Resins Roundtable – Suppliers Share Their Thoughts on Key Trends and Issues

By Cynthia Challener

Key trends for resin manufac­turers in 2007 include supply and demand and innovation. Forces that come to bear on the paint and coat­ings sector also, of course, directly influence the resins market. Then slow down in the U.S. housing mar­ket, continued regulatory pressures around the globe, and tight avail­ability for some raw materials are the leading issues this year. Innova­tion in resin technology will be nec­essary for success in the future.

Overall, 2006 was a good year for the U.S. paint and coatings in­dustry, which experienced volume growth of 2.2% and value growth of 8.4% over 2005, according to The ChemQuest Group. “The above his­torical average growth was accom­panied with a return of gross mar­gins to near normal levels, as raw material prices stabilized somewhat and producers were able to pass on earlier price increases and improve production efficiency,” notes com­pany president and CEO, Dan Murad. Resin manufacturers bene­fited from these positive conditions.