The 36th Biennial Western Coatings Show

The 36th Biennial Western Coatings Societies Symposium and Show (WCS) was held October 15-18th at the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. This year’s theme was “The Wonder of Connecting in Living Color.” The WCS is a regional conference and trade show serving primarily, but not exclusively, the Western United Sates and Canada. According to the show organizers, the aim of the WCS is to provide educational and networking opportunities for technical individuals involved in the development and manufacturing of coatings, their employers and related venders in the coatings Industry.

The WCS how includes a three-day technical program, a two-day tabletop exhibition and opportunities for socializing and networking.

Keynote and Awards Presentation

The WCS program included the presentation of the WCS Samson-Adler Distinguished Service Award. Named for Maurice Samson (Los Angeles Chapter) and Barry Adler (San Francisco Chapter) in recognition of their pioneering efforts during the earliest days of the WCS, the award distinguishes an individual for lifetime service to their society, the WCS and coatings industry in general. Cyriac Alexander received the 2022 Samson Adler Award and Henry Kirsch received the 2023 Award.

The WCS featured two keynote speakers: Denise Hartman, senior vice president dispersions, resins and additives – Americas, BASF and Stuart Hayes, vice president regional development at Evonik.

The Leadership Panel – Leading Through Change: Insights from the Industry Experts – was an interactive session featuring presentations from experts in the paint and coatings industry and a question and answer session with attendees. The Leadership Panel was moderated by Eunice Leung, senior business development, marketing & sales leader at Covestro. The panelist included Allen Bulick, technical director Dunn-Edwards; Denise Harman, BASF; Gary LeRoux, president of the Canadian Paint and Coatings Association  and Eva O’Keefe, vice president of sales at Azelis.

The three-day event featured approximately 100 technical presentations covering three tracks running concurrently, Student Poster Sessions and more than 120 exhibitors.

Presenations at a glance

Bob Ruckle of  Siltech Corporation presented, “The Use of Modern Silicon Cross-linking Moieties to Confer Water and Oil Repellency, Release and Protection Properties to Surfaces;” “Improved Performance in Waterborne All-Acrylic Latexes without PFAS or Benzophenone,” Mary C. Chervenak, Arkema; and “The Path to Digitally Transforming Your Lab – Key Opportunities and Considerations,” Nick Talken, Albert Invent.

Highlights at the Western Coatings Show

The Azelis booth hosted Anna Bertona, who is the CEO of Azelis EMEA and also its incoming Group CEO. Accompanying Bertpna was Todd Cottrell, CEO of Americas, reinforcing the global synergy that powers our organization.

Bertona and Cottrell visited the Azelis booth, where they met with the company’s chemists who were onhand to showcase the latest groundbreaking innovations from its labs. These innovations will help provide solutions to the ever changing coatings industry.

According to a company spokesperson, “Innovation is more than a buzzword at Azelis; it is at the core of everything we do. It fuels our passion, shapes our strategies, and propels us toward excellence. Our chemists continue to push boundaries, creating solutions that inspire and transform industries. Innovation is at the core of everything we do at Azelis.”

Azelis also gave three technical presenations at the WCS: Low VOC/high performance concrete sealers ; Formulations for better Direct-To-Metal coatings; Wet state and dry state solutions for coatings; and Water-based multipurpose roof coatings.

Orion spotlighted several new sustainable carbon blacks for coatings at the WCS. The company showcased three new circular grades – one for high jetness and two for tinting applications – plus PRINTEX kappa 50 conductive carbon black.

“Guided by our sustainability strategy, we help coatings manufacturers produce sustainable materials and participate in the circular economy,” said Carlos Hernandez, marketing manager, coatings & printing systems for the Americas at Orion. “We offer circular grades based on pyrolysis oil and bio-based grades based on renewable sources, and they all meet the same application requirements as conventional specialty carbon blacks.”

The next Western Coatings Show will be held in 2025, date TBA.