The COVID-19 pandemic seems to finally be coming to an end. While market conditions in 2022 were certainly not back to 2019 levels, there is reason for optimism.

In this month’s Pigments Report, we interviewed some of the key manufacturers of pigments for the paint and coatings industry.

Kevin Sonby, vice president Sales – Coatings, Plastics Specialties, Cathay Industries USA noted, “Given the strong demand we experienced during the COVID years for inorganic pigments, we expected to see things level off in 2022.  While we did see this occur in specific niche areas, our core markets of coatings, plastics and construction remained particularly strong, and we saw a year-over-year increase in the demand for our products.  The fourth quarter has started to show some weakness.”

Although supply chain issues continue to be an issue, there are incremental improvements. “There are still some problems in supply chain, but it got much better compared to middle and late 2021,” said Falko Orlowski, executive vice president marketing and sales, Trust Chem USA.  “Timing for containers form overseas have extended from four to five weeks in the past to more realistically six to eight weeks per container at still much higher cost. There are still some feedstock problems in China and India causing supply issues with specific pigments.”

This month’s cover article, The Architectural Paint Market, features insights from AkzoNobel, Benjamin Moore, PPG and Sherwin-Williams. Contributing Editor Dave Savastano reported that industry leaders he spoke with believe that 2023 will be another year of growth for the architectural coatings market.

Eric Stevenson, director of brand and product management for PPG’s Architectural Coatings business in the U.S. and Canada said, “Recent research has shown that like most consumers in the post-pandemic world, Pros are looking for shopping options that deliver flexibility and convenience. To address these evolving needs, while still delivering on the product quality that Pros have to expect from more than 135 years of industry experience, PPG is now offering Pros the option to shop through the PPG Paints App – the store that never sleeps –where they can place orders anytime, anywhere, 24/7. Not only does the PPG Paints App make it easier than ever for Pro customers to order PPG products, it also offers the option to choose from delivery to jobsite or in-store pickup – ensuring the right product is available, at the right place, at the right time.”

We are finally seeing positive conditions after nearly three years of challenges. Let’s hope 2023 will be the year the paint and coatings industry returns to pre-pandemic conditions.