Kerry Pianoforte, Editor04.04.24
Coating resins are used as a primary component in the manufacture of paints, coatings, adhesives and other related products. They are essential in providing required properties of coatings such as adhesion, durability and resistance to damaging environmental factors such as UV exposure, moisture and temperature fluctuations.
The global coating resins market was valued at $53.2 billion in 2021 and the coating resins industry is projected to reach a value of $73.3 billion by 2028 at a CAGR over the forecast period, according to a recent report from Vantage Market Research.
“In 2023, we navigated a challenging landscape marked by macro-economic uncertainty,” said Makarand Gawade, global marketing director, EPS. “This led to a notable decline in existing home sales and new housing starts in North America year-on-year, while industrial production was largely stagnant. This downturn caused a drop in coatings demand. The macro environment feels better today than it did a year ago, but it still contains a number of uncertainties. We feel good about the new products that we are bringing to the market this year, which should help us to drive growth.”
As the devastating impact of the pandemic has receded, raw material shortages and supply chain issues have markedly improved.
“The underlying factors contributing to raw material shortages and supply chain disruptions during the pandemic have seen considerable improvement,” noted Gawade. “Issues such as freight delays, labor shortages, and raw material bottlenecks, which were prominent at the pandemic’s peak, have broadly eased. However, the level of improvement varies by raw material and region. Overall, supply chains have stabilized, and we expect future production to align more closely with end-use demand.”
Balancing customer demands with the rising costs associated with manufacturing resins is a challenge facing suppliers.
“We create operational efficiencies for our customers through our differentiated portfolio that enables faster line speed and curing, along with high-solids polymers,” said Gawade. “Additionally, we focus on delivering key attributes that improve durability, such as advanced dirt pickup resistance and bleed blocking.”
In addition, EPS’s national manufacturing grid, with plants in Oregon, California, Texas, Illinois, South Carolina and Maryland, enable them to improve supply chain efficiency in response to their customers’ needs.
As is the case across the entire paint and coatings industry, sustainability has become the key driver for growth and innovation.
“The demand for polymers with sustainability attributes is on the rise and to stay ahead of the market, we’ve been proactively innovating and focusing our development efforts on coatings for cool roofs, a new biobased polymer, and offering near-zero VOC capabilities without fluorosurfactants.
“Customers are also seeking innovations that improve efficiency and offer greater flexibility and versatility,” he continued. “Customers value features like wider application windows, adhesion to multiple substrates, quicker drying times, effectiveness in thin film applications, and enhanced durability.”
Arkema achieved a new breakthrough in its sustainability efforts with the ISCC+ certification of its Villers-Saint-Paul site in France.
The Mass Balance approach enables Arkema to launch a new range of bio-attributed UV-LED-EB curable resins offering up to 40% carbon footprint reduction versus fossil equivalents.
Villers Saint Paul site became the first UV-LED-EB curable resins manufacturing site in Europe to receive ISCC+ certification. This certification allows Arkema to offer a new range of Sartomer bio-attributed solutions, reinforcing the already existing bio-segregated range containing up to 85% bio-based content.
“Mass balance certification across the entire value chain enables Arkema’s customers to decarbonize and accelerates the industry shift towards more sustainable alternatives, with direct drop-in performance solutions,” said Laurent Peyronneau, global president UV/3D specialties.
This achievement is another step towards completing a network of ISCC+ certified plants across the world, enabling Arkema’s strategy to progressively introduce a complete range of bio-attributed specialty resins and additives, such as high solids, waterborne, UV-LED-EB, and polyester powder resins.
EPS recently launched a biobased acrylic copolymer for high-performance furniture and wood finishes in EMEIA. PC-Mull 815 has a calculated biobased content of up to 15% with a performance comparable to that of 100% fossil-based products. This innovative biobased polymer was designed to meet high chemical resistance requirements and provide block resistance, minimizing the risk of damage to coated substrates when stacked.
For the North American market, EPS offers EPS 2786, an all-acrylic polymer that enables formulators to develop near-zero VOC formulations without fluorosurfactants. This is a versatile polymer for semi-gloss to high gloss enamels, ideal for institutional, commercial or other high-traffic areas. EPS also offers a line of polymers for roofing applications. These products provide outstanding bleed blocking and dirt pickup resistance, helping roofs remain white and reflective for longer, thus contributing to overall energy savings.
“Another highlight is that our EPS Europe business was recently honored with a gold medal from EcoVadis, a respected provider of business sustainability ratings,” said Gawade. “The EcoVadis assessment scrutinizes 21 sustainability criteria across four main themes: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. With over 85,000 companies globally having been rated by EcoVadis, a gold medal recognition places EPS in the top 5%. This marks our dedication to contributing to the industry’s commitment to sustainability.”
