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| Paint&pintura | Novembro 2013
Dow believes that the growing concern about the toxi-
cological and environmental profile of the solvents used
in this industry can, too, influence the shift in its solvent
technology. “There’s no debate that this concern has
been gaining traction in the Brazilian market, yet only
moderately so in certain industries. However, from close
cooperation with paint and coating manufacturers, other
factors can be named which may contribute to potential
changes in solvent consumption. As highlights, we can
name technical issues, international restrictions, pursuit
of improved performance and lower contents of volatile
organic compound, and also sales-oriented changes to
solvents with specific chemistries,” says Luis Gustavo dos
Santos, technical expert on oxygenated solvents at Dow.
KaliumChemical’s technical andmarketing director Victor
Luis Maluf Amarilla proposes a look into the concept of
environmentally compliant: “One must engage in an in-
-depth analysis of the entire supply chain. Every solvent is
not environmentally compliant. As amatter of fact, certain
solvents have been banned in developed countries which
are still used in Brazil, such as ethyl glycol and others the
entire processing of which involves large greenhouse gas
emissions, including certain glycol ethers and ketones,
which cannot be considered environmentally compliant.
Theymay bemore biodegradable thanother hydrocarbon
solvents, but that doesn’t make them environmentally
compliant. For the most part, consumption has grown in
Brazil thanks to thepopulation’s higher purchasingpower.
If we keep on protecting local manufacturers with high
import tax rates, over and above Brazil’s inefficiency in
infrastructure, then we are going to become easy prey
for large international manufacturers. Low investment in
researchanddevelopmentwill cost the industry its future.”
Plastic Packaging - More Appealing to the
Industry’s Eyes
The plastic packaging industry is on the rise, gainingmore
groundeachyear in theBrazilianpaint andcoatingsmarket
as its packaging products become more andmore appea-
lingdue to their numerous innovations in technology, new
shapes, photo quality printing and beauty.
The plastic packagingmarket has developed a lot over the
past few years, especially in terms of technology, inclu-
ding new molds and advanced printing processes. Also,
it is an industry that has displayed consistent growth. “Plastic
packagingmaterials have gone through technological changes.
New customization methods, such as in-mold and digital heat
transfer labels, the launch of containers in a different, rectan-
gular shape, and the evolution in machinery and equipment
have created newpossibilities for plastic packaging products in
the paint and coatings industry, turning it on to their versatility
and beauty,” stresses Bomix’s sales manager André Jordão
Lorenzo de Rosário.
According toRosário, theplasticpackaging industrygrows follo-
wing a world trend towards establishing that its products are
an ideal fit for the paint industry. “We highlight the outstanding
acceptance of plastic packaging products by paint manufactu-
rers, especially as they are assured great performance at the
end of the day.”
By virtueof all these strengths, plastic packagingmaterials have
seen their share in Brazil’s paint and coatings market increase
more and more. “Today, practically all paint companies, irres-
pective of size, have implemented a plastic pail line, whether
in the premium paint segment or for economy paints,” says
Fibrasa’s regional sales manager Paulo Bernardes, adding that
the market continues to grow as several new suppliers, new
design options and new printing processes arise.
Recovery from Natural Disaster
Paint &Pinturawent to Italy to showyou howthe largest Corob
plant got back on its feet after being hit by two earthquakes.
Corob, the former CPS Color Equipment Business Unit, has its
largest production site in San Felice, Italy. Covering an area of
4,000 squaremeters, the site produces 6,000 equipment parts
every year. Despite itsmassive size, the company is not immune
to natural disasters. And so it wasn’t in May 2012, when two
earthquakes shook Northern Italy, claimingmore than ten lives
and hitting various homes, historic churches and companies,
including CPS Color. The earthquakes were so strong that they
were felt as far as the neighboring cities of Milan and Venice,
although fortunately they were not damaged.
Losses After Earthquakes
No employee died as a result of the earthquakes, but the site
was severely damaged. Despite the damages, the company’s
directors decided to reopen the factory a week later to fill
customer orders.
Engineering sales & key account manager Marco Amadei tells
that Corob had only a few days’ downtime out of respect for