Day-Glo Color, the foremost producer of industrial pigments and colorants, leveraged its technical expertise and a brand name that ranks as a household word to introduce its first consumer product, Chalk-It spray-on chalk, in 2004. This unique product is non-toxic, and easily washes off surfaces. The development of the Chalk-It product resulted from Day-Glo employees’ intense marketplace focus, leadership in product innovation and eagerness to explore new growth areas.

SHOWING RESILIENCE

The flexibility to adapt to changing market conditions is a hallmark of RPM companies. Thus, when the industrial mar- ket for high-performance flooring weakened as customers cut back on capital spending, Stonhard created a resilient synthetic terrazzo flooring for commercial applications. Seamless, noise absorbing and less expensive than stone terrazzo, Stonblend RTZ is becoming a staple in locations such as supermarkets, airports and hospitals.

Bondo’s Truck Guard Ultra bedliner is a spray-applied polyurea pickup bedliner that new-truck dealerships can apply after sale, rather than referring the buyer to a spray-on franchise. The technology represents an advance over plastic bed- liners, which can trap water and build a static charge through friction with metal. The approach rewrites the script for the $500 million North American spray-on market by ensuring dealers a revenue and profit stream that they once had to forgo.

RAISING THE STANDARD

Drawing on its expertise and understanding of customer needs, Zinsser developed WaterTite basement paint to address professional painters’ concerns about mildew and adherence. By investing in product development and maintaining close relationships with customers, Zinsser brought to market a product that signifies a leap forward in performance, appearance and ease of application.

Continuing success with new product development is critical to achieving our long-term growth goals.