Organized by Sinostar-ITE International Limited, CHINACOAT is a major international platform for coatings and ink industry manufacturers and suppliers, particularly from the China and Asia-Pacific region. CHINACOAT is a prime opportunity for industry leaders to gather together and learn about the latest developments.

CHINACOAT2023 will return to the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) from Nov. 15-17. Founded in 1996, this year’s show, the 28th edition of CHINACOAT, will be both in-person as well as online.

Now that we are past the pandemic, CHINACOAT has returned to its pre-pandemic numbers. Last year’s show, which was held in Guangzhou, brought together 33,427 industry professionals, including 33,224 Domestic China and 203 overseas visitors. There were 608 exhibitors from 15 countries/regions, 103 of whom were new to CHINACOAT. More than 1,000 attendees participated in the technical programs last year.

Sinostar spoke about the importance of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) City Cluster, which is one of the nation’s most vibrant regions, offering a dynamic economy and strong innovation capabilities.

“The cluster consists of 26 cities from Shanghai municipality and Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces, covering merely 2.2% of the nation’s land area but contributing to 24% of the nation’s GDP in 2022,” Sinostar said. “Some of its industrial clusters such as electronic information, high-end equipment, automobiles, household appliances and chemicals are in leading positions. CHINACOAT2023 will take place in Shanghai, where it serves as a strategic location to host such global event that cannot be missed by any players in our industry.”

In his Asia Pacific paint and coatings market overview in September 2023’s Coatings World, Douglas Bohn of Orr & Boss Consulting Incorporated reported that the Asia Pacific coatings market is estimated to be 27 billion liters and $88 billion, with Decorative the largest segment at an estimated 38.7% of the market. Greater China is the largest geographic sub-region of the Asia Pacific coatings market at 55%.

“Going forward, we expect the Asia Pacific paint and coatings market to grow at above the global average rates,” Bohn reported. “There are some near-term headwinds occurring in Asia that will limit that growth this year and possibly next year. These headwinds include a slowing economy in China as well as continued high inflation and high interest rates, which is suppressing building and construction activity and thus demand for paint and coatings. Despite these near-term headwinds we remain relatively optimistic about the future of the paint and coatings industry in Asia Pacific.”

As for China, Bohn said that one of the short-term challenges is that the Chinese coatings market is not rebounding quite as fast as previously thought.

“After an initial rebound in Q1 of this year, the Chinese economy has struggled,” he noted. “The real estate market is having trouble. Also, manufacturing is not returning as fast as previously thought.”

As for trends, Bohn said that many of the trends impacting the Asian paint and coatings markets are similar to those impacting other geographic markets around the world.

“First, continued inflation and relatively high interest rates have led to decreased building and construction activity in many countries of Asia. A decrease in building and construction activity results in lower demand for decorative as well as coil, wood and even some general industrial and powder sub-segments,” Bohn said.

“The other major trend impacting all markets globally is the sustainability trend,” he added. “Consumers and companies alike are looking to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly. This is helping propel growth in powder coatings, radiation-cured coatings, and other environmentally friendly paint and coatings products.

“Another trend is that infrastructure spending is relatively high across the region,” Bohn noted. “Thus, civil construction projects are growing at relatively high rates. This would include any project related to green energy so coatings for windmills and solar panels are benefitting.

“Finally, there is a trend towards on-shoring and near-shoring,” added Bohn. “The COVID pandemic exposed the fragility of the global supply chain. Manufacturing companies are moving production to various countries to avoid being reliant on one country. Within Asia, India and Vietnam are benefitting from this trend. Outside of Asia, Mexico is also benefitting from this trend.

“Overall, we remain optimistic about the Asia paint and coatings market,” Bohn concluded. “There are some near-term challenges like slower growth than expected in China, high inflation and interest rates, and challenging economic and financial conditions in some countries. But overall, the economic trends are moving in the right direction, and we expect the paint and coatings market to follow those trends.”

In-Person Exhibition

Sinostar reported that this year’s CHINACOAT will be held in seven and a half exhibition halls (Halls E2, E3, E4, E5, E6, E7, E8 and E9), with a total gross exhibition area of more than 70,000 square meters.

As of Aug. 31, 2023, there were 942 exhibitors from 30 countries/regions in the five exhibit zones.

Exhibitors will showcase their products and services in five exhibit zones: China and International Raw Materials; China Machinery, Instrument and Services; International Machinery, Instrument and Services; UV/EB Technology and Products; and Powder Coatings Technology.

Technical Programs

Technical Seminars and Webinars will be held alongside the exhibition, featuring exhibitors and researchers who will be on hand to provide their expertise. These include:
• Technical Seminars and Webinars – These will be offered on site as well as online.
• Technical Workshops – There will be two Technical Workshops offered:

Workshop 1: Unveiling the Secrets Behind High-Margin Functional Coatings and Inks – Sinostar reports that Professor Lin Long is going to give an in-depth introduction to various functional coatings and inks that are beyond decoration or protection of the coated/printed substrate.

For example, functional coatings can include applications such as temperature-regulating coatings for buildings or infrared invisible coatings for military applications. Examples of functional inks include those used in medical diagnostic sensors, passports and ID cards.

Workshop 2: New Technologies of Pigment Modification and Functionalization – Associate professor K.M. Chen is going to discuss emerging trends in pigments, as well as how to better display the characteristics of pigments.

Online Show

CHINACOAT will also offer its Online Show at www.chinacoatonline.net, a multi-media platform that allows exhibitors and visitors to interact.

The Online Show will be held in conjunction with the three-day exhibition in Shanghai. Sinostar noted that the online edition includes Exhibitor and Visitor Onsite Interviews, Technical Webinar Live Broadcast and Tech Talk Videos, and several interactive functions such as Chat, Company/Product Search and Business Matching.

The Online Show will be available before and after the physical exhibition from Nov. 1 until Dec. 31, 2023.