This I could see during the last version of the American Coating Show, in which a large group of suppliers of raw materials and machinery showed their advances in research and made it clear that water is the predominant element when talking about the future of the sector.
During the fair, in the beautiful and quiet city of Charlotte, USA and with a warm late winter sun, I was able to observe new coatings for industrial floors with good quality finishes, metallic paints for vehicles and other metallic elements with impeccable effects, among others. All of them with the common denominator of having low VOC emissions and being formulated based on water.
The dryers for this type of coatings were one of the most striking novelties. More than five different suppliers offered this alternative that turned out to fit the current needs of the formulators. The same situation was experienced with alkyd resins derived from soy that are characterized by excellent yields in formulations of 50% solid.
All these novelties are available in Latin America and do not represent an extra cost in the formulation process. Therefore, more than an obligation or a fashion, this is the perfect opportunity to refocus product lines, set new goals and get all the juice out of a market that has the whole future ahead.
