early 1990s, according to figures from
the Brussels-based European Coil
Coatings Association (ECCA). Now organic coatings consumption in the steel
and aluminium markets in Europe has
returned to its pre-2008 levels, while
shipments of all steel and aluminium
products remain below the amounts before the financial crisis.
In addition to a big increase in sales of
coil and other prepainted coatings, there
has been an expansion and strengthening
of a whole supply chain covering coating operators and equipment, as well as
products such as pre-treatment chemicals.
The strength of this supply chain,
backed by high quality product and manufacturing standards, has proved to be a
tough barrier for importers to overcome.
In 2010-11, just as the European coatings sector was struggling to recover from
the 2008 catastrophe, imports of coated
steel sheets went up by 29 percent but
then plummeted by 33 percent in 2012.
Since then they have started to increase again but now are showing signs
of levelling out. Meanwhile output of
steel sheets with metal anti-corrosion
coatings in Europe has been going up by
about 6 percent annually and of sheets
with organic coatings by around 2 percent annually. The share of imports in the
European coated steel coated sheets sector seems to be softening.
A major reason for the easing pressure
from imports in the domestic sector for
coil and other prepainted metal products
has been the mounting concerns about
the low quality of the imports among
both producers and customers.
In response to these worries ECCA
launched last year a quality label scheme
called ECCA Premium which covers as-
pects of steel and aluminium products
such as color durability, corrosion resis-
tance and suitability for creative design.
The sector already has a quality label
called Qualicoat, which was introduced
around 30 years ago to deal initially
with the quality of post-painted alu-
minium and later steel. ECCA reckons
its label is more suited to prepainted
products because it is broader in scope
and more comprehensive.
ECCA Premium aims to embrace
within a single label all relevant existing European and international
standards applying to not just product
quality but also manufacturing and environmental standards.
It endeavors to tackle the apparent
aberration under which the provisions of
REACH, the EU’s strict legislation for the
application of environmental, health and
safety standards to chemicals are not being enforced with imported coil coatings.
ECCA Premium does not certify coil and
prepainted products which chemicals in
their coating on the REACH list of substances of very high concern (SVHC) such
as carcinogens.
“We know there are a lot import-
ed prepainted materials coming into
Europe which do not meet quality speci-
fications,” said Yvonne Barcelona, ECCA
managing director. “Chinese imports are
less of a problem now after the impo-
sition of EU anti-dumping duties. But
they are coming in from other countries,
such as India.”
“Our quality label scheme is helping to
curb low quality imports and to reduce
the share of low standard imports in the
European market,” she added.
Qualicoat, which is operated through
national trade associations, the vast majority of them in Europe, has been extending its coverage along supply chains.
Its branch in UK and Ireland has, for example, just drawn up guidelines for storage conditions for powder coatings with
‘best before’ dates on the grounds that
those kept for long periods can cross-link
and semi-cure before application.
“We are finding that customers are
now insisting on products having qual-
ity labels,” said Josef Schoppig, man-
aging director of Qualicoat, whose
international headquarters are in Zurich,
Switzerland. “It is very difficult now to
gain a contract for architectural applica-
tions, for example, in the Spanish public
sector without a quality label.”
The building sector has become by
far the biggest market in Europe for the
coil coatings sector accounting for 72
percent of sales, with automotive and
domestic appliances being the next two
largest segments with shares of 7 percent
and 6 percent respectively, according to
ECCA figures.
“Prepainted metal (now) has nu-
merous applications in construction,
thanks to its aesthetic and technical
characteristics,”said Mario Palermo,
president of ECCA’s French group. “(It)
has become a favorite among many ar-
chitects and contracting authorities.”
However steel and aluminium pro-
ducers in emerging economies like
China, India and Brazil are beginning
to move into the upper end of the mar-
ket. Non-European companies are en-
titled to the ECCA Premium certification.
Associations in China, Middle East and
Russia have joined the Qualicoat scheme.
Since the European quality label
schemes are being applied to supply
chains rather than just products, it may
be a while before large numbers of potential exporters into Europe can meet its
quality standards. CW
“The building sector has become by far the
biggest market accouting for 72 percent
of sales, with automotive and domestic
applications being the next two largest
segments...”
