There is undeniably great value to color. Noting that, the Color Pigments Manufacturers Association's (CPMA) 2007 International Conference on High Performance and Traditional Color Pigments examined "The Value of Color." The conference, co-sponsored by Rodman Publications, publisher of Coatings World, Ink World and Happi magazines and held at Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, MD, from April 25-27, 2007, offered the latest information from experts in color pigments manufacturing and related fields.

For the cosmetics, coatings and ink industries, there is indeed tremendous value in color, whether from the standpoint of packaging or the cosmetics themselves. Thomas Rabe, research fellow, Procter & Gamble, led off the conference with "The Enduring Role of Color in the Beauty Business." Rabe offered an overview of the history of cosmetics, from 3000 BC in Egypt and China through today. He noted that the gold standard is the appearance of natural flawless beauty, with men's products a growing opportunity, and the important role pigments play in both creating natural tones and new optical effects.

On hand for the CPMA Conference are, from left, Phil Linz, EMD Chemicals, USA; Dr. Richard Zhang, Merck Chemicals, China; Luiz Vieira, EMD Chemicals, USA; Dr. Carsten Handrosch, Merck KGaA, Germany; Hans-Peter Fritsch, EMD Chemicals, USA; and conference co-chair Aram Terzian of EMD Chemicals, USA.

Jon Hall, color+materials design, Ford Motor Company, followed with a powerful talk on "Trends Impacting Automotive Color." Instead of focusing on colors, Hall discussed the trend toward environmental concerns. He noted the changes can be seen in many areas, including gas prices and the interest in fuel-efficient vehicles.

"A new world is coming," he said. "There is a change in society, and developing a better world will be key. We are looking for colors made with the least environmental impact." He noted that more interior colors will be a trend.

After Hall, Dr. Gerald Fuchs-Pohl, director pigments, Merck Chemicals (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., talked about "The Challenge of Doing Business in China." He noted that with a population of 1.3 billion and 10.3% GDP growth, China is a huge market.

For coatings manufacturers, China is a great opportunity. Dr. Fuchs-Pohl anticipates annual growth of 13% through 2009, with the market growing from 3.1 million MT in 2005 to 5.03 million MT. Architectural coatings is the largest market, at approximately half of the volume of coatings, and is expected to grow at an annual rate of 11% to 2,277 million MT. Powder and wood coatings, the second- and third-largest market for pigments, are expected to grow 15% annually to 875 million MT and 700 million MT, respectively. Automotive refinish and OEM are both expected to grow at a rate of better than 20% annually.

From left, Brian Leen of Sun Chemical Performance Pigments, Andrew Zamoyski of Clariant Corporation and Myron Petruch of BASF Corporation.

Dr. Fuchs-Pohl then discussed the importance of red (luck, joy and wealth) and gold (imperial power) in Chinese culture, and noted the importance of relationships in business.

Other speakers emphasized the changes in tastes. For example, Linda Carroll, CMG, color insight manager, Ampacet Corporation, discussed trends in her talk on "AmpaVision 07/08…Future Color Intelligence." She focused on the changes in society, with the growth of web sites such as MySpace and FaceBook, and the variety of colors that are gaining in popularity, highlighting trends in our lives such as simplexity, effortless chic, eco pathways, tech fusion and societal shift.

Dr. Fuchs-Pohl's comments dovetailed quite well with David Hill, partner, Finnegan, Henderson, who discussed "Intellectual Property Protection and Enforcement in China." Hill noted that China's IP protection laws are in their relative infancy, and that companies have the choice of seeking administrative or judicial enforcement. Still, it can be a difficult process.

Kerstin Grosse, center, of Buhler, chats with Erwin Dietz, left, and Dr. Richard Castenson of Clariant Corporation.

"It's a big country, and it's going to take time," Hill concluded.

Other speakers of interest to coatings manufacturers included Dr. Bimal Patel of GE Plastics, whose topic was "New Eco-friendly Thermoplastics and Opportunities for their Coloration." Jim Delaney, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, discussed "Color Trend Vision: Forecasting Color Trends and Creating New Colors for the Marketplace," discussing some of the colors he anticipates becoming more popular, such as Elegant Blue, Natural Green, Dynamic Yellow and Orange, Animated Red and Multifaceted Gray.

Gareth Morgans, marketing specialist, color services, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, discussed "From Color Concept to Color Realization." Using the example of Coca-Cola, Morgans discussed the essential value of color-branding, differentiation, emotional attractiveness and color image-and the challenge of creating consistent, accurate color reproduction across different devices and in all media.

Ciba Specialty Chemical's Joyce Borkhoff and Naeem Mady.

Dr. Carsten Handrosch, Merck KGaA/EMD Chemicals, discussed "Pearlescent Pigments Based on Ca-Al-borosilicate – Why are They Different from Mica-Pigments?"

The conference co-chairs were pleased with the event.

"I'm very satisfied with the program," said Aram Terzian of EMD Chemicals, Inc. "The quality of the speakers and subject matter is very topical and well presented. This conference provides an excellent opportunity to exchange ideas across a wide variety of color related industries. I really hope the attendees spread the word about next year's CPMA conference."

"The conference went very well," added Mary Ellen Maxwell of Clariant Corporation. "The speakers were terrific."

From left, Conrad Chmielewski of Aeroglide and Hockmeyer Equipment Corporation's George Murphy and Daniyel Firestone.

"Our conference was very successful," said Larry Robinson, CPMA president. "The feedback we received was very favorable about the quality and variety of the presentations."

The CPMA is already planning next year's conference, which is tentatively scheduled for April in Chicago. For more information, contact CPMA at (703) 684-4044 or through the web at www.pigments.org.