EPS will be launching EPS 2210 at the American Coatings Show. “This is a new acrylic emulsion for elastomeric wall and roof coatings, capable of conforming to ASTM D6083 Type II standards while still providing excellent asphalt bleed-through and dirt pickup resistance,” said Gawade. “In 2023 we introduced EPS 2585, a high solids acrylic emulsion for <100g/L VOC direct-to-metal (DTM) applications with increased hardness, flexibility, and corrosion resistance. This polymer can be used for exterior applications as it offers gloss retention and adhesion to multiple substrates.”
Arkema has begun production of Sartomer specialty UV/LED curing resins at its expanded facility in Nansha, China, where the group invested to double the capacity. This will support the development of more sustainable solutions for fast-growing applications in Asian markets, such as solutions in electronics, driven by 5G technology, and in renewable energies.
According to a release from Arkema, the Nansha capacity expansion leverages the most recent process and manufacturing standards. The whole plant has an energy efficiency program and aims at carbon neutral growth through green electricity purchasing and the installation of solar panels.
“Doubling the capacity of the Nansha plant will allow us to support the growth, innovation and regional supply of our customers in Asia. The accelerating need for lower carbon solutions is creating new opportunities for the UV/LED curing technology, which is expanding fast to a wider range of substrates and applications” said Richard Jenkins, senior vice president of Arkema’s Coating Solutions.
This key project is part of the Arkema’s strategy to expand its portfolio of high performance and sustainable materials, including UV/LED, powder, waterborne and high solid technologies.
Arkema also announced the doubling of its polyester resins capacity in its Navi Mumbai facility in India, reinforcing the company’s leadership position in the global powder coatings market and its commitment to developing very low-VOC technologies.
Arkema invested in the Navi Mumbai facility in early 2019 to expand geographic coverage of its high performance, more sustainable, low-VOC products, and to support its customers in their development. The site includes a modern manufacturing unit and a dedicated laboratory to provide application development and technical support in the region.
In order to support its customers’ growth in the area, in particular in mobility, household and industrial applications, including automotive, home appliances, furniture and sports infrastructure, Arkema is now doubling the capacity of its Reafree powder polyester resins in its Navi Mumbai facility.
“India is a key growth market for both the powder coatings industry and for Arkema,” Neil Tariq, global business director for Coating Resins said. “Arkema is the first international leader in powder coating resins to make significant investments in the area. Powder coating resins enable low waste, solvent-free and high durability solutions, which make this technology key to the sustainable development of our customers and partners.”
The global coating resins market was valued at $53.2 billion in 2021 and the coating resins industry is projected to reach a value of $73.3 billion by 2028 at a CAGR over the forecast period, according to a recent report from Vantage Market Research.
“In 2023, we navigated a challenging landscape marked by macro-economic uncertainty,” said Makarand Gawade, global marketing director, EPS. “This led to a notable decline in existing home sales and new housing starts in North America year-on-year, while industrial production was largely stagnant. This downturn caused a drop in coatings demand. The macro environment feels better today than it did a year ago, but it still contains a number of uncertainties. We feel good about the new products that we are bringing to the market this year, which should help us to drive growth.”
As the devastating impact of the pandemic has receded, raw material shortages and supply chain issues have markedly improved.
“The underlying factors contributing to raw material shortages and supply chain disruptions during the pandemic have seen considerable improvement,” noted Gawade. “Issues such as freight delays, labor shortages, and raw material bottlenecks, which were prominent at the pandemic’s peak, have broadly eased. However, the level of improvement varies by raw material and region. Overall, supply chains have stabilized, and we expect future production to align more closely with end-use demand.”
Balancing customer demands with the rising costs associated with manufacturing resins is a challenge facing suppliers.
“We create operational efficiencies for our customers through our differentiated portfolio that enables faster line speed and curing, along with high-solids polymers,” said Gawade. “Additionally, we focus on delivering key attributes that improve durability, such as advanced dirt pickup resistance and bleed blocking.”
In addition, EPS’s national manufacturing grid, with plants in Oregon, California, Texas, Illinois, South Carolina and Maryland, enable them to improve supply chain efficiency in response to their customers’ needs.
As is the case across the entire paint and coatings industry, sustainability has become the key driver for growth and innovation.
“The demand for polymers with sustainability attributes is on the rise and to stay ahead of the market, we’ve been proactively innovating and focusing our development efforts on coatings for cool roofs, a new biobased polymer, and offering near-zero VOC capabilities without fluorosurfactants.
“Customers are also seeking innovations that improve efficiency and offer greater flexibility and versatility,” he continued. “Customers value features like wider application windows, adhesion to multiple substrates, quicker drying times, effectiveness in thin film applications, and enhanced durability.”
