Coatings World - JULY 2013

• The Czech Republic is in second place among Central European markets with a share of consumption of 13.2 percent.

This is the market with the highest paint per capita consumption indicator ( 16. 9 kg/head) in the CEE region.

• There is a growing industrial coatings segment in the Czech Republic, ben-efitting from growing domestic demand and relocations of Western European paint manufacturers to the country. The market is driven by the growing consumption of paint from the automotive, consumer goods and furniture industries.

• Romania and Hungary come in the third and fourth places and occupy almost equal market share.

• The Balkan market is placed at almost 129,000 tons, with the fastest growing demand for paints in Serbia.

• The demand for paints in smaller Balkan countries is almost 100 percent covered by imported material.

• The Serbian market offers the best growth opportunities for automotive OEM coatings. Macedonia, Croatia and Kosovo are the fastest growing markets for wood coatings.

• The Slovenian paint market is rather a stable one, with declining demand from the automotive industry and a stable trend in consumption from other downstream markets such as construction and the furniture industries.

In many of the markets the architectural coatings segment tends to account for quite a large majority of paint demand. The percentage share of these coatings varies from country to country and can reach up to 79 percent (Bulgaria).

There is an evident trend of growing consumption of waterborne and low-VOC paints, driven by the high impact of environmental legislation on the market and increasing interest of consumers in the ecological properties of the products.

Multiple opportunities are likely to

26 | Coatings World

appear along the coatings industry value chain such as upgrading paint-making equipment, obtaining better raw materials, expansion of paint export markets and exploring the potential of acquiring new companies. New demand will appear in the area of automotive and marine coatings.

For more information go to www.in-formationresearch.co.uk.

U.S. Demand for
Disinfectant and
Antimicrobial Chemicals to
Reach $1.6 Billion in 2017

Demand for disinfectant and antimicrobial chemicals in the U.S. is forecast to rise 6.1 percent annually to $1.6 billion in 2017. A rebound in building construction activity, in conjunction with an improving U.S. economy, will drive strong increases in industrial markets such as paint and coatings and plastics. In institutional and consumer applications, anxieties about disease – foodborne, health care-associated (HAI), and antibiotic-re-sistant – will lead to gains amid increasing regulatory scrutiny and intensifying cleaning regimens. Rising public concern about microbial pathogens will also support growth in some industrial markets as disinfectant and antimicrobial additives are incorporated into a broader array of products. These and other trends are presented in “Disinfectant & Antimicrobial Chemicals,” a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.

Substantial growth in residential construction activity, led primarily by a housing rebound, will result in the increased production of antimicrobial-containing products such as water-based architectural paint, floor coverings, home textiles and other construction materials. Organosulfur compounds will see significant growth in these applications, particularly in paint, thanks to performance advantages and environmental concerns about competing products.

Several factors will result in more thorough disinfection regimens among food and beverage processors, hospitals and other health care providers, restaurants, and hotels. Heightened public

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apprehension about foodborne illnesses such as E. coli and Salmonella, increased regulatory scrutiny following the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011, and growing liability concerns will contribute to increased disinfectant demand in the food and beverage processing and the restaurant and lodging markets. In the medical and health care market, concerns about HAIs such as C. difficile and anti-biotic-resistant pathogens such as MRSA, changes in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rules, pressure from insurers, and extensive coverage of deadly outbreaks by the mass media will continue to drive disinfectant and antimicrobial consumption.

Frost & Sullivan Analyzes
Asia-Pacific Water-based
Coatings Market

Environmental regulations, rising consumer awareness regarding health and the environment, and focus on sustainability have driven the Asia-Pacific water-based coatings market. Higher domestic consumption and investments in infrastructure across most Asia-Pacific countries will sustain this growth until 2016.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, finds that the market earned revenues of more than $11.86 billion in 2012 and estimates this to reach $16.71 billion in 2016.

Robust economic growth in China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam will, in turn, boost the Asia-Pacific water-based coatings market. Environmental regulations that aim to protect the environment and the health of citizens from potentially hazardous substances further spur the adoption of water-based coatings, particularly in China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore.

However, this cost advantage has been curbed to an extent owing to rising raw material and fluctuating crude oil prices. Supply shortages have escalated the cost of titanium dioxide, affecting manufacturers’ margins in this price-sensitive market. In contrast, traditional solvent-based coatings are proving to be a profitable option as they offer better performance properties than water-based coatings.