Inthe Air With
AkzoNobel
Aerospace
Coatings
Punching above its weight the aerospace coatings market is relatively small in terms of
volume, but attracts a great deal of attention.
by A.S. Richardson,
Global Market Director
AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings
Aside from aesthetic appeal, at the other end of the spectrum,
aerospace coatings are expected to perform in harsh and demanding environments. For example, a few microns of structural
primer is expected to protect an airframe for 20 to 30 years without being maintained as is the case in the wing box of an aircraft, which once primed is never to see the light of day again.
Whether it is the “big boys toys” image that some people find attractive or just the high tech label that aerospace coatings carry, the market is a focal point for discussion
both in the coatings industry and in the aerospace market itself.
When a new aircraft rolls off the end line paint shop, the standard
of the paint job carries a huge influence on the viewer’s opinion of
the overall quality of the aircraft. The color scheme itself reflects the
airline’s brand more than any other part of the aircraft. It conveys the
brand image and a good or bad paint job will influence this image
one way or another. After all, who wants to get on an aircraft where
a repair was made using a roller. The aircraft itself is probably just
as safe as one that had been spray repaired but it looks bad.
At AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings we split the aerospace market into sectors. This is because different parts of the aerospace
coatings market behave differently and have different drivers and
trends with the larger overall market trends.
There are currently four major global commercial OEMs that
dominate the market: Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier and Embraer.
New manufactures such as China’s COMAC and Russia’s Irkut
are expected to become bigger global players over the next five
years or so and Mitsubishi will join the regional aircraft players,
where Bombardier and Embraer are now the main players.
