GOLDEN Adds Product Development Engineer to Paintworks Division

Vaikunt Raghavan, Ph.D., recently joined Golden Artist Colors, Inc., in a newly created position as its Product Development Engineer. Raghavan is responsible for working within the Paintworks Division of GOLDEN to determine customer product requirements and develop and test formulations. The principal focus for this position is new product development. Raghavan will also interface with the Production and Quality Assurance Departments at the company for scaling up large quantities of product and improving product related processes in Operations.

Another area of the company in which Raghavan will play an integral role is the Custom Lab. The GOLDEN Custom Lab is the only facility of its kind dedicated to designing products to desired specifications for individual artists. The ability to make products to meet artists' criteria has been a central concern of the company since its inception. Over the last 20 years GOLDEN has produced over a thousand custom products to meet the individual needs of our creative customers. Through this unique facility, artists, conservators, designers, architects, manufacturing companies and other clients interested in specialized coatings are able to overcome obstacles in the limitations of their tools and materials and achieve their creative goals.

Prior to joining GOLDEN, Raghavan worked for Aexcel Corporation in Mentor, Ohio for four years as its Technical Director. Aexcel Corporation is a company focused on providing its customers with the highest quality traffic and road marking paint, specialized OEM industrial coatings or custom formulated and blended product on the market. Raghavan received his doctorate in 1982 in Chemical Engineering. He also gained post-doctoral research experience at Illinois Institute of Technology and Case Western Reserve University and has been a research and product development consultant to many coatings industries.

"The tremendous amount of knowledge and professional experience Vaikunt brings to GOLDEN will further strengthen our Paintworks Division," said Technical Director, Jim Hayes.

"We are thrilled to have Vaikunt join us and we are very anxious for our customers to reap the benefits of his extensive expertise and outstanding skill sets."

Raghavan is currently a member of the Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology (FSCT), a not-for-profit organization focused on providing technical education and professional development to its members and to the global industry through its multi-national Constituent Societies and collectively as a Federation.

Raghavan has three daughters and currently resides in Norwich, NY.