The European
Coatings Show Preview
Preliminary figures for ECS 2013 point to further growth for this biennial event.
The European Coatings Show (ECS) plus Adhesives, Sealants, Construction Chemicals is the leading exhibi- tion for the international coating and paint industry and
is held every two years. This year the ECS will take place March
19-21 at the NürnbergMesse in Nürnberg, Germany.
According to show organizers, Vincentz Network, pre-
liminary figures for ECS 2013 point to further growth of
this leading coatings show. “Again the ECS will be exceed-
ing all expectations,” said Amanda Beyer, head of coat-
ings events at Vincentz Network. “Already now the record
breaking number of 2011 regarding the display area has
been topped.”
More than 900 exhibitors (2011: 887) will present their
products on 32,000 square meters of display space. Some
27,000 visitors (2011: 26,000) are expected to visit the
three-day show.
Product Presentations
Exhibitors will be making short presentations about their
latest products. These events will afford an opportunity for
exhibitors to tell their audiences all they need to know about
the products’ performance and the underlying technology.
European Coatings Congress
The ECS will be accompanied by the European Coatings
Congress, which will be held March 17-19. The European
Coatings Congress will feature international experts who will
discuss the latest research in coatings technology. This year
the congress introduced a new time schedule, for the first time
starting on a Sunday afternoon. The Congress will offer 144
selected papers in 24 sessions, providing a comprehensive
overview of the latest research in coatings technology.
As in previous years, the congress will be organized in parallel sessions under the main themes of automotive, epoxy,
biobased, insulating, protective, waterborne, architectural,
anti-microbial and wood coatings. Further sessions will
be dedicated to printing inks, dispersants and surfactants,
measuring and testing, radiation curing, titanium dioxide
utilization, adhesives and sealants, construction chemicals,
functional materials, polyurethanes, nanotechnology and
weathering testing. The separate session, “Science today
– coatings tomorrow,” will examine what advanced polymer
and science have in store for future coatings systems.
Eleven pre-congress tutorials will familiarize attendees with the basics of major coatings technologies. Experts
from both industry and academia will discuss the basic concepts and chemistries involved and introduce the latest research findings in their respective coatings area. Topics will
include marine coatings, epoxy coatings, film formation in
latex paints, sustainable technologies, adhesives and sealants,
functional coatings, polyurethanes, easy-to-clean coatings,
architectural coatings, corrosion fundamentals and flame retardants fundamentals. The congress will also feature poster
sessions and presentation of the European Coatings Award.
Keynote Speakers
The congress will commence with two keynote speakers.
Aditay Ranade of Lux Research, Inc., who will discuss ways
of assessing sustainability in the field of architectural coatings. According to Ranade, architectural coatings consume
significant amounts of energy, water and petrochemicals
during manufacture, and can negatively impact occupants’
health and the environment by releasing harmful chemicals.
Sustainable coatings technologies reduce the impact of
paints and coatings on energy consumption, resource depletion, and the environment, but often get confused with ‘
gre-enwashed’ unsustainable alternatives. In this presentation,
Ranade will reveal a tool for assessing the true sustainability value of established and emerging coatings technologies,
and assess the sustainability value relative to the performance value to the end user.
Klemens Bartmann will discuss “Sustainable and functional coatings – challenges and opportunities” in the
second keynote speech. According to Bartmann, coatings
in state-of-the-art applications have to meet manifold requirements. Not only must they provide protection for all
36 | Coatings World
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February 2013
