Powder Coatings Market
December 2015 www.coatingsworld.com Coatings World | 33
2015 was a good year for the powder coatings market.
Overall, PPG saw continued demand for powder in 2015
globally and expects that trend to continue into 2016 and be-
yond. “It is being pushed in large part by government legisla-
tion, but also by other factors such as cost, ease-of-application,
higher utilization rates, and other processing and performance
benefits,” said Verdun. “Powder application equipment ad-
vances have also contributed to the growth of powder coat-
ings. Powder utilization rates of 90 percent or higher are
common, compared to 30-80 percent utilization rates for most
other spray coating processes.”
“The powder coatings market continues to grow at above-
GDP levels,” said Reekie. “Asia Pacific and in particular China
continue to grow, but not at the levels seen earlier in the decade
as a result of China’s market slowdown. Growth in Europe
was quite varied due to the differing economic fortunes across
the region.”
PPG sees demand and growth in general industrial markets
for powder, as well as in metal office furniture, appliance, auto-
motive parts and aluminum extrusion markets. “By region, the
number one market is China, where GDP continues to grow,”
Verdun explained. “Germany, Central and Eastern Europe, the
Middle East and Africa also are growth markets. In the other
EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) countries, increased
environmental regulation will continue to drive powder growth
versus liquid coatings.”
Geographically, China, Southeast Asia India and South
America are still regions with a lot of opportunity despite some
of the short-term economic problems. “In terms of markets,
there is still a lot of opportunity to expand in the building and
construction sector, and particularly in the automotive sector,
where the penetration of powder coatings is still relatively low,”
said Reekie.
Powder coatings manufacturers are meeting the demands
of its customers who are continuing to push for extended durability, lower VOC emissions, faster cure rates, lower cure
temperatures, thinner films, improved appearance, improved
metallic color space and other developments such as compact
process systems that remove cost and complication from coatings application processes. “We’re also seeing a trend towards
developing powder coatings for non-metal substrates as well as
powder coatings with increased functionality, such as the ability
to self-clean, impart anti-microbial properties and increase light
reflectivity,” said Verdun.
PPG Industries’ most recent breakthrough in powder is an
exclusive cross-link polymer technology that it introduced with
ENVIROCRON HTE coatings, a new product that improves
transfer-efficiency rates for difficult-to-coat applications and
Axalta Coating Systems Opens Dual Refinish, Powder Coatings Learning & Development Center in
Houston
Axalta Coating Systems has opened a
first-of-its kind dual Refinish and Powder
Coatings Learning and Development
Center in Houston, Texas. The Center,
built adjacent to Axalta’s powder coatings
manufacturing plant, serves Axalta’s collision repair and commercial coatings customers by providing the latest learning
and development programs designed to
improve technician and business performance. The Learning and Development
Center is expected to attract thousands
of collision repair professionals to the
Houston area for multi-day classes that
provide students with classroom education and hands-on experience. The center features three classrooms equipped
with technology for distance learning,
innovative seating pods to support collaboration, two paint mixing stations, two
spray booths, and space for the build-out
of the powder coatings training program
in 2016. Classes will be available in both
English and Spanish.
“We are proud to offer a centrally-
located, multi-lingual training facility to
serve customers in the South,” remarked
Jeff Blake, Axalta Business Director. “The
investment in this high-tech facility rein-
forces our commitment to help our cus-
tomers continue education through in-
person technical training and eLearning
programs that are hosted here in Hous-
ton and can be broadcast to custom-
ers throughout North America,” Blake
added. “Axalta’s commitment to the im-
provement and economic well-being of
the local industrial economy through its
Houston Refinish and Powder Coatings
Learning and Development Center is a
genuine asset to this city,” as stated in a
proclamation from Houston Mayor An-
nise Parker’s office.
The Learning and Development Cen-
ter opened with a celebratory program
that featured Ray Evernham, three-time
NASCAR champion crew chief and TV
host, Houston Rockets cheerleaders, and
a special scholarship and grant presen-
tation to students attending Universal
Technical Institute (UTI) collision repair
program. The event culminated in a cer-
emonial ribbon cutting by Blake, Ever-
nham, Nigel Budden-Axalta Vice Presi-
dent, and Jeannie Bollinger-Houston
West Chamber of Commerce President.
Axalta customers, partners, and employ-
ees enjoyed the program that was fol-
lowed by tours, photos with the No. 24
Axalta Chevrolet SS NASCAR racecar,
spray paint sessions and more.
“Thanks to the generous support of
Axalta Coating Systems, the UTI Foundation is able to help the next generation
of collision repair professionals as they
pursue their dreams,” said Jennifer Maher, UTI Foundation Vice President and
Executive Director. “The UTI Foundation’s Axalta Collision Repair Awards help
deserving collision repair program students to achieve their educational goals.
The award helps the recipient with tuition
support or assists with an unexpected
emergency that threatens their ability to
stay in school. We are grateful to have
the support of such a wonderful industry
leader as Axalta!”
