Additive Suppliers Focus on Innovatioin for Furture Growth

By Cynthia Challener

Globalization and consolidation in the paint and coating, industry, rising raw material and energy costs, and increasing regulatory pressures each independently can have dramatic effects on the additives market. Today, pro­ducers face all of these issues in combination. Innovation, industry players say again and again, is imperative for maintaining competitive advantage.

Additives used in paints and coatings serve to enhance the performance of formulations and generally provide characteristics otherwise unattainable. Numerous classes of additive types based on a whole host of chemistries in­teract with resin, solvent, or water and other additives to improve such prop­erties as adhesion, open time, flow, foaming, as well as resistance to mi­crobes, corrosion, and UV damage.