Continuing our series profiling coatings professionals with diverse backgrounds in the industry, we interviewed Kevin Kirkwood, marketing coordinator of NETZSCH Premier Technologies, the North American subsidiary of the globally operated group of NETZSCH companies. NETZSCH is a manufacturer of wet grinding and dispersing machinery, including media milling, dispersing and de-aerating from lab research to full-scale production
Q: What are the major challenges and opportunities for equipment manufacturers today?
A: There is a lot of competition in this market. Competitors produce a lot of similar machines, so one of the biggest challenges lies in diversifying your products from the competitors’ products. The introduction of new lower/no VOC paint and coating products creates new formulation challenges. Equipment manufacturers are presented with the opportunity to solve some of these challenges and gain more recognition in this market.
Q: How important is marketing in the Coatings industry? What do you focus on in your marketing efforts of equipment for the industry?
A: Promoting new technologies in the Coatings industry is very important. This industry is constantly evolving. Technology in this industry is constantly evolving, and with new technologies come new ways to save time and money. The processing aspect of this industry is the fundamental step for creating a high-quality product. New machinery for creating homogenously blended paints and coatings is on the rise. The modernization of technology has been largely beneficial for large scale manufacturing companies.
Q: What types of marketing strategies do you find most effective in the Coatings industry?
A: Print advertising is effective for promoting processing machinery in this industry since it is the most widely used resource by industry specialists. This holds true especially for project managers and personnel in research & development departments.
Q: Where do you see the Coatings industry heading, and how do you think this will impact marketing strategies?
A: Print and digital advertising are reliable methods of promoting company capabilities. We will see a transition towards digital advertising for product-specific promotions. Print advertising will be reliable for promoting company image. However, face-to-face interactions will still serve as the best method of building strong relationships with customers.