The Industrial Coatings Market
June 2016 www.coatingsworld.com Coatings World | 29
Two of the major performance trends PPG is seeing are demands for increased corrosion-resistance and more advanced
coatings that have the versatility and robustness to perform well
on complex substrates. That means surfaces made with multiple
mixed metals, plastics and other materials, or those processed
with differing pretreatment regimens.
“Another key need is for robust products that are available
globally,” said Bausch. “As our customers operate coatings lines
in different parts of the world and as they outsource their ac-
tivities, we need to develop and supply products that produce
consistent quality and color regardless of their line conditions
– whether their lines are in
warm, humid climates or in
cold, dry climates … or even
in different environmental
conditions as their plants
change throughout the day.”
Bausch noted that meet-
ing the demand for custom-
ers who want to make their
own products more sustain-
able is also importat. “That
could mean more reflective
cool roof coatings for the
building industry or better
high-performance primers
that help automakers use
lighter-gauge metals for fuel-
efficiency. Overall, the push internally and from our customers
is for better durability, enhanced surface functionality, more en-
vironmentally advanced coatings and on-going innovations in
design and color.”
“Customers are looking for more sustainable and durable
protection from their coatings and fire protection systems, as
well as better color retention and chemical resistance,” said
Stranimaier. “We are placing increased emphasis on working
with our customers to understand their needs, whether it is for
new projects, OEM or maintenance and repair.”
According to Cash, the Axalta customer is looking for a
competitive edge through new innovative colors, improved per-
formance and comprehensive support. “They’re looking for a
partner rather than a supplier, so service and customer support
are key,” he added. “As a paint company with 150 years of expe-
rience, it’s our mission to understand our customer’s products,
and their customers, as well as they do. We are driven to surpass
their expectations aesthetically and functionally.”
“Protective coatings applicators continue to look for ease
when using coatings as well as productivity in their workflows
to save time and labor, while limiting environmental impact,”
said Møller. “The coatings must support this in order to create
value for our customer. The end users that will own and oper-
ate the assets which have been coated, look for long-lasting
asset protection that will limit total cost of ownership and
operation. This means coatings that last as long as possible
before repairs and maintenance are needed; hence, reducing
direct maintenance cost and interruptions that result in expen-
sive downtime of their operations.”
Making the switch to water
Although solventborne coatings are still widely used in the industrial sector, as environmental regulations become increasingly stringent throughout the world, more users are looking
for alternatives.
“We are seeing a shift in demand towards higher-solids
and waterborne products across the world, and particularly
in China and India where environmental legislation is tighten-
ing,” said Stranimaier. “The
challenge is to ensuring we
can offer right balance of
product and environmental
performance.”
Axalta reports that it
remains conscious that the
global market has specific
application needs and re-
quirements. “We make it
a priority to offer a wide-
range of environmentally-
conscious products, from
powder coatings with zero
Sherwin-Williams views this global shift from solvent- to
water-based coatings as an opportunity for growth. “For those
of us who have mastered the complexities of managing tech-
nologies globally, these pressures actually present valuable op-
portunities for bringing innovations to market,” said Zelch.
“Although we are a global company, global regulation is not
universal, so reinvention and being in position for what’s next
are constants. We broaden the definition of “environmental” to
address not only curbing emissions, but also managing raw ma-
terials around the trend to restrict the use of materials deemed
too hazardous for use in and on products, particularly consumer
electronics and biomedical applications.”
Environmental legislation continues to push innovation in
the coatings industry, yet even in the absence of such influences,
PPG noted it would be pursuing these developments based on its
own corporate-wide commitment to sustainability.
“From a customer standpoint, one of the things that sets PPG
apart is the ability to leverage our expertise across all technology
platforms to help OEMs and their suppliers find the right solutions to any challenge, whether they’re related to environmental compliance, manufacturing or product performance,” said
Bausch. “And based on our capabilities, we take a multi-faceted
approach to this challenge. First, we still believe strongly in the
viability of liquid coatings at PPG. That’s why we’re continuing
Photo Courtesy of PPG Industries
