Resins Roundtable Resins Suppliers Navigate in Uncertain Time

By Cynthia Challener

The  rapidly evolving market conditions for paint and coating resins have left many manufacturers in a difficult situation. High raw material costs and shortages of key commodity chemicals and other an­cillary goods such as steel and alu­minum have already begun to have a significant impact on the industry.

These economic factors and the re­cent exemption of tertiary butyl ace­tate have diminished the impact of ever-increasing VOC restrictions and other regulatory pressures as the main issue for the coatings industry. Most analysts do not expect the conditions to be alleviated in 2005. Suppliers of resins to the paint and coatings marketplace must react quickly and decisively in order to remain successful during this chal­lenging period.