People around the world, regardless of citizenship or location, face tremendous global challenges, from warming temperatures to water shortages, and much more. The wider chemical industry, including the paint and coatings sector, will play a crucial role in the development of solutions to these challenges. At the upcoming European Coatings Show (ECS) and Coatings Conference to be held in Nuremburg, Germany from March 18–21, the need for innovation and the development of sustainable solutions will be core concepts for discussion by exhibitors and attendees. Representatives from across the paint and coatings value chain will be exploring new technologies and strategies for improving both the sustainability and performance of coating ingredients and formulated products during manufacturing and application, and as applied products.

Companies attend trade shows like ECS for a number of reasons and have various expectations for the benefits they hope to derive from participation. However, with exhibitors at the European Coatings Show 2019, there is a consistent theme running through discussions that captures their desire to be part of the action: interest in sharing and learning about innovation and working together to develop novel solutions to problems in not only the coatings sector, but in the innumerable industries that rely on coatings technology as well.

Participating in ECS is essential for DCC LANSCO because it not only provides networking opportunities, exposure to, and engagement with customers that may lead to new sales potentials, but just as importantly, it creates a forum for exchanging business ideas, according to global product marketing manager, Bruce Howie. Similarly, being able to discuss the current challenges customers are facing and identifying potential solutions that Clariant has to offer is extremely precious to Jens Reininger, head of strategic marketing for Coatings at Clariant. ECS is also a welcome opportunity for BASF to continue the ongoing dialogue with its customers on market needs regarding innovative solutions and products in the coatings industry, according to Gops Pillay, president of BASF’s Global Operating Division Dispersions & Pigments.

One of the largest global coatings shows in the industry, ECS is also one of the most diverse in terms of innovation. This allows Sun Chemical to reach customers, potential customers, formulators, and industrial applicators in various market segments, including automotive, architectural, powder, and industrial coatings, notes Michael T. Venturini, marketing director for Coatings with Sun Chemical Performance Pigments. “ECS provides a unique opportunity to share Sun Chemical’s technical expertise with coatings producers from around the world,” he adds. In addition to having high quality conversations that lead to new technical projects, Karen Stenger, marketing communications manager for King Industries, also finds that participation in ECS provides the opportunity to showcase the company’s technical expertise and dedication to innovation.

Nouryon, meanwhile, is a new company with a long history (previously the specialty chemicals business of AkzoNobel) and will be leveraging ECS 2019 to introduce the Nouryon name and brand. “The coatings market already knows our people and products well, and we want to let them know that we can now unleash our full potential as a stand-alone company because we are able to give even greater focus to what we need to do to grow with our customers,” says Geert Hofman, general manager Performance Additives at Nouryon. Dow, meanwhile, having merged with DuPont since the last ECS, is in the process of transforming into the new Dow. ECS will provide the firm with a great opportunity to liase with like-minded companies for innovation-led developments that will continue to challenge the status quo and help set the future coatings agenda, according to Issam Lazraq, Dow Coating Materials’ global strategic marketing director for Industrial and Functional Coatings.

Indeed, with the demands on paints and coatings continually increasing and creating challenges for the industry, ECS, as the crowd-puller in the European tradeshow landscape, has provided BYK for years with the appropriate platform for showcasing its latest additive developments and highlighting how, for example, production processes may be improved or environmental guidelines complied with, according to head of Business Line Paint Additives, Stefan Mössmer. Along the same lines, “Clariant benefits from interacting with peers, industry partners, and academics to actively contribute to the development of a sustainable, bright, and colorful future for the paint and coatings industry,” states Sebastian Prock, global marketing segment leader Paints & Coatings and Industrial Applications for Clariant.

Dow’s theme for ECS 2019 is “Shape Tomorrow, Together,” and that is the key objective of the company’s participation, according to Lazraq. “We want to share our latest technical developments, but more importantly engage with customers and industry partners and encourage a collaborative approach to tackling the most pressing issues that face our industry,” he comments.

Several core concepts will be repeated throughout the show and in the high quality presentations given as part of the European Coatings Show Conference. Most of these concepts are inter-related. At the top of the list is sustainability, or alternatively environmental responsibility, which impacts all aspects of the paint and coatings industry—from raw material selection and sourcing to manufacturing and application processes and the performance of applied coating products. Closely related to this concept are the desires for increased efficiency, productivity, ease-of-use, and functionality. Underlying all aspects of doing business in the paint and coatings industry—and in fact, all sectors—is the growing importance and impact of digitalization. This concept is also highly integrated with improving efficiency and achieving greater sustainability.

