Coatings World - June 2009

Expo Report
ECS 2009 remains vibrant

BY TIM WRIGHT

EDITOR

Despite the worldwide economic downturn that has negatively impacted business on an unprecedented scale across the global paint and coatings supply chain, the mood at the European Coatings Show (ECS) 2009 was surprisingly upbeat. While the number of exhibitors and attendees was down from the 2007 show, many of the people Coatings World spoke with felt this created a more focused exhibition with key personnel easier to reach.

Vincentz Network GmbH & Co. KG, organizers of the ECS 2009 which took place from March 31 - April 2 at the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg, reported total visitor attendance for 2009 was 19,756. While this represents a drop in attendance from the last show in 2007 it is still higher than 2005.

“The European Coatings Show and Congress concentrates the know-how of companies, research institutions, universities and associations in one place,” said Friederike Plasswich, head of events division at Vincentz Network. “People especially rely on dependable values at times of crisis. We are proud to offer the industries concerned a platform of proven quality from which they can get fit for the recovery, which will certainly come.”

The 806 exhibitors on hand for the ECS 2009 from 42 countries offered the visitors from 90 nations a world-class range of raw materials, laboratory and production equipment, testing and measuring equipment, and services on a net display area of approximately 27,500 m². In addition, 160 product presentations were given during the three days of the event.

This year the European Coatings Show drew more than 19,000 visitors, while 461 took part in the European Coatings Congress.

The European Coatings Congress, which started the day before on March 30 was a major highlight and featured 160 top speakers from all over the world. Twenty-six sessions were offered to the 461 congress participants. The European Coatings Award for the best congress paper at the European Coatings Congress 2009 was presented to Dr. Zhen Wen Fu and his colleagues Andrew Hejl and Andrew Swartz from Rohm and Haas, USA, for their paper on “Designed Diffusion Technology: A paradigm shift in film formation.”

EXHIBITORS OFFER LATEST ADVANCES IN COATINGS TECHNOLOGY At the ECS, Celanese Emulsion Polymers presented a broad portfolio of emulsion technologies. Chief among these was Celanese’s vinyl acetate/ethylene (VAE) technology for low VOC, low odor eco-friendly coatings.

According to the company, Mowilith LDM 1871 is the gold standard for matt, interior decorative paints and now Mowilith LDM 1852 is the new standard for satin to semi-gloss coatings,” said Stephan Krieger, senior technical service manager for the coatings segment. “These VAE emulsions allow the chemist to formulate a coating without the use of coalescing agents that can add both VOCs and additional cost to their products.”

Dolan GmbH, a 100% subsidiary of Austria-based Lenzing Plastics GmbH, is a leading global producer of acrylic specialty fibers and was at the ECS to display its range of Dolanit products. In 2008 Dolanit specialty fibers were introduced and are specifically engineered for fiber reinforcement of concrete, mortar, asphalt, fibrocement products and the automotive sector.