Kerry Pianoforte, Editor12.07.20
The global powder coating market size is projected to reach more than $20.1 billion by 2027, according to Precedence Research. The global powder coating market size was valued at $12.02 billion in 2019 and is predicted to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 6.1 percent during the period 2020 to 2027.
Although powder coatings manufacturers interviewed by Coatings World reported a recovery in the market, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted business earlier
this year.
“Demand returned to growth during the third quarter for AkzoNobel’s powder coatings,” said Daniela Vlad, global business unit director, Powder Coatings, AkzoNobel. “Reopening of distribution channels and construction activities was offset by continued weakness in the automotive industry.”
“Headwinds related to COVID-19 continued to ease, although demand trends differ per region and segment in an uncertain macro-economic environment,” said Vlad. “Continued margin management and cost-saving programs are in place to address the current challenges.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the powder business earlier this year,” said Courtney Jungjohann Deemer. “We saw a decline in Asia first and then throughout the rest of the world. Fortunately, the market is recovering, although the rate of recovery differs per region and segment. We are seeing a rapid recovery in Asia, one that is projected to surpass demand from 2019.”
Customer shutdowns, record declines in consumer spending and lack of capital expenditures all challenged the powder coatings markets in 2020, especially in Q1 and Q2.
“Although most powder manufacturers were deemed essential businesses, we still saw a notable negative impact,” said Jungjohann Deemer. “Fortunately, PPG and our customers were able to adapt quickly and be creative with these new challenges. With a focus on the health and safety of our employees and their families, we uncovered ways to safely and effectively deliver goods for our customers while adjusting our operations to comply with government guidelines. As the world continues to get back to our ‘new normal,’ we are expecting to see a steady increase in powder demand that we believe will continue through 2022.”
“We continue to see strong performance of powder coatings across industry segments and regions around the globe,” said Tabitha McLeish, global marketing director – Powder Coatings, General Industrial Division at Sherwin-Williams.“It has definitely been a challenging environment, and we have seen varying rates of recovery and activity across different regions.”
Powder coatings offer advantages over liquid coatings at every point of the lifecycle. “Powder coatings have enhanced durability, exceptional chip and abrasion resistance, are low in VOCs and cost-efficient due to high transfer efficiency and reclaimability,” said Jungjohann Deemer. “From an applicator perspective, powder coatings offer low cost-of-entry to the market, low PPE requirements, do not use solvent for clean-up and have minimal impact on the environment. In addition, there are no special storage or transportation requirements and in powder coating processes, no hazardous waste is generated.”
The advantages that powder coatings bring principally center on their sustainability. “Powder coatings contain no volatile organic compounds (VOC) which give them a distinct point of difference and a unique selling point in an age of increasing environmental awareness,” said Vlad. “Powder coatings also only require a single coat application, creating strong efficiency gains and reducing the paint and drying process. They also have high utilization of material - up to 99 percent - and any overspray can be recycled, thus further minimizing waste.”
“Powder coatings are the environmentally sustainable solution and have become the finish of choice across the industry,” said McLeish. “Powder coatings are solvent-free, so during application, there is no release of VOCs or HAPs into the atmosphere and up to 90 percent of powder can be collected and reused, helping finishers with their sustainability efforts, without sacrificing the high level of performance, durability, and color retention that powder coatings offer.”
The architectural, appliance and automotive markets are all showing steady growth. “While powder has traditionally been used in these areas, confidence in powder coatings is growing and we are seeing more and more customers move to this technology because of its vast benefits,” said Jungjohann Deemer. “Powder has demonstrated exceptional durability and corrosion performance and advances in the technology have demonstrated that powder coatings are capable of higher appearance standards, lower and faster cure rates, thinner films and extended metallic color space.”
By region, Asia Pacific offers the most growth opportunities. “The biggest opportunity, is in Asia generally and China specifically, where the market is forecast to grow in 2021,” said Vlad. “Primarily this is being driven by the market size. Demand for construction is growing at a staggering rate: almost half of the world’s construction will take place in China in the coming decade and the country already builds 2 billion m2 (22 billion f2) of floor space every year – the equivalent of building a ‘new London’ every 12 months. The abovementioned advantages of using powder over liquid also create opportunities for growth.”
