We spoke to a BASF expert about the company's commitment to green solutions that optimise processes in the automotive paint sector.
By Inpra Latina
The automotive paints and coatings sector continues to have a strong presence in the Latin American market. One of the most important causes is that the vehicle market remains active and because of this, the business of our segment does not stop.
For that reason, companies are in constant need to design technologies that help improve all automotive painting or repainting processes. Currently, the objective is to consolidate the offer of more environmentally friendly products and to reduce the application processes to achieve the ideal final result.
To learn a little more about this market, we interviewed Juan Carlos Pacheco, who is currently the Manager of BASF's automotive refinish division in Peru.
Inpra Latina: Tell us about the latest trends in paint and coating formulation used by BASF for the automotive sector.
Juan Carlos Pacheco: BASF is focused on the environment, sustainable developments and sustainable over time. Product development goes hand in hand with reducing the uses of solvent-based products and they also develop products to reduce time in each of the processes where we intervene with re-painting products. It is also developed with vehicle manufacturers according to the needs of vehicle manufacturers.
Inpra Latina: In coating formulation, how has the raw materials market behaved for this sector? Have they suffered price affectations?
Juan Carlos: Locally we do not have greater scope of this point because the products we sell are manufactured in Europe.
Inpra Latina: How has the massification of products with a green trend been in the Peruvian automotive market?
Juan Carlos: It's slow, very slow compared to other sectors.
Inpra Latina: What kind of recommendations should be followed today for the application of coatings?
Juan Carlos: Primarily safety, the person who uses and handles products must have their proper and specific safety implements. Know the type of product you are going to use, know the type of work you are going to do to use the right product. And the equipment is also important, because with a good application team we can achieve improvements in the indicators.
Inpra Latina: What aspects should applicators correct to optimize coating application techniques?
Juan Carlos: Always know the type of product, it is recommended that you have a technical sheet at hand, know the type of equipment you use, regulate the air outlet, pressure, application distance and also speed.
Inpra Latina: What kind of technologies have evolved to improve the application of automotive coatings?
Juan Carlos: We recommend the use of HVLP or EPA-regulated equipment; there are important developments that are being made by manufacturers of application guns, we already have on the market equipment with carbon fiber that significantly reduce the weight of the equipment.
Inpra Latina: Tell us about BASF's ongoing trainings on this.
Juan Carlos: We have an RCC Glasurit, it is a training center for automotive re-painting processes. Here we provide a controlled space with the necessary tools to make these applications. Our modules are divided into two parts: theoretical and practical, ranging from grade one to the highest operational level, and we also have focus and training modules for administrative staff, ranging from service advisor to after-sales management.
Inpra Latina: What analysis do you make of the automotive refinish market in Peru and the Andean region? How much has consumption increased in recent years?
Juan Carlos: As the automotive fleet increases, the re-painting market is also growing, trends, most used colors, types of products and also the segments that are directed are analyzed.
The trend is also to increase the use of products with lower solvent consumption and replace them with new technologies such as the increase of high technologies such as Polyurethanes and polyester in replacement of acrylic or minor technologies.
Inpra Latina: What future can we expect from this automotive refinish sector in Latin America?
Juan Carlos: A future that tends to the use of water-based products, products that are less aggressive to the environment and a reduction in time of each repair process until reaching the ideal.
