantly better than previous additives – and thus becomes the standard product in the manufacture of automotive paints in the 2000s.
Or the example of VOC-free defoamers: Because many additives evaporate solvent residues, the research department is looking for ways to separate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) primarily from additives that are used for indoor use – with success. At the beginning of the 2000s, the defoamers BYK-022, BYK-023, BYK-024 and BYK-028 are the first to be converted to VOC-free quality.
A highlight in terms of sustainability is BYK-C 8000: Launched on the market in 2007, the adhesion promoter improves the mechanical strength of radically curing systems – and thus extends the service life of everyday products such as kitchen worktops, sinks and drainage channels. By 2011, BYK-C 8000 will have saved more than 4,000 tons of raw materials.