“China consumes around 50 percent of the global market and is by far the biggest consumer of powder, based on its large role a world-producer of finished goods,” added Vlad.
“Penetration in other regions is increasing, following a liquid to powder trend.”
“Asia Pacific is by far the largest powder consuming region, and continues to be the fastest-growing coatings market for powder followed by Europe and North America in market size,” said Jungjohann Deemer. “The key drivers of growth include gross domestic product (GDP), residential and architectural construction, industrial and automotive production.”
During Q3, AkzoNobel completed the acquisition of Stahl Performance Powder Coatings and its range of products for heat-sensitive substrates. “The deal gives us accelerated access to unique low curing technology which is the only one of its kind in the powder coatings industry. It includes both UV and thermally curing powders and will enable the company to penetrate the ultra-low cure (80-100°C) domain,” said Vlad. “Another exciting launch was in Q2 for our Interpon range of powder coatings. We expanded our antimicrobial offering (which already includes products for hygiene sensitive environments such as hospitals) by enhancing the functionality of our Interpon D1000 and 2000 range of architectural powder coatings.”
At the end of 2021, AkzoNobel will launch its new Futura collection. Collection Futura is a range of super-durable architectural powder coatings that meet the contemporary trends in architectural design.
The Futura range is updated regularly in cooperation with leading trend, design and innovation consultants. The range includes four themes aimed to inspire architectural designers with innovative and appealing finishes that meet the requirements of Qualicoat 2, AAMA2604 and GSB Master.
On Earth Day, the General Industrial Division of Sherwin-Williams launched Powdura ECO – the first and only line of powder coatings that uses innovative polyester resins comprised of 25 percent pre-consumer recycled plastic (rPET).
“Powdura ECO powder coatings promote sustainability throughout the supply chain and builds on the concepts of a circular economy to help reduce plastic pollution, hence using somebody else’s waste and reusing it as one of our core raw materials,” said McLeish. “The range of platforms consists of polyester TGIC, TGIC-free, and polyester/epoxy hybrids.
Compared to traditional liquid coatings, Powder Coatings have already long been considered environmentally friendly and have offered customers numerous advantages such as low-to-no VOCs or HAPs, reduced waste through reclaimability, and lower transport costs.”
According to McLeish, the new Powdura ECO Platforms improve the sustainability of powder coating products with an even more meaningful reduction in environmental footprint, making these platforms an optimal choice for manufacturers interested in reducing plastic waste and carbon emissions and provides another way to differentiate their offerings from the competition. Powdura ECO coatings are suitable for interior and exterior environments and various applications such as lawn equipment, transportation vehicles, consumer goods, electrical enclosures, retail fixtures, metal office furniture, and appliances. Powdura ECO coatings can also be customized to meet specification requirements. Together, with our customers, we believe we can have a significant positive impact on our surrounding environment.”
PPG recently launched the Envirocron Extreme Protection EDGE powder coating technology. This innovative advanced powder coating technology delivers exceptional edge corrosion protection in one coat. Specially formulated to cover sharp edges created during metal fabrication, Envirocron Extreme Protection EDGE delivers film build coverage of greater than 20 microns on edges, far surpassing standard one-coat and two-coat powder systems, and providing exceptional edge corrosion performance. For customers interested in primer, we also offer PPG Extreme Protection EDGE primer that can be used with traditional topcoats to give even more edge protection in the field.
“With our March 2020 acquisition of Alpha Coating Technologies, PPG has expanded our powder coatings offering,” said Jungjohann Deemer. “This acquisition also has enabled us to launch our quick-ship program for powder coatings. Our customers can receive powder coatings with two-day shipping orders in the top 30 RAL colors that weigh up to 200 pounds (91 kilograms). We’re offering five-day shipping on orders for SilverSan coating in 170 alternative RAL colors, or on shipments that weigh more than 200 pounds.”
