The American Coatings Show is the largest event for suppliers to the paint & coatings and ink industries in North America. It brings together leading suppliers to the field, including key raw materials such as pigments, resins and additives to testing and production equipment as well as major distributors.
 
Organized by the American Coatings Association (ACA) and Vincentz Network, the American Coatings Show and Conference is held every two years. ACS 2018 was held in Indianapolis April 10-12, and the organizers said the show was a success.
 
All told, there were more than 9,200 total participants, as well as 558 exhibitors covering 137,500 square feet of exhibition space. In addition, the American Coatings Conference 2018 (ACC), which ran from April 9-11, was attended by nearly 1,10 people. Among its highlights was the 2018 Mattiello Award lecture by Dr. Ray Fernando of California State Polytechnic University and a keynote talk by Dr. Barry Snyder, SVP and CTO at Axalta Coating Systems.
 
Cheryl Matthews, ACA’s VP of events and expositions, noted that ACS 2018 was the tenth year for the show.
 
“Attendees value the learning experiences the event brings, whether it’s information obtained at the product presentations or coatings research presented at the conference,” Matthews observed. “We have established a reputation for providing the industry with an event that offers a return on investment, and we remain committed to providing one of the most valuable experiences industry has to offer.”
 
Exhibitors reported that the conference met their hopes. Russell Clavenger, general manager - NA for Corob North America, Inc., said that Corob presented its latest innovations as well as its new capabilities from its acquisition of Novaflow.
 
“We had a lot of good contacts and interactions with customers, including with compnaies outside of coatings and paint,” Clavenger added.
 
Darren Bianchi, president of Brilliant Color, said that the ACS 2018 was a really good show, and that the show allows Brilliant Color to highlight its additional capabilities.
 
“At this year’s ACS, we are highlighting our growing global operations by adding fluorescent specialists worldwide,” Bianchi added. “We are showing our customers our enhanced capabilities and our ever-expanding product offerings. The slower pace has allowed us to go into deeper conversations. We are helping our customers find the right product for their applications.”
 
Brian McDaniels, director of new business development at KW Container, said he was “pleasantly surprised” by ACS 2018.
 
“It’s been moving at a good pace,” McDaniels observed. “People have been accessible. We are pleasantly surprised.”
 
“It’s been terrific,” added Lori Huber, marketing communications specialist at The Shepherd Color Company. “We have had good interactios with curreent customers as well as potential customers.”