Sustainability encompasses a broad array of activities related to coatings manufacture and use and can occasionally have unintended consequences. For instance, the closures of numerous production plants in China that did not meet newer, more stringent environmental regulations have impacted raw material availability. “We have seen a reduction in the ability to obtain certain raw materials, and this has increased the costs for these products dramatically,” notes Howie. It is important, therefore, to balance environmental responsibility with performance and cost requirements and improve the sustainability of value chains by helping to shape environmentally responsible solutions in a cost-effective way, according to Lazraq. Dow Coating Materials is doing that by paying acute attention to raw material efficiency and supporting manufacturers in the materials choices they make. “Such trends are likely to dominate discussions—alongside the obvious requirement for paint manufacturers to maintain margins and seek a competitive edge, of course,” he notes.European Coatings Show 2017

As examples, Lazraq points to biocides, particularly methylisothiazolinone (MIT) and titanium dioxide as two raw materials that pose challenges. “This year, paints containing 15 ppm of widely used biocide MIT will have to carry a specific warning label and will not quality for Ecolabels in the EU. By 2021, it is expected that MIT will be eliminated altogether as a preservative in consumer waterborne paint formulations. TiO2, meanwhile, is seen by some as having a high negative environmental impact among paint raw materials in a typical formulation, he explains.

Sustainability must also be considered from the consumer’s perspective, according to Pillay. “Consumer awareness of sustainability is increasingly reflected in their purchasing decisions, and this trend is expected to continue growing in the future. The coatings industry can benefit from the trend by delivering products that offer outstanding performance while consuming fewer resources and causing fewer emissions,” he says. Those goals can be achieved in several ways, such as by using renewable raw materials, adopting new environmentally friendly technologies, and pursuing responsible manufacturing, according to Venturini.

One area of focus that Stenger expects will be on waterborne and high-solids systems, a trend largely driven by stricter VOC regulations. There is also a trend towards the use of aluminum substrates in the automotive and aerospace industry for lighter weight vehicles and the reduction of fuel consumption. “This trend represents opportunities for using coatings additives to improve adhesion and corrosion inhibition to aluminum, as well as reduce drying time and temperature,” she says. Other key environmental trends, according to Hofman, are the move towards green building standards and the growing need for products that are in compliance with stringent Ecolabel requirements. Mössmer adds that the demand for additives required for more eco-friendly products is expanding at a considerable pace in Asia, and particularly in China.

In terms of product innovation, Nouryon also sees significant opportunities for products that make coatings more functional, for example, with the ability to reflect heat, and for innovative coatings that can substitute for other materials at a lower cost. Clariant, too, sees increasing innovation to support more functionality, durability, and more individuality, whether that is in opening up color choices or in improving consumers’ access to healthier and more sustainable paints, such as biocide-free paints or PTFE-free coatings and inks, according to Carmen Wong, head of Clariant’s Coatings & Inks Segment. She also believes that sustainability efforts that encompass more emphasis on safety, better formulation, and application efficiencies for both paint manufacturers and end users, and efficiency improvements throughout the value chain will be highlighted at ECS 2019. “All of these trends will be driven by environmental regulations, consumer lifestyle changes, and an increased awareness regarding resource utilization and rising material and labor costs,” she comments. Sébastien Lochner, marketing manager EMEA&I Coatings at OMNOVA Solutions adds that the need for more convenient and flexible products could be a major trend fueled by both an aging population and less predictable weather.

Digitalization is yet another emerging overarching trend that will be apparent at the show. “The opportunities presented by digitalization are enormous,” asserts Pillay. For example, he notes that digital products and services can increase process effectiveness and efficiency, creating additional value for customers. “Digitalization drives innovation in business models and fosters deeper collaborations in R&D, marketing, and supply chain, offering advanced solutions in the growing coatings market,” Pillay concludes.

On an ingredient-specific level, Venturini notes that within the pigment space, the market is seeing advances in new chromophores, increased color strength, and higher chroma, with transparency increasing most dramatically. “High transparency innovations started a color trend in the automotive sector with high chroma metallic finishes, and it is now influencing color trends for everything from nail lacquers to home appliances,” he says.

New product innovations to be highlighted by exhibitors at ECS 2019 reflect these key trends. Resin and additive manufacturers are all introducing solutions that will help formulators achieve higher performance more efficiently using more environmentally friendly ingredients.

Evonik will introduce a larger number of new products ranging from a new long chain polyamide powder with higher temperature resistance for use in sophisticated coating applications and SILIKOPON® EF, which combines the properties of epoxy and silicon resins for use in ultra-high solids protective topcoats without the use of isocyanates. Easy-to-use AEROSIL fumed silicas can now undergo wetting and dispersion in a single dissolver step, and new dispersing additives from Evonik have been developed that prevent sedimentation during storage or transportation of slurries.

. . . the need for innnovation and the development of sustainable solutions will be core concepts for discussion by exhibitors and attendees.

For decorative paints, Dow will highlight a new durable matte resin, film-forming binder technology that delivers a flat/matte appearance but with semi-gloss style durability. Formulators can benefit from a simplified formulation approach thanks to high throughput research modeling analyzing the systems, according to Lazraq. The company will also be featuring new HEUR technology for broad applications.