“We have also introduced PPG SILVERSAN antimicrobial**-protected powder coatings, specially formulated with silver* ionic technology,” said Jungjohann Deemer. “Our powder coatings slowly release silver ions, which helps protects the cured paint film from the growth of microbes which can damage coated surfaces. The protection from microbial growth remains constant, even if the surface has been subjected to wear and exterior exposure.”
PPG will also be releasing its newest powder product in the upcoming weeks. “Thanks to recent advancements in low-bake technology, we are pleased to offer PPG Envirocron HeatSense powder coatings for heat-sensitive wood and wood-composite substrates,” said Jungjohann Deemer. “These coatings – coupled with a perfected, strictly regimented application and curing process — overcome the traditional barriers to powder coating wood. The result is a tough, durable coating that delivers clear advantages over competing finishing technologies in aesthetics and functionality.”
*Silver is a registered pesticide with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which states that pesticides are used to prevent, destroy, repel or mitigate any pest ranging from insects and animals and weeds to microorganisms such as fungi, bacteria and viruses.
**Antimicrobial is limited to the treated surface to provide mold and mildew resistance on the paint film and to inhibit the growth of stain and odor-causing bacteria that may affect the surface of the coating. The use of these products does not protect users of any such treated article or others against food-borne or disease-causing bacteria, viruses, germs or other disease-causing organisms.
The Powder Coating Institute (PCI) announced that Powder Coating Week 2021 will move from February to April 27-30. Given the uncertainty in the world, it was decided to move the event further into the Spring. PCI secured the same space for the event with the new dates at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld® in Orlando, FL.
“This is such an important event for the powder coating industry,” said Kevin Coursin, PCI’s executive director. “It’s the place that our entire industry comes together for education and networking each year. We hope the date change will allow more people to attend. While the Renaissance has put a tremendous effort into attendee safety for our event, it was decided a later date would provide a better opportunity for everyone to be able to travel to Orlando.”
The schedule for the week remains the same beginning with the Powder Coating 101 Workshop: The Basics and the Custom Coater Forum on Tuesday, April 27 and Wednesday, April 28. The Powder Coating Technical Conference & Tabletops will follow on Thursday, April 29 and Friday, April 30.
For complete details and to register, visit Powder Coating Week’s website: https://conference.powdercoating.org/
Although powder coatings manufacturers interviewed by Coatings World reported a recovery in the market, the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted business earlier
this year.
“Demand returned to growth during the third quarter for AkzoNobel’s powder coatings,” said Daniela Vlad, global business unit director, Powder Coatings, AkzoNobel. “Reopening of distribution channels and construction activities was offset by continued weakness in the automotive industry.”
“Headwinds related to COVID-19 continued to ease, although demand trends differ per region and segment in an uncertain macro-economic environment,” said Vlad. “Continued margin management and cost-saving programs are in place to address the current challenges.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the powder business earlier this year,” said Courtney Jungjohann Deemer. “We saw a decline in Asia first and then throughout the rest of the world. Fortunately, the market is recovering, although the rate of recovery differs per region and segment. We are seeing a rapid recovery in Asia, one that is projected to surpass demand from 2019.”
Customer shutdowns, record declines in consumer spending and lack of capital expenditures all challenged the powder coatings markets in 2020, especially in Q1 and Q2.
“Although most powder manufacturers were deemed essential businesses, we still saw a notable negative impact,” said Jungjohann Deemer. “Fortunately, PPG and our customers were able to adapt quickly and be creative with these new challenges. With a focus on the health and safety of our employees and their families, we uncovered ways to safely and effectively deliver goods for our customers while adjusting our operations to comply with government guidelines. As the world continues to get back to our ‘new normal,’ we are expecting to see a steady increase in powder demand that we believe will continue through 2022.”
“We continue to see strong performance of powder coatings across industry segments and regions around the globe,” said Tabitha McLeish, global marketing director – Powder Coatings, General Industrial Division at Sherwin-Williams.“It has definitely been a challenging environment, and we have seen varying rates of recovery and activity across different regions.”
