CHINACOAT2015 (The 20th China International Exhibition for Coatings, Printing Inks and Adhesives) closed its gate on November 20th at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), P. R. China. Again, it has broken some records in its exhibition scale, number of exhibitors and trade visitors.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, CHINACOAT has provided a premier showcase for the entire coatings industry:

• Gross exhibition area of 70,000 sqm (66,000 sqm indoor + 4,000 sqm outdoor)

• 29,580 registered visitors, including 24,843 domestic and 4,737 overseas visitors

• 1,088 exhibitors from 32 countries/regions, including 213 new exhibitors

• 14,900 representatives of exhibiting companies attended the show

• 4,478 visitors attended 76 sessions of technical programmes

The 2015 show created a new visitor attendance record, with those coming from domestic China increasing by 11 percent. The top-five international visitor countries included Korea, India, Japan, Malaysia and Taiwan Region.

Visitors  were able to attned a series of international technical programs, which included:

1. The 13th CHINACOAT Conference – Focused on the theme of “WOOD COATINGS - Broadening Sustainable Formulation Options”. The two-day event delivered a total of 10 technical papers.

2. Workshops – 2 sessions were held alongside the exhibition with themes of “Design and Optimisation of Coatings and Inks Formulations” and “The Evaluation of Colour.”

3. Technical Seminars – 63 sessions were delivered by international professionals and industry experts to 3,876 attendees on a broad range of issues, such as current technologies, legislations, the latest trends and markets, etc.

4. New-tech Corner – The event invited 9 engineers, scientists and technical managers to share with 450 visitors their insights on the innovative materials and technologies for producing coatings.

5. National Presentation - Focused on the theme of “A Strategical Overview of the South American Coatings Market – Present & Future” providing an overview of the coatings market in all major countries in South America.

This year’s CHINACOAT broke records in terms of exhibitor space and attendees. The show’s organizer’s Sinostar International, reported 29,580 registered visitors, including 24,843 domestic and 4,737 overseas visitors and 1,088 exhibitors from 32 countries/regions, including 213 new exhibitors.

Both exhibitors and attendees alike reported a positive experience at the show, with most companies Coatings World spoke with reporting they would be attending next year’s CHINACOAT in Guangzhou.

“CHINACOAT2015 was again a really positive event with great participation from key industry partners in both China and the wider Asia Pacific region,” said David Tierney, global head of sales at Lonza. “Our booth was well visited and we were able to meet with all of our key customers and distributors. We will definitely attend the show in Guangzhou next year.”

The Chromaflo team reported that CHINACOAT was a positive experience and that its booth was well attended by visitors. “The show was professional and the attendees were seeking information that hopefully we were able to provide for them,” Penny Liu, Chromaflo’s marketing generalist stated. “Obviously lots of attendees have great interest in our industrial coatings colorants. Most purchasers and chemists meet our sales persons right at the booth to discuss the products. We have already received calls from potential customers from the show.”

“CHINACOAT continues to grow,” said attendee Charles Hoover of Hoover Color. “It is especially interesting in watching how Chinese raw material suppliers have become more sophisticated and are now an integral part of the global coatings supply chain.” Hoover said that as he will definitely be attending CHINACOAT2016 in Guangzhou.

CHINACOAT was a great success for Atlas. “Our sales staff had meaningful discussions with booth attendees which resulted in very promising opportunities for Atlas worldwide,” said Stefani Levine, marketing services at Atlas Material Testing Technology, LLC. “The positive responses Atlas received to our product and service offerings from show attendees indicates to us that weathering testing is, and continues to be, very important for many coatings customers and their suppliers.”

Atlas reported that they were fortunate to have a steady number of visitors to the booth made up of both existing Atlas clients as well as potentially new clients. Atlas is also planning on registering to exhibit at next year’s show in Guangzhou.

Micro Powders was also pleased with this year’s show.  “This show has grown in importance over the years, reflecting the tremendous opportunities of the Chinese paint and coatings market,” said a spokesperson for Micro Powders. “As usual, the show was very crowded with exhibitors and visitors.”

In 2016, CHINACOAT will return to Guangzhou on November 30 – December 2 at the China Import and Export Fair Complex (Canton Fair Complex), and the show organizers, Sinostar International reported it will continue to deliver success from there. The show will feature exhibits from all areas of the paint and coatings industry including raw material suppliers for the production of coatings, printing inks and adhesives, powder coatings and UV/EB technology, plus measurement and testing equipment for QC/R&D, safety and health and environment.