On the other hand, the ongoing improvement of our
product portfolio and the regional presence are paying off.
For instance, we are expanding
our commitment with motorcycle paints in Thailand and Vietnam as well as with coatings for
wind turbines in North America, Brazil and China. In addition, we are further expanding
our automotive refinish business in Australia. We are also
specifically investing in research
and development. The iGloss
scratch-resistant clearcoat is one of our most recent innovations.
Europe and North America, where we are particularly successful in automotive OEM coatings and automotive refinish
coatings, are among our main markets. In Europe, we are also
participating in a strong demand for coil coatings form the Eastern European steel industry. But we are also growing strongly in
architectural coatings in Brazil.
We will further expand our activities in Asia in particular, primarily in China, India, Japan and Korea. One example is the
Technical Center that we set up in Korea in 2010. The importance of Asian manufacturers will increase worldwide. Therefore, we will not only continue to work closely with Western
carmakers in Asia but also with global Asian carmakers as well
as carmakers who are active locally.
We want to strengthen our leading position as coatings manufacturers in automotive OEM coatings and aim to remain the
preferred supplier of basecoats and process solutions. In addition, we are focusing on solutions that are both environmentally
friendly and economically efficient, as well as on first-class service. We will expand our presence in Asia, since the importance of
Asia for automotive production is growing.
We will continue to rely on our strong brands in the premium
segment in the automotive refinish area, which represent high-quality products and serve as well as excellent color competence.
Furthermore, we will further strengthen our business through
partnerships with carmakers or fleet operators. We also plan to
intensify our business for commercial and transport vehicles, as
well as construction and agricultural machines.
With respect to industrial coatings, we have a focus on pre-coatings, which we will further expand through innovative and
sustainable solutions. In the post-coatings segment, we are now
in a good position throughout the world with special coatings
for wind turbine rotor blades, which will allow us to expand
our business in all regions. New applications for ship and airplane construction are currently being established with a great
deal of momentum.
We will likewise further expand on our position in the architectural coatings area. While BASF established a strong position in South America early on with Suvinil, we recently
introduced a new brand in China with NORBIN. In Europe,
Raimar Jahn
we continue to focus on professional painters and paint supply
dealers and will supply them with our innovations, such as
Cool Colours, in 2011.
Morten Fon, president and CEO, Jotun
2009 was a very difficult year for the coatings industry and most
coatings companies experienced reduced activity and lower profitability. Depending on the geographical footprint of the company a few companies continued to grow. 2010 became the year
when most companies recovered, overall the profitability was restored in most companies, and finally the industry is again
preparing for growth outside
the mature markets.
Mature markets are expected to be fairly stable, while
emerging markets will continue
to grow. The trend is that coatings consumption normally
grows the faster the GDP.
The global financial crisis
has brought increased volatility
to the industry. Raw materials
markets are tighter and raw
material prices continue to increase. This is a short-term
challenge for the industry. Currency markets and commodity
markets are also more volatile than before, which again creates
challenges in the industry.
The regulation of the industry continues on the chemical
side driven by the U.S and the EU. This will change the industry and all companies are now using large resources to develop
new products, and to comply with new regulations. This
process will continue.
The focus on sustainability will remain high in the industry,
and innovation will be directed towards sustainable solutions
that either will reduce the use of harmful substances or deliver
new products that contribute to improving the environment.
Focus will be given to presenting the benefits of the products and services the industry provides. Protection of assets
against corrosion, reduction of vessels fuel consumption or
heat reflecting paints for houses are all examples of products
that have positive environmental effects. At the same time the
industry has to work hard to reduce the negative impacts of
products and raw materials.
Financial and environmental sustainability will go hand in
hand into the future.
Morten Fon
Pierre-Yves Jullien, president and CEO, Hempel
I share a core belief with everyone at Hempel. Our industry has
a bright future. However, the world is changing fast. Post financial crunch, the coatings industry faces soaring raw materials
prices, an urgent need for investment and serious environmental
concerns. It’s crucial our industry responds quickly to these
changes with new technology, better processes and higher levels
www.coatingsworld.com
July 2011
