Kerry Pianoforte, Editor03.11.24
This year’s CEO Forum includes CEOs from nine leading coatings companies from the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific. The participants are Gregoire Poux-Guillaume, CEO, AkzoNobel; Uta Holzenkamp, President, BASF’s Coatings Division; Dan Calkins, CEO, Benjamin Moore; Abhijit Roy, CEO, Berger Paints; João Serrenho, CEO, CIN; Michael Hansen, CEO, Hempel: Steve Crossman, COO, HMG Paints; Tim Knavish, CEO, PPG Industries and Armodios Yannidis, CEO, Vitex.
We would like to welcome Dan Calkins, CEO, Benjamin Moore for his inaugural participation in the Forum.
Key Take Aways:
While the paint and coatings industry is still seeing ripple effects from the pandemic, the general consensus among CEOs in the industry is that paint and coatings is rebounding.
Gregoire Poux-Guillaume, CEO, AkzoNobel: We expect to continue seeing positive volumes, driven by improving end market conditions and share gains across many of our activities. Our Coatings businesses, for example, have room to rebound, with volumes remaining below 2019 levels. This is also the case for Deco EMEA, where we expect a progressive rebound over the next few years.
Uta Holzenkamp, President, BASF’s Coatings Division: Compared to the previous year, which was primarily characterized by high raw material prices and supply chain disruptions, the delivery situation for different value chains has improved a lot. The automotive market has also recovered, which is largely attributed to the backlog of orders and replenished inventories following the resolution of last year’s OEM supply chain disruptions. The assumptions on the automotive market outlook for the coming years have significantly changed compared with our view in 2019. Growth is expected to be moderate globally and stagnating in Europe. Our focus remains on delivering and developing winning factors that will contribute to our customers’ success now and in the future.
Dan Calkins, CEO, Benjamin Moore: The pandemic had significant impacts on our business and while we continue to navigate the post-pandemic environment, we have seen some critical factors such as supply chain disruptions and demand level out. Through changes we made both operationally and in the business in recent years, we’ve built a new resilience and have been able to implement stronger continuity plans that enable us to weather future challenges ahead.
We would like to welcome Dan Calkins, CEO, Benjamin Moore for his inaugural participation in the Forum.
Key Take Aways:
While the paint and coatings industry is still seeing ripple effects from the pandemic, the general consensus among CEOs in the industry is that paint and coatings is rebounding.
Gregoire Poux-Guillaume, CEO, AkzoNobel: We expect to continue seeing positive volumes, driven by improving end market conditions and share gains across many of our activities. Our Coatings businesses, for example, have room to rebound, with volumes remaining below 2019 levels. This is also the case for Deco EMEA, where we expect a progressive rebound over the next few years.
Uta Holzenkamp, President, BASF’s Coatings Division: Compared to the previous year, which was primarily characterized by high raw material prices and supply chain disruptions, the delivery situation for different value chains has improved a lot. The automotive market has also recovered, which is largely attributed to the backlog of orders and replenished inventories following the resolution of last year’s OEM supply chain disruptions. The assumptions on the automotive market outlook for the coming years have significantly changed compared with our view in 2019. Growth is expected to be moderate globally and stagnating in Europe. Our focus remains on delivering and developing winning factors that will contribute to our customers’ success now and in the future.
Dan Calkins, CEO, Benjamin Moore: The pandemic had significant impacts on our business and while we continue to navigate the post-pandemic environment, we have seen some critical factors such as supply chain disruptions and demand level out. Through changes we made both operationally and in the business in recent years, we’ve built a new resilience and have been able to implement stronger continuity plans that enable us to weather future challenges ahead.
