Revista Paint & Pintura - Edição 227

CLIPPING 10 | PAINT&PINTURA | Novembro 2017 THE DAWN OF A NEW TIME Theword among those in attendance at the ABRAFATI 2017 InternationalExhibitionofCoatingsIndustrySuppliers,which tookplacebetweenOctober3and5,with196exhibitorsand thousands of innovative solutions and new products laun- ched,was almost unanimous: therehavebeenpositivesigns thus far in the secondhalf according tosuppliers to thepaint and coatings industry, and theendof the year is expected to be even better, culminating in a promising new year. Since2015—whenthemoodatthecloseofthatyear’sedition of ABRAFATI was one of great uncertainty and brought up a feeling that businesses and the economy were going to experience a decline the likes of which had not been seen in manyyears—therehadbeennohintofpositiveexpectations on the faces of any executives in the industry. And it was no wonder, asBrazil didsink intoanunprecedentedcrisis. Right now, however, the country is bouncing back, albeit to levels not quite as high as it has seen in years past, and things are lookingup in the industry, thoughonlymoderately so, asnot before 2021will it seebusiness back to 2013 levels, according to Racz, Yamaga & Associates, a consulting firm that does much of its business with the coatings industry. ABRAFATI 2017 tookplaceat this important timeof recovery andhasshowntheindustry’sstrength.Wehavethenumbers to prove it: the 15 th edition of the trade showcovered a total area of 24,000 square meters, where 14,206 visitors were received, a record turnout since thefirst editionheld in 1989. Thenewvenueisinamoreconvenientlocationforexhibitors andvisitors,witha comfortablehall well suited for anexhibi- tionthatsize.Therewasa30-percentincreaseinattendance, and this year’swas thebest and largest edition, according to theorganizers,thanksespeciallytothenewlocationandhigh quality of the facilities. According toevent officials, ABRAFATI 2017 exuded an air of strong motivation for business, which was bolstered by the overallperceptionoftheindustry’scurrentandfuturepoten- tial. The activity at the booths as well as the aisles made the exhibitionanidealspaceforexchanginginformationandbuil- ding closer relationships to the benefit of the entire supply chain. The International Coatings Congress, heldat the same time, provi- dedaccesstocontentsthatarekeytotechnologicaladvancement, showing the paths of research and innovation in the industry. Congressfiguresincludea50percentparticipationofinternational speakers and 1,485 people in attendance. At the congress’s 90 technical conferences, the Poster Session with 27 presentations, on the panel at the ABRAFATI-RadTech South America Seminar, and at the special event on solvents put together in partnership with Abiquim, leading national and international experts made a valuable contribution to refreshing knowledge and to the discus- sion of ideas and trends. According to ABRAFATI’s executive president Antonio Carlos de Oliveira,theeventhasreaffirmedtheinnovativeprofileandstrength of the industry, which presents numerous opportunities. “It was a major boost towards resuming growth and enabling us to find answerstothenewchallengesfacingusinanever-changingworld.” A wind of opportunity and optimism is now blowing towards a fresh start and breathing life into the industry, which for three years has been feeling the weight of the political and economic crisis the country has been suffering through. That shows Brazil’s capacity for reaction in that, as it happened time and again after the country was impacted by the countless crises of the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s, it is nowback on its feet and ready for growth. May this be the dawn of a newera. WETTINGANDDISPERSINGAGENTS -HIGHRELIABILITY, PURITY Suppliersofwettinganddispersingagentsare followingthe trend towards developing solutions that meet safety and other regulatory requirements,whiledeliveringhighperfor- mance and competitiveness in paint and coating formulations. Dispersing and wetting additives have displayed consistent evolution in technologies. “The demand for new technologies has never been as favorable as it is today. Users of high-yield dispersing agents are open, are actually quite willing to use the

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