Axalta Coating Systems Takes Part in Global Qualicoat and Qualideco Congress in London

Axalta Coating Systems was a gold sponsor at the Qualicoat and Qualideco Congress 2016, held in London, England, recently. The global event aims to present past, present and future aspects of coating and decorating and is billed as the aluminum finishing event of the year.

Franck Derouen, Axalta’s global segment director for architectural powder coatings, presented to over 120 delegates alongside Cristobal Bernal, Bimetica’s Chief Technical Officer, about the impact of building information modelling (BIM) digital management processes on aluminum finishing. BIMs are digital files that can be exchanged or networked to support decision-making during a project. Their main advantage is that they integrate technical information and allow the ability to create a virtual construction of a facility before its physical construction. This increase in functionality promotes efficiency and sustainability, and reduces errors and cost overrun.

“Being able to simulate these construction scenarios virtually gives us the ability to make decisions sooner and improve a project’s energy efficiency and construction time and budget,” stated Derouen. “BIM is increasingly being used globally in the construction industry. The European government mandates to implement BIM gradually in centrally-procured public sector projects as a driver for the industry to update its practices to achieve more collaboration and to produce information-rich projects.”

Axalta, as a global leader in architectural powder coating sold under the Alesta® brand, fits well with the sustainable trend of the event due to its small environmental footprint. The powder coatings are free of solvents and virtually free of VOCs and HAPs. Overspray can also be reused to reduce waste. These qualities matched with its weatherability and high color retention make it ideal for application on aluminum extrusions while meeting Qualicoat and other international standards.

“Globally, Axalta is a key player in the architectural coatings sector, so participation in one of the industry’s premier global conferences, such as Qualicoat and Qualideco Congress 2016, enables us to stay close to the market and to hear directly from our customers about how we can continue to serve them better,” added Derouen.