DSM has merged its two coatings resins business units into one, DSM Coating Resins. Dimitri de Vreeze, President of DSM Resins & Functional Materials, expects further benefits through cost synergies and a focused one-approach-startegy to the market.

People are more and more talking about sustainability as a key issue in society. Tony Mash, CEO of BCF and CEPE’s issue manager for sustainability explains what role the coatings industry plays in this context. According to Tony Mash, one of CEPE’s main aims is to provide a database for its members that enables them to carry out full life-cycle analyses for its products.

According to Marco Sbarbaro of Assovernici, the decorative coatings market in Italy has been experiencing an upward trend since the global downturn, in both volumes and sales.

Dr Marc Hombeck, Senior Business Manager Biocides EMEA at ISP Global Technologies Deutschland GmbH, explains the impact of the revision of the Biocidal Product Directive (BPD).

One key principle in the automotive industry has always been to produce "just in time” in order to take costs out of the supply chain. This way of thinking has changed to a certain extent since last year’s earthquake in Japan, as Dr. Adalbert Huber, Merck KGaA explains in this video.

Scott Detiveaux, Senior Consultant at Orr & Boss, reviews the development of the European coatings industry.

Jan-Peter Sander, Senior Vice President Pigments and Resins Europe at BASF SE, talks about the positive development in the pigment market.

TiO₂ is a critical ingredient in most paints and coatings. It has been readily available in past years but following the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) supply has been extremely tight resulting in significant price increases but also in limited availability.

In its additive business Clariant concentrates on solutions for powder and water based technologies. According to Bernhard Ehrenreich, Vice President Head of BL Waxes at Clariant, this area bears promising growth rates. In addition, he expects a higher demand for non-halogenated flame retardants.