In the area of furniture coatings, BASF will introduce advanced raw materials that provide water-based white pigmented coatings with superior stain resistance. For automotive and industrial coatings, the company will showcase new solutions for excellent corrosion protection. New products for non-reactive but highly protective industrial floor coatings and classical ternary self-leveling underlayments will be highlighted for construction applications. With respect to formulation additives, BASF will emphasize a novel concept for coatings surface modification of automotive clearcoats and industrial topcoats that affords improved durability and weathering resistance of the surface combined with additional functionalities, such as an easy-to-clean effect.

King Industries will highlight additives for waterborne systems, catalysts for low-temperature cure, and resin modifiers for high-solids systems. K-FLEX® XM-437 is a 100% solids, low-viscosity urethane diol for use as a reactive co-solvent replacement to increase solids, increase hardness while maintaining flexibility, and provide improved corrosion and humidity resistance. The company will also present new water-dispersible resin modifiers, catalysts, and corrosion inhibitors designed to tackle the challenges with waterborne coatings, including corrosion resistance, adhesion, and UV resistance and VOC-free, low-viscosity resin modifiers to increase solids in solventborne systems while improving flexibility and imparting good flow and leveling and UV and chemical resistance.

Following its recent acquisition of Portugal-based binder producer Resiquímica, Omnova will introduce its expanded range of products and technologies. BYK will be introducing 20 new additives at ECS 2019, 13 of which are suitable for use in aqueous systems. The company will also launch its new brand RHEOBYK, which includes all of its polymeric and organic rheology additives. This new market presence will be underscored by three new products, including RHEOBYK-440, an innovative liquid polyamide technology for waterborne thick layer systems.

Lubrizol will showcase its Aptalon™ polyamide polyurethane technology, and in particular Aptalon W8030, a new, waterborne, self-crosslinking, self-matting polyurethane dispersion for wood coatings. In addition, the company will highlight Solsperse™ W-Series Hyperdispersant technologies for UV and waterborne coating systems.

Nouryon will emphasize its Expancel Microspheres and Levasil Colloidal Silica for the formulation of self-cleaning elastomeric roof coatings and the use of Bermocoll® cellulose ethers to optimize the performance of water-based multicolor paints used on building facades to mimic the appearance of stone or marble at lower cost and weight. Expancel Microspheres are used in roof coatings to help reflect solar radiation and increase elasticity, while silane-modified Levasil Colloidal Silica enhances the self-cleaning properties without sacrificing other important properties. In multicolor paints, Bermocoll cellulose ether products prevent droplet agglomeration and color migration and provide adjustable gel strength and excellent color development properties. The company is also introducing Ethylan EF-60, a VOC-free freeze-thaw stability additive for waterborne coating systems that effectively replaces standard solutions such as propylene glycol.

Sun Chemical Advanced Materials will be highlighting its WATERSOL® AC Series range of waterborne acrylic emulsions for plastic, metal, and glass coatings. WATERSOL AC 3080, for example, is designed for 2K single layer coatings and provides universal adhesion as well as exceptional metallic pigment orientation. In the pigment space, Sun Chemical will emphasize Palomar Blue 15, a non-flocculating, non-crystalizing phthalo-
cyanine blue with excellent rheological and lightfastness characteristics designed to have a highly desirable green flop color in metallic automotive coatings.

DCC LANSCO, meanwhile, will introduce DCC Yellow RMXS, a bright lemon shade yellow pigment that has been designed to offer exceptional color strength (20% greater than conventional grades)—the strongest bismuth vanadate now available to the market, according to Howie. “Because of this strength, it offers significant value in use and cost for our customers,” she says. The company will also educate customers on the integration of DCC and LANSCO’s product lines following the April 2018 merger of the two firms.

Perhaps one of the most interesting approaches to ECS 2019 will be taken by Clariant, which is summing up its product highlights with the theme of sustainable cities. “Thirty years from now, 70% of the world’s population is expected to be urban, with many megacities of 10 million+ people. Balancing social, environmental, health, and economic concerns will necessitate a more conscious approach to how commercial and residential premises are designed, built, and furnished and a new look at the evolution of transport,” states Jürgen Stegmann, head of technical marketing for Coatings at Clariant. “The need to create sustainable cities already touches the paints and coatings industry, but we’ll see its impact increase,” he adds.

Clariant’s products therefore center on the positive support they can provide for creating “fit for the future” coatings for homes, the building and construction segments, automotive applications, and consumer goods. “In a nutshell, that means several new renewable-based coating additives and colorants; helping the industry to cut VOC emissions; providing more reliable, better fire protection for residential, industrial, and public buildings; and making it easier and more cost-effective to develop longer-lasting, great looking façade paints, hazard label-free coatings, boldly colored construction vehicles, and easy-to-use biocide-free interior paints,” Bernhard Stengel-Rutkowski, senior global technical marketing manager at Clariant explains. In addition, because digitalization is the basis for smart cities, Clariant will emphasize its approach via a self-guided tour through a virtual city, demonstrating the numerous products and solutions Clariant has to offer. “The European Coatings Show visitors will experience our commitment in cyberspace, supporting the industry in enhancing the cityscape intelligently and sustainably,” he concludes.

CoatingsTech | Vol. 16, No. 3 | March 2019