Automotive OEM Coatings Market
March 2016 www.coatingsworld.com Coatings World | 73
focused on product use efficiency and
operating cost reduction.
Paul Czornij, technical manager for
the BASF Color Excellence Group, added
that there is continued interest in combining texture and gloss with color to produce new color designs.
“One example is matte clearcoat.
Matte clearcoats were shown as coming
trends several years ago and now they’re
being seen on the showroom floor.
“Functional pigments also bring another dimension to color. Heat changing colors is an example of this – colors
that don’t get as warm in direct sunlight.
Environmentally-friendly coatings are
also at the forefront of coatings technology. This includes using pigments that
reduce the VOC of a coating by being
easier to disperse or formulate with pigments that are made with eco-efficient
processes,” he said.
Czornij added that sophisticated, exciting colors, including those that use glittery effect pigments, are trending now.
Also, colors are showing a much higher
degree of saturation with a strong connection to consumers looking for rich,
deep color positions especially in blue
and red, he said.
In 2015, to celebrate its 150th anniversary, BASF brought together the concepts
of technology and sustainability and created four special anniversary colors that
focus on how the look towards the future
is optimistic and aesthetically appealing.
In North America, the color is named
Arjean, which is silver with a thin, bluish
transparent film that glows in the grazing
angles. In South America, Nightfall Blue
is a blue, metallic with a special combination of colorants to bring depth and
saturation to embody the oceans and sky.
In Europe, where the color is called
Solaric Green, the BASF designers created a green metallic that represents nature and sustainability with pigments
that help the color stay cool on a sunny
day. And, finally, in Asia, Fresh Mint was
designed in BASF’s Asia studio and is a
sparkling green that projects freshness
and environmental stewardship.
Czornij added that BASF will introduce its future color ideas and technologies at our Color Trend Show this Spring.
PPG’s Schappert said that his company sees a variety of trends, which is
where it is focusing its research and investments. One example, he said, is the
demand for color.
“Color science has come a long way,”
he said, “and coatings offers customers
a way to differentiate themselves in a
meaningful way.
“A key driver for research and development investment is in the area of sustainability specifically in water utilization
and energy reduction. Water reduction in
the paint shop is one example of manufacturers focus especially in emerging regions such as Mexico, Brazil and China
where water resource can be a premium.
PPG contributes to solutions that achieve
