Aerospace Coatings Market
among others offered by liquid coating-based technology,” the
report stated.
Researchers also found that the exterior application segment
is leading the aerospace coatings market, which is due to increased use of aerospace coatings to coat exterior parts of aircraft
to protect their surface from deterioration, erosion, and cracking.
In terms of regional growth, as in many other markets, the
Asia-Pacific region has exhibited and will continue to yield year-over-year growth. Researchers determined that the growth of
the Asia-Pacific aerospace coatings market can be attributed to
the rising demand for aerospace coatings from emerging economies of the Asia-Pacific region, which include India, China,
South Korea, Vietnam, and Singapore, among others.
“Moreover, factors such as the improving standard of living
and rising per capita income of the countries of the Asia-Pacific
region are also fueling the growth of the Asia-Pacific aerospace
coatings market,” researchers said.
Mergers as opportunities
A major source of growth for the aerospace coatings market
is airline mergers. As companies join forces, depending on the
terms of the merger, either one or both fleets will have to undergo rebranding and repainting.
According to Andreas Ossenkopf, director, Head of Aviation
at Mankiewicz Hamburg, these fleets require being repainted
outside regular refurbishment cycles. “When it is necessary to design a completely new livery for the merged airline, Mankiewicz
is often involved in the creative process and supports the deci-sion-makers during its development. This also frequently presents an opportunity to modernise the livery,” he said.
Daniel Bencun, global platform director, Aerospace Coatings,
PPG, said that overall the airline sector is still fragmented in
some areas of the world, even if in recent years there has been
more consolidation in certain regions.
“Once grouped in larger conglomerates, some traditional
carriers diversify their segments and launch new companies that
cover new segments such as low cost. Newly launched airlines
also need new colors and to have their new fleet repainted,”
Bencun said. “This brings opportunities to work closely with
our customers on new colors or even new liveries. In the past,
we have supported several customers in their rebranding proj-
ects by helping them select either new colors that are in line with
their new image or by introducing new technologies in order to
better protect their assets.”
Providing a consistent, fresh look for brands is a top pri-
ority after a merger. However, as Julie Voisin, global product
manager, Sherwin-Williams Aerospace Coatings, points out,
most airlines are not removing the aircraft to just get it paint-
ed, but are waiting for their normal maintenance cycle. The
cost of aircraft re-paints are far more than just the labor and
actual prep and paint products, Voisin said. The key element is
utilizing aerospace coatings that put aircraft back in the air as
quickly as possible.
“For example, those planes are in the air all the time and
are the largest part of most commercial fleets. The typical paint
cycle for that single-aisle aircraft is eight days and it’s crucial
that any paint system meets that time requirement. Our systems
at Sherwin-Williams from JCX to also our SKYscapes basecoat
clearcoat fit and meet all commercial requirements. Those
planes are built to be in the air as much as possible to generate
maximum revenues. We are prepared to meet that commercial
paint cycle with technical support and quality one-application
products,” she said.
Growing demand
Demand for aerospace coatings is driven by several factors.
Chief among them, Bencun said, is the level of new builds,
which depends a lot of segments.
“Commercial aircraft manufacturers are in the ramp-up
phase, and this results in higher demand for coatings. The outlook for coming years is very positive as the number of aircraft
increases due to higher industry demand. Regional commercial
manufacturers also contribute to higher coatings demand, with
new emerging programs expected to contribute positively in the
future,” he said.
Coatings demand for the aftermarket remains strong in all
regions of the world, Bencun added. “Additionally, the military
segment is also seeing a positive trend, despite lower defense
budgets, in almost all regions of the world. This growth will
come from new programs but also from build rate increases by
some specific customers,” he said.
According to Ossenkopf, the global airline industry is experiencing growth at present and so the demand for coatings is
expanding along with it.
“As the use of new materials like composites is becoming
more widespread, novel and additional solutions are required of
coatings, because such surfaces are not as perfect as aluminum,”
he said.
Much like products on store shelves, airlines must update
their appearance so as to present a differentiated product from
their competitors.
“As competition between airlines intensifies, having a unique
appearance is of ever greater importance,” he said. “The thing
that catches the eye first and foremost when seeing an aircraft is
its exterior paint and there is a trend of special liveries and the
use of micas and vibrant colors.”
To aid in differentiation, Mankiewicz has developed a
BaseCoat/ClearCoat system for exterior painting.