Powder coatings offer advantages over liquid coatings at every point of the lifecycle. “Powder coatings have enhanced durability, exceptional chip and abrasion resistance, are low in VOCs and cost-efficient due to high transfer efficiency and reclaimability,” said Jungjohann Deemer. “From an applicator perspective, powder coatings offer low cost-of-entry to the market, low PPE requirements, do not use solvent for clean-up and have minimal impact on the environment. In addition, there are no special storage or transportation requirements and in powder coating processes, no hazardous waste is generated.”
The advantages that powder coatings bring principally center on their sustainability. “Powder coatings contain no volatile organic compounds (VOC) which give them a distinct point of difference and a unique selling point in an age of increasing environmental awareness,” said Vlad. “Powder coatings also only require a single coat application, creating strong efficiency gains and reducing the paint and drying process. They also have high utilization of material - up to 99 percent - and any overspray can be recycled, thus further minimizing waste.”
“Powder coatings are the environmentally sustainable solution and have become the finish of choice across the industry,” said McLeish. “Powder coatings are solvent-free, so during application, there is no release of VOCs or HAPs into the atmosphere and up to 90 percent of powder can be collected and reused, helping finishers with their sustainability efforts, without sacrificing the high level of performance, durability, and color retention that powder coatings offer.”
The architectural, appliance and automotive markets are all showing steady growth. “While powder has traditionally been used in these areas, confidence in powder coatings is growing and we are seeing more and more customers move to this technology because of its vast benefits,” said Jungjohann Deemer. “Powder has demonstrated exceptional durability and corrosion performance and advances in the technology have demonstrated that powder coatings are capable of higher appearance standards, lower and faster cure rates, thinner films and extended metallic color space.”
By region, Asia Pacific offers the most growth opportunities. “The biggest opportunity, is in Asia generally and China specifically, where the market is forecast to grow in 2021,” said Vlad. “Primarily this is being driven by the market size. Demand for construction is growing at a staggering rate: almost half of the world’s construction will take place in China in the coming decade and the country already builds 2 billion m2 (22 billion f2) of floor space every year – the equivalent of building a ‘new London’ every 12 months. The abovementioned advantages of using powder over liquid also create opportunities for growth.”
“China consumes around 50 percent of the global market and is by far the biggest consumer of powder, based on its large role a world-producer of finished goods,” added Vlad.
“Penetration in other regions is increasing, following a liquid to powder trend.”
“Asia Pacific is by far the largest powder consuming region, and continues to be the fastest-growing coatings market for powder followed by Europe and North America in market size,” said Jungjohann Deemer. “The key drivers of growth include gross domestic product (GDP), residential and architectural construction, industrial and automotive production.”
During Q3, AkzoNobel completed the acquisition of Stahl Performance Powder Coatings and its range of products for heat-sensitive substrates. “The deal gives us accelerated access to unique low curing technology which is the only one of its kind in the powder coatings industry. It includes both UV and thermally curing powders and will enable the company to penetrate the ultra-low cure (80-100°C) domain,” said Vlad. “Another exciting launch was in Q2 for our Interpon range of powder coatings. We expanded our antimicrobial offering (which already includes products for hygiene sensitive environments such as hospitals) by enhancing the functionality of our Interpon D1000 and 2000 range of architectural powder coatings.”
At the end of 2021, AkzoNobel will launch its new Futura collection. Collection Futura is a range of super-durable architectural powder coatings that meet the contemporary trends in architectural design.
The Futura range is updated regularly in cooperation with leading trend, design and innovation consultants. The range includes four themes aimed to inspire architectural designers with innovative and appealing finishes that meet the requirements of Qualicoat 2, AAMA2604 and GSB Master.
On Earth Day, the General Industrial Division of Sherwin-Williams launched Powdura ECO – the first and only line of powder coatings that uses innovative polyester resins comprised of 25 percent pre-consumer recycled plastic (rPET).
“Powdura ECO powder coatings promote sustainability throughout the supply chain and builds on the concepts of a circular economy to help reduce plastic pollution, hence using somebody else’s waste and reusing it as one of our core raw materials,” said McLeish. “The range of platforms consists of polyester TGIC, TGIC-free, and polyester/epoxy hybrids.
