Sourcing and Regulatory Issues Drive R&D Efforts in 2011

By Cynthia Challener

In an industry that relies heavily on innova­tion for success, paint and coating manufactur­ers realize the impor­tance of investing in new product development ef­forts. Those efforts have been frustrated for both coating and resins producers as high raw material prices and shortages of key ingredients have companies focused on finding al­ternatives. Where new product develop­ment activities remain strong, they gen­erally are driven by anticipation of the passage of regulations that will affect current formulations. Meanwhile, the recovery appears to be slowing some­what, and 2012 does not look to be a year of strong growth for the industry.