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The status quo in digitalisation: “The coatings industry needs to become more connected”
While parts of the coatings industry are making progress in digitalisation, many key areas remain untouched. Bojan Buinac, CEO of Bens Consulting, explains why better connectivity is essential, how labs can work more efficiently through digital tools—and why AI should be the final step, not the first.
How far do you think the coatings industry has come in terms of digitalisation?
Bojan Buinac: It varies across different areas. In high-end fields like high-throughput screening, progress has been notable. However, other crucial areas, particularly those that impact every organisation in the industry and downstream, have been largely overlooked. Interestingly, these neglected areas often have the potential for immediate, significant improvements without requiring substantial up-front investments. Instead of addressing these challenges holistically, many companies chase the “next big thing,” further fragmenting their systems. This creates confusion, inefficiencies, and increased costs. As a result, budgets are stretched thin, and organisations end up using a patchwork of disconnected digital tools—moving further away from comprehensive solutions rather than closer.
Where do you see room for improvement?
Buinac: The coatings industry needs to become more connected. Whether it’s R&D, regulatory compliance, health and safety, environmental initiatives, or even sales and marketing—these functions all rely on the same foundation: accurate, actionable product data. This isn’t just relevant for the coatings industry but extends to downstream industries as well. It starts with raw material data, which flows into R&D processes, and ends with delivering clear, compliant information to customers. The key is ensuring this data remains relevant, accurate, and accessible throughout the value chain. As I often say, a supplier’s output data—product information—is the vital input data for the next company. This foundation is an absolute must before we can even start talking about AI. No AI can solve a lack of data—it needs high-quality data to learn from and deliver meaningful results. After all, the chemical industry isn’t about generating creative content—it’s about precision, accuracy, and compliance.
Event tip: Digitalisation in Coatings Formulation
On 5 and 6 November 2025, the EC Conference “Digitalisation in Coatings Formulation – Automation and Data Tools in R&D Labs and Quality Control” will take place in Cologne, Germany. The event will focus on how digital technologies are transforming formulation, testing and quality assurance processes in the coatings industry. Participants will gain insights into the use of automated formulation systems, data-driven analysis tools and digital quality control to enhance efficiency, accuracy and innovation in product development. The conference is aimed at lab managers, R&D professionals and anyone involved in implementing or optimising digitally-aided processes in coatings production. In addition to expert presentations and the latest industry insights, the event offers plenty of opportunities for networking and exchanging ideas with researchers, practitioners and industry leaders.
Which solutions can already improve day-to-day work in the laboratory and make production processes more efficient?
Buinac: Today, people want simple, intuitive solutions that are easy to learn and use. They also need tools that allow them to accomplish more in less time. In my experience, every R&D expert in the coatings industry wants access to a raw materials database that can be directly used—without the need for manual transcription—to draft formulations. Once development is complete, they should be able to generate a Safety Data Sheet, create a compliant label, and prepare a sample for shipping to the customer with just a few clicks. After customer approval, the process should be just as seamless: creating a Technical Data Sheet, publishing the product on the website, and updating ERP and other data systems simultaneously. This isn’t some distant future—it’s already possible. With our digital platforms, Chemius and Allchemist, we’ve demonstrated that connecting value chains can reduce manual work by up to 70% and shorten the entire coatings development throughput time by 48%. These solutions save not only time and effort but also significantly reduce costs.