Compared to traditional liquid coatings, Powder Coatings have already long been considered environmentally friendly and have offered customers numerous advantages such as low-to-no VOCs or HAPs, reduced waste through reclaimability, and lower transport costs.”
According to McLeish, the new Powdura ECO Platforms improve the sustainability of powder coating products with an even more meaningful reduction in environmental footprint, making these platforms an optimal choice for manufacturers interested in reducing plastic waste and carbon emissions and provides another way to differentiate their offerings from the competition. Powdura ECO coatings are suitable for interior and exterior environments and various applications such as lawn equipment, transportation vehicles, consumer goods, electrical enclosures, retail fixtures, metal office furniture, and appliances. Powdura ECO coatings can also be customized to meet specification requirements. Together, with our customers, we believe we can have a significant positive impact on our surrounding environment.”
PPG recently launched the Envirocron Extreme Protection EDGE powder coating technology. This innovative advanced powder coating technology delivers exceptional edge corrosion protection in one coat. Specially formulated to cover sharp edges created during metal fabrication, Envirocron Extreme Protection EDGE delivers film build coverage of greater than 20 microns on edges, far surpassing standard one-coat and two-coat powder systems, and providing exceptional edge corrosion performance. For customers interested in primer, we also offer PPG Extreme Protection EDGE primer that can be used with traditional topcoats to give even more edge protection in the field.
“With our March 2020 acquisition of Alpha Coating Technologies, PPG has expanded our powder coatings offering,” said Jungjohann Deemer. “This acquisition also has enabled us to launch our quick-ship program for powder coatings. Our customers can receive powder coatings with two-day shipping orders in the top 30 RAL colors that weigh up to 200 pounds (91 kilograms). We’re offering five-day shipping on orders for SilverSan coating in 170 alternative RAL colors, or on shipments that weigh more than 200 pounds.”
“We have also introduced PPG SILVERSAN antimicrobial**-protected powder coatings, specially formulated with silver* ionic technology,” said Jungjohann Deemer. “Our powder coatings slowly release silver ions, which helps protects the cured paint film from the growth of microbes which can damage coated surfaces. The protection from microbial growth remains constant, even if the surface has been subjected to wear and exterior exposure.”
PPG will also be releasing its newest powder product in the upcoming weeks. “Thanks to recent advancements in low-bake technology, we are pleased to offer PPG Envirocron HeatSense powder coatings for heat-sensitive wood and wood-composite substrates,” said Jungjohann Deemer. “These coatings – coupled with a perfected, strictly regimented application and curing process — overcome the traditional barriers to powder coating wood. The result is a tough, durable coating that delivers clear advantages over competing finishing technologies in aesthetics and functionality.”
*Silver is a registered pesticide with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which states that pesticides are used to prevent, destroy, repel or mitigate any pest ranging from insects and animals and weeds to microorganisms such as fungi, bacteria and viruses.
**Antimicrobial is limited to the treated surface to provide mold and mildew resistance on the paint film and to inhibit the growth of stain and odor-causing bacteria that may affect the surface of the coating. The use of these products does not protect users of any such treated article or others against food-borne or disease-causing bacteria, viruses, germs or other disease-causing organisms.
The Powder Coating Institute (PCI) announced that Powder Coating Week 2021 will move from February to April 27-30. Given the uncertainty in the world, it was decided to move the event further into the Spring. PCI secured the same space for the event with the new dates at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld® in Orlando, FL.
“This is such an important event for the powder coating industry,” said Kevin Coursin, PCI’s executive director. “It’s the place that our entire industry comes together for education and networking each year. We hope the date change will allow more people to attend. While the Renaissance has put a tremendous effort into attendee safety for our event, it was decided a later date would provide a better opportunity for everyone to be able to travel to Orlando.”
The schedule for the week remains the same beginning with the Powder Coating 101 Workshop: The Basics and the Custom Coater Forum on Tuesday, April 27 and Wednesday, April 28. The Powder Coating Technical Conference & Tabletops will follow on Thursday, April 29 and Friday, April 30.
For complete details and to register, visit Powder Coating Week’s website: https://conference.powdercoating.org/
