Aerospace Coatings, Color Trends and Much More

The May issue of Coatings World covers a diverse range of coatings-related issues. For the “Aerospace Coatings Market” (page 26) article we interviewed industry leaders, PPG and AkzoNobel. The companies reported that airline mergers and changes in business models will continue to be major drivers to the aerospace coatings market. Additionally, with fuel costs contributing to approximately one third of airlines’ operating costs, airlines are always looking for ways to save money. Reducing weight is one way and this can be done by reducing the number of layers of paint on an aircraft. Consequently, aerospace companies are continuously working to develop innovative products with reduced weight, faster application times, longer service life and increased functionality.
“Color Trends”(page 30) examines the top paint companies’ color trend predictions. Contributing editor, Dave Savastano, takes a look at what the color experts at some of the leading paint and coatings companies are touting as this season’s next “hot” color. From metallics and earth tones to greens, blues and yellows, experts say there are colors for everyone.
Some readers may have noticed an addition to our International Coatings Scene columns. We are pleased to welcome Shem Oirere to our roster. He will be writing a bi-monthly column covering the coatings market in Africa. In this month’s column, “Road Construction Fuels Growth of Traffic Safety Solutions in Kenya,” he reports on growing opportunities for paint and coatings manufacturers in Kenya as a result of road expansion and improvement programs to accommodate increasing cargo and passenger traffic volumes and improve safety on the roads. This improvement initiative means an increased need for road marking paints, road studs, pavement markers and new partnerships to achieve quality and safer roads.