Arkema achieved a new breakthrough in its sustainability efforts with the ISCC+ certification of its Villers-Saint-Paul site in France.
The Mass Balance approach enables Arkema to launch a new range of bio-attributed UV-LED-EB curable resins offering up to 40% carbon footprint reduction versus fossil equivalents.
Villers Saint Paul site became the first UV-LED-EB curable resins manufacturing site in Europe to receive ISCC+ certification. This certification allows Arkema to offer a new range of Sartomer bio-attributed solutions, reinforcing the already existing bio-segregated range containing up to 85% bio-based content.
“Mass balance certification across the entire value chain enables Arkema’s customers to decarbonize and accelerates the industry shift towards more sustainable alternatives, with direct drop-in performance solutions,” said Laurent Peyronneau, global president UV/3D specialties.
This achievement is another step towards completing a network of ISCC+ certified plants across the world, enabling Arkema’s strategy to progressively introduce a complete range of bio-attributed specialty resins and additives, such as high solids, waterborne, UV-LED-EB, and polyester powder resins.
EPS recently launched a biobased acrylic copolymer for high-performance furniture and wood finishes in EMEIA. PC-Mull 815 has a calculated biobased content of up to 15% with a performance comparable to that of 100% fossil-based products. This innovative biobased polymer was designed to meet high chemical resistance requirements and provide block resistance, minimizing the risk of damage to coated substrates when stacked.
For the North American market, EPS offers EPS 2786, an all-acrylic polymer that enables formulators to develop near-zero VOC formulations without fluorosurfactants. This is a versatile polymer for semi-gloss to high gloss enamels, ideal for institutional, commercial or other high-traffic areas. EPS also offers a line of polymers for roofing applications. These products provide outstanding bleed blocking and dirt pickup resistance, helping roofs remain white and reflective for longer, thus contributing to overall energy savings.
“Another highlight is that our EPS Europe business was recently honored with a gold medal from EcoVadis, a respected provider of business sustainability ratings,” said Gawade. “The EcoVadis assessment scrutinizes 21 sustainability criteria across four main themes: Environment, Labor & Human Rights, Ethics, and Sustainable Procurement. With over 85,000 companies globally having been rated by EcoVadis, a gold medal recognition places EPS in the top 5%. This marks our dedication to contributing to the industry’s commitment to sustainability.”
EPS will be launching EPS 2210 at the American Coatings Show. “This is a new acrylic emulsion for elastomeric wall and roof coatings, capable of conforming to ASTM D6083 Type II standards while still providing excellent asphalt bleed-through and dirt pickup resistance,” said Gawade. “In 2023 we introduced EPS 2585, a high solids acrylic emulsion for <100g/L VOC direct-to-metal (DTM) applications with increased hardness, flexibility, and corrosion resistance. This polymer can be used for exterior applications as it offers gloss retention and adhesion to multiple substrates.”
Arkema has begun production of Sartomer specialty UV/LED curing resins at its expanded facility in Nansha, China, where the group invested to double the capacity. This will support the development of more sustainable solutions for fast-growing applications in Asian markets, such as solutions in electronics, driven by 5G technology, and in renewable energies.
According to a release from Arkema, the Nansha capacity expansion leverages the most recent process and manufacturing standards. The whole plant has an energy efficiency program and aims at carbon neutral growth through green electricity purchasing and the installation of solar panels.
“Doubling the capacity of the Nansha plant will allow us to support the growth, innovation and regional supply of our customers in Asia. The accelerating need for lower carbon solutions is creating new opportunities for the UV/LED curing technology, which is expanding fast to a wider range of substrates and applications” said Richard Jenkins, senior vice president of Arkema’s Coating Solutions.
This key project is part of the Arkema’s strategy to expand its portfolio of high performance and sustainable materials, including UV/LED, powder, waterborne and high solid technologies.
Arkema also announced the doubling of its polyester resins capacity in its Navi Mumbai facility in India, reinforcing the company’s leadership position in the global powder coatings market and its commitment to developing very low-VOC technologies.
Arkema invested in the Navi Mumbai facility in early 2019 to expand geographic coverage of its high performance, more sustainable, low-VOC products, and to support its customers in their development. The site includes a modern manufacturing unit and a dedicated laboratory to provide application development and technical support in the region.
In order to support its customers’ growth in the area, in particular in mobility, household and industrial applications, including automotive, home appliances, furniture and sports infrastructure, Arkema is now doubling the capacity of its Reafree powder polyester resins in its Navi Mumbai facility.
“India is a key growth market for both the powder coatings industry and for Arkema,” Neil Tariq, global business director for Coating Resins said. “Arkema is the first international leader in powder coating resins to make significant investments in the area. Powder coating resins enable low waste, solvent-free and high durability solutions, which make this technology key to the sustainable development of our customers and partners.”
